Sandleigh Tea Room & Garden in North Devon

Called in for morning coffee and young lady who served us extremely pleasant. Coffee was excellent and nice and hot. Served very quickly

The staff was understaffed only 2 people on the animal was cleaning the food up teamsalves i cloud believe what I was seeing

Looking for a dentist due to the food being so stale almost breaking a tooth. Asked to collect food as short staffed so couldn’t bring to table, then asked to return tray when finished, which I did, no conversation, no thanks - avoid at all costs, and this was on a chilly day in May, dread to think what the height of summer will be like ! Could be a lovely little thriving business but definitely won’t be returning

Wonderful oasis in an idyllic place. My partner and I had a delicious cream tea. The crumbs of which the sparrows loved. Would definitely recommend it.

We drove to the tea room & gardens specifically to enjoy the cream tea, garden & views. We were disappointed with all of them. The scone was flat, dry & unappetising…. how difficult is it to make a good scone? The gardens were not worth the drive & the views were not visible. I would definitely not recommend driving all the way there, paying £8 for parking if you are just going to the cafe. It’s really not worth it.

We went for a cream tea. We could have bought one at a local pub but instead walked back to national trust cafe as we like to support them. Won’t be going to this one again. My Husband Qued for ages at the counter , woman on till kept getting things wrong and needed help. Eventually ordered and was told to go to a table till our name was shouted. Half an hour later still waiting I went to ask if we had missed our name being called to be told they hadn’t got a paper with our name on. My husband went up and after searching through all the papers he found it in the done pile. This was all very upsetting and embarrassing. They then did the cream teas which they piled everything on a small tray including 2 teapots ,2 large cups , milk, and 2 plates and the jams and creams and the tea ended up on the scones . I think someone needs to look into the running of this place as it is letting the Trust down. People that haven’t been to others may not bother in future

Amazing cake - terrible tea and even worse coffee ( thrown away after 2 sips 😖) so disappointing...

Could be a nice tea room But.. paper cups cake served with no plate at all ( not even a paper one).. Presentation is very poor and spoils what should be a really nice place... Cake was nice.. It's a shame!

Rude staff, very little choice on the menu and they are not doing this COVID thing right. Such a shame, could be fantastic.

Really lovely spot with plenty of tables in a bird-filled garden and view if Baggy Point. Delicious scones too

Visited today for a post hike cream tea, one of our favourite cafes in Croyde. Disappointed with the ‘COVID safe’ bags though. Single use plastic cutlery and cups, so wasteful. No plates, we had to prepare and eat the scones from a paper napkin. Reduced the customer experience. Shame. I’d give it a miss until it’s back to normal.

This used to serve a great cream teas but now a bagged small scone with a carton of cream and jam. Blame COVID , but this is a lazy effort from the tea shop but still at the same cost ! advise anyone to swerve this go to the shop and buy their own

Popped in here after running around baggy point/Peterborough beach. Friendly welcome and some tasty food on sight (cakes, sandwiches, boxed up cream tea). I chose the vegan pasty and a coffee. I am not vegan but the filling sounded great - cauliflower and chickpea curry. For non cauli lovers, there were no big chunks or over powering cauli flavour. It was SO good! Sweet and savoury bundled in a lovely herby wholemeal style pastry. I am a convert to vegan pastry! Nice coffee too. Sitting in the tranquil kitchen garden was so delightful. A little getaway from the busy beach. Thank you Sandleigh. I will defo go back. Next time two courses - pasty followed by takeaway cream tea.

We visited when on holiday in Croyde, as we wanted a cream tea. The scone was served in a bag, with one throwaway knife for your jam and cream, tea is in takeway cups. The whole feeling of a lovely cream tea is missing. What isn't missing is the price, it is very expensive. We ate in the garden which was poorly maintained. As far as we could see, none of the tables were cleaned between guests. There is no reason not to use proper plates and cups, washing in a dishwasher at a high temperature between guests. The tables could atleast be cleaned between guests.I wouldn't recommend, and I wouldn't return for this overpriced disapointment.

