more about this place...

This charming 1930s period property is colour-washed duck egg blue under a tiled roof with dormer windows, arched porch, stained glass window panes, old-fashioned pull doorbell and interior doors of country planking with ironwork handles.

Inside the ambience is fresh, bright and relaxed in keeping with the well-travelled owners’ style (he
makes prosthetic legs for British Paralympians; she plays viola for the Academy of Ancient Music).
Along with their children (aged between 10 and 12), the house has been tried and tested as a family-friendly escape.

The sitting room is cosy with deep, squashy sofas, wooden boards, open fire in an exposed brick fireplace (for autumn and winter stays), Smart TV and bi-fold doors onto the terrace and gardens.

There is a spacious farmhouse style kitchen/dining/family room including painted cupboards, butler’s sink, range cooker and old-fashioned airer. With windows overlooking open Forest at the front and French windows onto a terrace at the back, this room allows parents to keep an eye on children from a comfortable distance. In addition, centre stage, is a big old dining table seating eight to 10 people – large enough for everyone to eat together. The family room has a Smart TV and further doors onto the terrace.

Styling is chic, yet quirky combining Victorian and Edwardian pieces with retro gingham and calming
neutrals. One bedroom is decorated in coastal blues and stripes, another in textured greys, while yet
another, under sloping eaves, features Cath Kidston’s classic spotty designs.

Altogether there are five flexible bedrooms, sleeping nine at most. We suggest the best fit is four to six adults and the rest are children.

Bedrooms include two doubles upstairs, one with en-suite shower room, a double and single room downstairs (this bed is the top part of a bunk). Adjacent, there is a further shepherds-hut styled room with sofa bed (sleeping one) on the ground floor, plus mini kitchen area and ladder to a small low bed space in the eaves with king-sized mattress.

Bifold doors from the sitting room and French windows from the family room both open onto a new decked terrace that runs the length of the back of the house with al fresco dining area and relaxed seating area of wicker armchairs and sofa, topped by plump cushions, and funky bean bags for lounging.

The back garden view is into the pony paddocks and woodland. It gets masses of summer sun making it ideal for sunbathing.

From May 28th 2021 the house will have a heated outdoor pool. Please see indicative pics.
The pool dimensions are L5,49m x W2,75m x D1,32m.
The pool will be standing 1m above ground approx with a 60cm approx of surround decking.

More fun for little ones is provided by a trampoline and mini-swing and slide. The house is south-facing, getting sun all day long, so it is super-hot in the summer, and gorgeous sunsets bathe the cottage in a golden glow in the evening. A chiminea stove can be lit to take the chill off evenings outside. Finish off your day by toasting marshmallows over a fire.

Here are our FIVE top things to do locally:

• Forest fun!  Play hide and seek in the Forest, escape with a book and find a quiet corner, and
  watch wildlife. Foals are born May to June, so there are plenty to spot come summer.
• Bike it!  There are superb bicycle trails from the cottage in all directions. If you need to hire
  equipment and extras (such as child seats and dog trailers) or need cycling advice – try
  Cyclexperience in Brockenhurst. Our guests get 10% off, too!
• Just beachy!  Sandy ‘Brockenhurst Beach’ on the river near Balmer Lawn Hotel is a short cycle away.
  This idyllic spot, popular with locals, is a shallow stream ford. It’s perfect and leafy and for toddlers wanting a splash and a paddle.
• Giddy Up!  Brockenhurst Riding Stables is 5 doors down and their ponies graze the field behind
  the house (so horse lovers can feed their equine friends while still in jim-jams). Or there is Warren
  Farm Stables, a short walk away in the direction of The Pig; the riding from here is lovely.