I went car-free to a remote British paradise Kirstie Allsopp calls home in the holidays

Calling all Londoners and city workers - what if you could be swimming with seals, basking on tropical-looking beaches and listening to the gentle crashing of the waves as a lullaby from your sea-view room - without so much as leaving the country? The slice of paradise I'm talking about is North Devon, not far from where host has a house. No-one knows more about countryside idylls than her, and this is the region she chose to invest in and even renovate a house in for show Kirstie's Homemade Home.

Surely I wouldn't travel all that way just for a weekend though - and especially not by train? Think again. I braved the arduously long journey that deters most travellers and I found a special side to Britain that made me glad I'd made the extra effort. The county might be isolated, without any major airports accessible from London, but thanks to the wi-fi on the train, maximising my down time was effortless. I set out at lunchtime on Friday and by the time I'd put my laptop away, we were already in Exeter; from there, it was just a short trip over to my first stop, Barnstaple. The next day's unbelievably scenic journey wouldn't be done justice after sunset, so stopping off for a culinary interlude was the obvious choice.

I headed straight to the Royal Fortescue hotel on the high street, where I dined at the award-winning adjoining restaurant 62 The Bank, featuring an elaborately decorated ceiling which dates back to the early 1600s.

The cocktails, including a hibiscus-infused tequila number called Garden Party, set me up for the tropical dupe scenes I would be seeing the next day.

Early the next morning, I headed to Woolacombe. Kirstie Allsopp rents out her second home, Meadowgate, near Welcombe Beach - but the huge house sleeps 14 and comes with a price tag starting at almost £3,000 per night.

If you want a romantic break for two, or are only travelling in a small group, then it's not cost-effective - so I headed further north along the same stretch of spectacular coastline to Woolacombe.

I picked the Watersmeet hotel, with its dramatic clifftop location right at the water's edge, and stunning views of Combesgate Beach below. It's an intimate boutique style hotel, with sea views visible from every room.

The website had promised a perfect night's sleep thanks to "the fresh sea air, the very best pocket sprung beds, the thickest and most luxurious duvets (like sleeping under a gigantic marshmallow!), crisp white linen and superior memory foam pillows" - and the experience lived up to expectations.

I dined two days in a row at the Rocks restaurant, with its panoramic floor-to-ceiling views over the ocean - and on one occasion, I spotted a wild rabbit scuttling around from the window.

I discovered three stunning beaches within walking distance of the hotel, a picturesque hiking path and an art gallery packed with quirky original pieces, including one called 1,000 Times Audrey; it looked like the face of actress Audrey Hepburn, but at a closer look, it was a composite made up of 1,000 tiny images of her.

Woolacombe has also been designated one of the best surfing areas in Britain, with the UK's first ever official World Surfing Reserve located there, so I knew there was no shortage of activities to enjoy before I headed home on Monday, on the train again.

Some assume sustainability is a sacrifice - something to reluctantly conform to while sighing and rolling their eyes - but it can make sense for the traveller too.

Sure, I could travel to Ibiza in half the time, but I'd lose my phone signal during the journey, whereas I can work on the train while travelling to paradise, maximising my productivity, and then be able to switch off as soon as I arrive.

It's something I could never do on a plane or while driving a car, and the train gets me there 30 minutes faster than by vehicle too.

I found out that if every driver in Britain switched from car to train for one return journey, it would save the same amount of CO2 as if the population of Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Peterborough all recycled for a year - but clearly there are many more benefits to travelling by train than the reduction of carbon emissions alone. It made perfect sense for my lifestyle, too.

To plan your next train journey and find out how you can reduce your carbon footprint visit