A friend had recommended Sandleigh to us and it didn’t disappoint!I decided to celebrate my birthday by having a cream tea here and was pleasantly surprised that even during this pandemic we were able to safely enjoy eating here.They have a beautiful garden with plenty of seating so you can sit and enjoy your food and drink.The service was great and food delicious. Worth going even just for the view and pretty garden

This used to be such a great place, but it changed hands recently and reverted back to the National Trust. It's a lovely old coach house with a walled garden and allotments - on the way to Baggy point. But the shop has closed and the cafe is pretty un-imaginative. Still a lovely spot for refreshments and the cakes are OK, but could be so much better.

Have made a special trip to the tea room many times over the last 15 years while visiting Devon. This was not a good one, it’s been taken over by the National Trust and the quality has gone down hill. The Scones was served in a take away package and was less than good. The scone was dry and simply crumbled as I cut into it with a plastic knife! Cream served in a plastic mass produced pot, jam in a s small pot that you get in hotels for breakfast. Tea came in a disposable cup with a plastic lid. Maybe the serving or rather lack of serving was due to the Covid restrictions in place, but that doesn’t explain the poor quality of the contents. Won’t be rushing back here on my next trip to Devon.

My family & I have been going to Sandleigh for a number of years, it's a lovely setting after a good walk up to baggy point, the quality of the food has always been of the highest standard, until now, sadly since the National trust have taken over this year its quality has diminished somewhat, the pasties are nowhere near as nice with no chutney in sight & the salad is poorly presented, the cream tea's have suffered too, no longer warm scones & without any strawberries too, very disappointing

After a walk up baggy point whats better than relaxing in a sheltered sunny garden, eating cream tea and watching the birds?Nothing.It's simply wonderful. Good cakes selection too! Lovely well kept veg patch and scary scarecrow! Fun to feel the little starlings the crumbs from your cream tea, they're brave little things!

Picturesque and lovely spot! Staff are pleasant without being OTT. Table service and nice relaxed atmosphere! Will be back!

..enjoyed mid morning tea and cake at this lovely cafe which has a garden attached. Sat in courtyard area which was lovely. Recommend

We sat with the dog in the garden and she had a Dog ice cream and we had coffee and a nice bit of cake. We sat in a shaded spot by the wall in the garden. The tables are well spaced out and a family with young children were there too. You order and pay and then take your table. There is a gate from the garden that leads into the car park (which was free with our National Trust membership). A really nice relaxing little cafe after a lovely cliff top walk with the dog. We could have happily sat in that garden for ages!

We stopped for a cream tea after a lovely walk out to the point. The scones were warm and fresh and very tasty. But on the downside service was slow. Also the birds in the garden were persistent and a bit off putting in their brazen search for crumbs.

Best cheese and pickle sandwiches EVER. The cakes are amazing and the garden is so well kept! I would highly recommend coming here!

Well worth a visit, good coffee and cake served in a secluded secure hidden garden with plenty of seating. Don’t walk past, pop in and give it a go and support the national trust at the same time.

I have titled the review ‘oh dear’ because if you have seen my previous reviews about Sandleigh Tea Room and Garden you would see they were very positive. However now that the business has been taken over by the National Trust it is lacking its previous service, quality and character. It is such a shame to have seen it become less loved.

The garden is lovely, and the food was great when it arrived, however when we asked the ditsy waitress to check up on our drinks she never got back to us. But, we would visit again. The dogs loved the doggy icecream!!!

Hmm what has happened? Used to be the highlight of our many trips to Croyde. Used to have amazing menu now it’s very basic and disappointing.

This place was a highlight of our visits to Croyde, it’s now poor, food is plain and uninteresting. No more crab salads, nice ploughman’s etc. Sausage rolls and ham sandwiches are as good as it gets.

We walked through this pretty little allotment garden situated just a short step from the NT car park.

Lovely place , superb Cream Tea Also big 👍 up for the delicious sausage rolls by my boys. Always a great place to visit when we holiday in Croyde.

We visited the tea rooms with our family baby and dog after a long damp walk around Baggy point.

This place used to be one the highlights of our visits to Devon. Always great food, wonderful kitchen garden and superb service with queues for outside tables. Since NT have taken over they have literally no vegan options anymore, garden is no longer maintained and the meals my wife and kids had were disgusting including an undercooked pasty. It's a depressingly familiar tale of a great independent establishment getting ruined by a corporate takeover.

Perfectly situated next to the National Trust car park for the stunning Baggy Point headland walk. Run by the National Trust and offering a decent selection of snacks and cream teas. You pay for the location, but it's not outrageous. If you're a National Trust member the combination of the car park, walk and cream tea can't be bettered for an authentic North Devon cream tea experience.

A short walk away from the hubub of Croyde beach this quiet and pretty (and dog friendly) place has the potential for being a fabulous tea room. Sadly it falls well short of that.

Apologies for being rather negative but hopefully it will help such events be better in the future. First, praise where its due. The cake provided as dessert was historic and the NT volunteer who acted as host was great at organising everyone through the various stages of the meal without queues, etc. Unfortunately the rest really wasn't up to scratch. In particular the staff (both NT and Latitude catering) seemed totally unprepared for guests arriving and everything then took an age. The guitar music was so "mellow" it almost disappeared, the very smoky "fire pit" simply increased our carbon foot print, and the paella lacked "pep" to say the least. At £20 each the tickets weren't cheap and with the high price of drinks and the "add-on" starter platter, it all ended up as pretty poor value.They were talking about holding an Arabian Night in a few weeks time. Suggest approach with caution.

This National Trust Cafe is perhaps not quite so comprehensive as some of the restaurants at other National Trust properties, but they serve pasties, sandwiches and cakes etc. which are delicious. My Cheese and Onion Pasty was the best pasty I had on our holiday. It’s a lovely spot and the cream teas are, needless to say, delicious. It’s a welcome rest after a trip to Baggy Point.

Went with 3 year old daughter for tea and cake while the boys climbed baggy Point. Gorgeous garden, just like mr mcgregors garden. Amazing chocolate fudge cake and cup of tea. In the sunshine

We regularly stop hear for an afternoon tea, great surroundings, and nice menu selection. space for the kids to run and parking behind or up to the road

The tea room looked lovely, but sadly was not for me. We waited 30 minutes to have tea for two a scone and Victoria sandwich the scone cream and jam were delicious but mediocre cake on a hot plate...... big disappointment and all definitely not worth the money or the wait .... sorry

What a shame. This used to do fantastic food and now they just do tea, cakes and basic sandwiches. Even the parasols have gone.

Since NT have taken over the atmosphere is totally different. It used to be our favourite place and the food was wonderful. We have been a couple of times recently to see if it would improve but no. The staff are friendly and helpful, although one young lad working there kept passing tables loaded with empty dishes whilst carrying an empty tray back to the kitchen! The heart has definitely gone out of it. Food is usual NT - to longer lovely bottles of oil and dressig and generous prawn sandwiches with loads of crisps and salad. And where are all the parasols? It all seems very bare and basic.

Welcome cup of tea after a 7 mile walk around Baggy Point. This conveniently placed tea room is adjacent to the National Trust car park. You are straight onto the popular walk, allow a couple of hours to complete the longer circular walk. This should bring you around to the tea rooms. Entrance leads to a delightful court yard and garden. Plenty of seating, outside. Dogs are very welcome. You order at the counter inside. The only inside eating space is very limited. Staff are very pleasant and choice of homemade cakes and biscuits are plentiful. Prices are typically National Trust prices. Only downside was, we had a very long wait for for our order to come out and the cakes looking sumptuous could have been more tasty. But were of a nice size portion. We will be back. We loved the walk and like I said, a much needed cup of tea.

Sat and had a cream tea here 6 of us. Very good service icecream for my grandson and water out for the dog 3ed time we have been in 4 years always goodfood and friendly staff

Afternoon scones in a beautiful garden, the nicest staff imaginable and you don't have to be a National Trust member to enjoy it.

So as a large family we have been holidaying in Croyde for 11 consecutive years now. Each year we make sure we have at least one visit to the Sandleigh Tea rooms before we have a walk up to Baggy point. This has always been a much loved and looked forward to part of our holiday by children and adults alike. Each year we have particularly enjoyed how beautiful the outside eating area is, the choice of food available and most importantly the amazing cream teas! We were very disappointed on our visit this year to find the tea rooms had been taken over by the National Trust. Immediately we noticed how quiet it was (school half term week) which was great for getting a table for 12 , but the atmosphere seemed different! The inside of the tea room seemed sparse and no where near the amount of choice there had been previous, the menu was very much reduced and very minimal cakes on offer. We ordered our cream teas as we always do and again were so disappointed , the jam is now in little ‘shop bought’ pots and you only get 1 scone (which is now significantly smaller than previous) whereby you used to get 2 large , gorgeous , homemade , fluffy scones on each cream tea! So sad to say unless it changes and improves we will be looking for a new ‘cream tea’ experience on our trip next year.

We visited here having walked from Woolacombe. It’s located in the National Trust car park. We only wanted a drink but the cakes looked very tempting! Lovely, quaint tea room.

Fantastic little spot in a tranquil garden for a bit of lunch or a cream tea after time on the beach or a walk on the coast path

Had some lovely soup, a slice of a great cake and cup of tea at lunchtime and another cuppa and scone after a walk out to the end of Baggy Point. Food was lovely, and the staff were welcoming and very helpful. Service was quick and the food was great.

We had coffee here twice last week. Very good service, very good coffee, very nice surroundings.

So sad to find that the lovely family who ran this cafe for 10 years producing great food and excellent service have gone. Poor Sandleigh the heart has gone out of it and it was always such a highlight of our holidays in Croyde.

After climbing baggy point you need food and drink! This was a lovely little tearoom, although it was raining there is an undercover area outside where children can run around and you can take dogs too. We had drinks and cake but cream teas looked lovely too

Now under national trust management. We were regular visitors of this tea room as they used to do a wonderful whole dressed crab and the best cream teas in the south west. Sadly at our visit today with the cafe under new management, the menu is now incredibly limited. Of the few items on offer, they had run out of pasties and sausage rolls and were only serving dry sandwiches with sliced white or brown bread with margarine and bland fillings. The scones have downsized and are not freshly baked any more. We were given plastic single use cups for the water which is incredibly disappointing in this day and age. We won’t be visiting again unless the menu changes significantly sadly.

Sandleigh used to sell expensive great food.. now the National Trust has taken over, it has really gone downhill.... but the prices haven't. My cheese sandwich was cheap dry thin bread, tasteless cheese and a little watery salad, which had made my bread wet. After a very long wait, it was disappointing. It has turned in to a characterless cafe, in a beautiful location, but unless they change I am not prepared to pay the inflated prices for such basic food. My husband had a ham sandwich, a tiny amount of thin ham, and watery boring salad. What a shame... don't bother.

Having made an effort to walk to Croyde for the fabulous prawn sandwich only to find the previous tenancy owners have cut short their lease and moved on so the cafe was closed. National trust opening in 3 weeks, hoping it won’t be plastic wrapped sandwiches and cakes like most of their cafes.

Such a beautiful garden, lovely and chilled and delicious cream tea after a long walk. We shared but with regret - I should have had one to myself!

After a lovely walk round baggy point we stopped here for a drink and something to eat. We both ordered the ‘famous’ Devon pasty which was extremely bland so we fed most of it to the dog! The staff were surley bordering on rude, The food and drink selection wasn’t very good as they have chosen to go down the route of being green which is fine however it would have been nice to at least had a commercial can of Coke or something. In my opinion that is not providing a supply to a demand.

I wish I had read the reviews before visiting this pretentious tea room. I was told in no uncertain terms that they didn’t serve any ‘diet’ soft drinks. This was delivered with utter distain. We ordered the pastries which were really bland and unappetising. We gave most of it to our dog. The couple on the next table to us had cake. They were complaining that the lemon cake didn’t taste of anything and certainly not lemon.

Sandleigh is the most delightful place; beautiful surroundings, lovely garden and delicious food. The owners and staff are always extremely helpful and friendly and there is a shop selling all sorts of lovely things.

I was so looking forward to a proper Cream Tea after a very long trek.

I've eaten here a handful of times. Not been disappointed once. Sometimes, when it's sunny, it's packed and the wait is a little long, but that's to be expected.

Warm scones set in a nice garden where they grow a lot of their own vegetables, spinach, chard, pumpkins, borrage. Service not lightening speed but to be fair the place was super busy.

Easy to walk past this tea room on the way to Baggy Point but worth stopping off for a visit especially on a nice day as the garden is really nice with lots of seating.

My husband and I stopped here with our 2 dogs after a nice walk at baggy point. Beautiful garden to sit in and the cream teas were delicious. Hope to visit again in the future.

Brilliant food plus good vegetarian choice and wonderful cakes. Lovely outdoor areas to sit. Friendly staff and reasonably priced food. Highly recommended.

Staying just across the road we visited the Sandleigh TR several times during our recent visit. We have been coming to Saunton/Croyde for three years now and wouldn’t miss the opportunity of a pasty for lunch or an excellent Bacon Roll before our journey home. Service can sometimes be slow but, hey, it’s a popular place and there is a nice garden to sit in while you wait.

We called in as we passed on the SW coast path. Seen good reviews on trip advisor. The service was great and the savoury cheese tea was lovely. We were however disappointed the quality of the jam and cream served with the standard cream tea. The scones were great but just a small change of jam and cream would make all the difference.

Called in for a cream tea on our way back from Baggy point. Very disappointed to find they didn’t one single diet drink for my diabetic daughter. We were offered water or fruit juice. On the plus side scones were lovely

Lovely food, I had a carrot cake and a ham sandwich which came with some vegetables and crisps, would recommend.

On our return leg from Baggy Point we visited the team rooms, unfortunately hitting it around lunchtime. Having managed to find some seats we then queued to order. It seemed to take forever, which would have been worth it but sadly the pasties that then arrived, which I have to say tasted great, were sadly spoilt as they were virtually cold, so disappointing and a real shame. I wish we had chosen the cream teas as those looked immense. The hot tea for 3 people was generous in volume and very welcomed.

Beautiful setting for a National Trust tearoom - I recently visited again after a day out at Croyde Bay. I ordered a Cream Tea which was lovely and fresh very slow service as it was the last time we visited and the lady on the til wasn’t entirely welcoming but no bother it’s still worth a visit - and the car park is free to NT members FYI

A long walk from the town car park but worth it for the cream tea. Everyone in my party commented how lovely the scones were being so warm and moist. The only improvement could be a choice of jams eg raspberry or blueberry. Dogs welcome in the little garden.

Vistied with family, lovely setting. Food arrived quick and tasted lovely. Gave two out of five as the person who served us, I assume the manager, was incredibly blunt, rude and downright grumpy. A shame as everything else was great!

Having just completed a walk around baggy point we stopped off for tea, milkshakes and cake. All of which was excellent! The cream teas also looked particularly good. However the place was so busy that we had quite a long wait. 30 minutes! This would not put me off returning as it was so good. Nice seating too!

The setting for this cafe is beautiful and there is a gorgeous kitchen garden with a scarecrow in the middle which kept our small children entertained. There are also local art works displayed which adds interest while you’re waiting for your tea. The tables are named after islands - we were on Lundy. Nice touch.

A lovely stop on a rainy afternoon. Lovely cake to accompany our cup of tea. And a great little gift shop on site too. Found it by accident, will definitely find it again next time.

Great tea room which serves up the best cakes and light lunches in a beautiful walled vegetable garden. A nice little boutique shop is located in the gardens also. Try the chocolate ice cream, super rich.

Great place to stop after or before a walk around Baggy Point. Cake and cream teas are their specialty-previous review suggesting use of “squirty” cream I cannot believe. Dog friendly and can get busy but not a problem when you’re relaxing on holiday

Ordered Devon cream tea which was listed as coming with clotted cream. It arrived with whipped or aerosol cream, without any excuse or apology. The jam was cheap, out-of-a-tin, with no discernible pieces of fruit, but it did come with 1 sliced freshish strawberry - no compensation. Tea was okay. Won’t be coming back

Lovely surroundings, delicious cake, worth a visit when youve been hill climbing and to the beach. Will come back.

Lovely warm scones with clotted cream, jam and fresh strawberries in a quaint walled garden. The location is awesome and within a few metres you can be be rock pooling on Croyde beach or making your way to Baggy point.

On our ongoing tour of north Devon beaches we reached Croyde. I had been here in 2015. Nothing much seemed to have changed really, not a bad idea. We went to the beach & then to Sandleigh Tea room, as being both NT members & remembering the great coffee/food, it was a must do. My wife was pleasantly surprised at the whole enterprise - well maybe the toilets could do with an upgrade? A small building delivering lovely grub, & really friendly staff. Thanks for another lovely sunny memory. Note parking is only free for NT members.

It was a little tricky to find the menus or a table as it was quite busy. Ordering is at the till after finding a table.

Called in here after walking up to Baggy Point on a warm Summer’s day. Busy in the courtyard but there was no wait for a table. The sparrows were very vocal and inquisitive to why we were there... Little disappointed that there were no menus visible but on ordering at the till the blackboards seem to have all the details we could need. No pasties in a Devon tea shop is never a good start (they had had a run on them it would seem...) but the Cream Tea more than sufficed. Well presented with fresh strawberries served alongside. A fine day

Stopped here with the family after our walk to baggy point. Lovely garden setting with friendly staff. The wife and I had a cream tea. Absolutely amazing. Scones were still warm and melted in the mouth. Kids had cake and a milkshake which they loved. Can definitely recommend this place.

Stopped here on a hot day and wasn't disappointed, we had the fresh orange juice which was honestly the best juice I have ever had, my son had a kids platter which was well made and my wife had a pasty, I had a cream tea but sadly was disappointed by the lack of cream jam and strawberries in ratio to the scones, can't fault the place other than that there needs to be more seating as I saw few people leave.

We came here last year and loved the outdoor seating area with the allotments and many tame wild birds flying around. The ploughman’s was great and the kids loved the Devon pasty and milkshakes!

Stopped by to have the cream tea, staff were polite and a lovely area outside to eat and have a drink, the scones were a good size, fluffy and light, with the Devon cream, jam, everything was excellent, the prices were reasonable. Would recommend.

We came for lunch in the first week of July. With fantastic weather, it was lovely to sit out in the garden. Local pastors were delicious, as were the cream teas. We ordered 2 to share and they only bought one pot of Jam / clotted cream so we had to ask for more, but they were happy to oblige. Would highly recommend this place.

We visited the tea rooms for an afternoon snack , I ordered the scones and they where very nice my hubby had the cheese and ham sarny also nice. It’s so nice to sit in the gardens and watch the birds.

We stopped off here for afternoon tea after a walk on lovely Baggy Point. The cafe is owned by National Trust but leased to a local couple who are running it and the attached organic garden. Good to see this kind of partnership with NT. It was also nice to see a cafe associated with NT that wasn't identikit. We got a friendly welcome. It was baking hot but there was plenty of shaded areas in the garden. Dog bowls were provided, which was welcome in 30C heat. We only had cold drinks, tea and scones. But it was all very pleasant in the pretty garden.

Lovely setting - an oasis on a hot day! We visited three times throughout the day and really appreciated the pretty patio seating area (with welcome parasols) and garden. Particularly enjoyed the cream tea at the end of the day. Friendly and helpful staff. Wonderful!

Quality food close to the beach. A National Trust property with a very pretty garden. You’ll need to eat early or late to get a shady spot but it is well worth it. Lovely crab sandwiches and homemade cakes, quiches and salads

After a lovely walk to baggy point we stopped for lunch. Sadly the tea rooms are not owned by the NT so I did not get my volunteer discount but the lunch was excellent value anyway. Our dog slept under the table .

Tea was fine. Ice cream had melted. Scone was mediocre. Clotted cream tasted like ordinary cream. Nice environment.

This will definitely become a regular tearoom for us when we visit this fabulous beach area. We have only just moved recently to North Devon and today we both thank our lucky stars and our hard work to make our dream come true move happen.

We’ve been here many, many times usually after a walk out to Baggy Point. It has a few tables inside but it’s real charm is when you can sit outside, either in the very sheltered front courtyard (which can be quite a sun trap even on a spring day) or the much larger walled garden. The food is delicious - we’d recommend the crab sandwich cream tea or just about any of the cakes!

Went here as a family group. Lovely to sit in the garden, and enjoy some fabulous crab sandwiches! Cream tea was also gorgeous. I would highly receommend

We enjoyed a tea in the garden: good service and delicious scones. We really should have walked further to deserve it!

My partner and I were staying in a campsite nearby so came for lunch after seeing great review's. We both ordered crab sandwich which was £8.90, when it came there was a thin layer of crab the rest was just bread, half a pack of crisps and some lettuce with a few tomatoes. Had a can of lemonade which was £2.60 which I think is way over priced. Staff were friendly and coped well under the pressure of it being super busy due to the lovely sunshine