Close your eyes for a moment and picture your dream holiday cottage. Many conjure up images of quaint country cottages dripping with golden thatch overhanging windows and doors garlanded with clusters of perfumed English roses.
Inside, age-blackened or honey beamed rooms with ingle nook fireplaces and quaint windows overlooking hollyhock-filled gardens and smooth lawns.
If you’ve always hankered after the idea of an idyllic holiday in a thatched cottage then here are six of the best West Country thatched cottages in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset to help you live the dream this summer - or just about any time of year.
Cornwall
Sea Thatch CottageJust a stone’s throw from a sandy cove in West Cornwall, Sea Thatch in St Agnes certainly lives up to its description as a quintessential Cornish Cottage.
Nestling in the midst of delightfully maintained gardens full of intriguing nooks and crannies, it’s hard to know what is most appealing about this cottage – its location or the wonderfully impressive interior design, a mixture of eat-you-up leather sofas, wonky walls and top-notch.
Sleeping four guests in two beautifully furnished bedrooms, Sea Thatch even welcomes dogs. Being within a short stumble of the pub as well as the beach its open fires and underfloor heating make it the perfect winter as well as summer retreat.
More info here.
Devon
Old Maids Cottage
Runner up in the 2013 Unique Holiday Cottage of the Year Awards it is hard, after a few moments exploring its interior, to wonder why it didn’t win. This is a historic cottage with a fascinating history. If you thought that tours of celebrity homes was a Hollywood innovation, think again – the cottage was a popular charabanc destination in the 1920’s. Since then, the sleepy village of Lee Bay on the North Devon coast has snoozed through the last ninety years, remaining blissfully untouched.
Three years ago this listed cottage was derelict and crumbling. Since then it has received the grand design treatment, having been completely and sympathetically restored by master craftsmen.
They have created a holiday home that is both snug and spacious. The effect is stunning; a brand new thatch, original flagstone floors and arched leaded windows are just some of the many historic features retained.
Upstairs, three kingsized double bedrooms each with their own gleaming and sparkling bathrooms comfortably sleep six guests. Downstairs an open planned living space is filled with squashy sofas, a chunky pine dining table, woodburner and a sleek contemporary kitchen. You won’t want to leave.
More info here.
Greengage Cottage
If you’re looking for a country cottage style that inspired Laura Ashley, then Greengage Cottage in East Devon is it. Dating back to medieval times, this 4-bedroom thatched Devon longhouse oozes simplicity and style.
Subtle colours of mulberry, chalk pink and ivory form a perfect backdrop to king-sized beds with crisp fresh linen, exposed oak roof trusses and original artwork by East Devon artists. Drift outside nd the suntrap clematis-clad patios, heated pool and a good book might be the perfect place to spend the day, were it not for the equally tempting allures of a picnic under old apple trees in the adjoining orchard or a set or two on the tennis court.
Located in a very peaceful spot, it’s an easy drive along flower-filled lanes to the genteel resorts Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton or for a spot of antique hunting in Honiton. Greengage Cottage, East Devon
More info here.
Rock Cottage
Located in the sleepy North Devon village of Goodleigh, Rock is an easy drive to splendid sandy beaches or the wild landscapes of Exmoor. It’s a snug 400-year old traditional chocolate box cottage that just oozes charm and comfort. In places the thatch hangs so low that you can walk right up and touch it.
Lovingly restored, the warm snug interior, protected by massive cob walls, is blessed with just about every mod-con from Wi-Fi to garlic crusher. Expect to find quality brands like Bosch, Portmierion and Habitat in evidence.
Such contemporary luxuries nestle comfortably alongside attractive architectural features within this picturesque two-bedroom cottage such as a big oak-beamed inglenook fireplace still retaining the original bread oven. Rock is a perfect base for those looking for inspirational spring and autumnal walking breaks along deserted beaches and flower-strewn green lanes.
More info here.
Dorset
Eagles Nest CottageEagles Nest is one of a number of equally delightful thatched cottages on the Symondsbury Estate on the Jurassic Coast near Bridport. It’s hard not to turn a description of this cottage into a shopping list of holiday cottage ‘must haves’.
For some it’ll be the secluded flower-filled gardens with BBQ, cushioned sun beds, the games room with table tennis or the hot tub. For others, it’s maybe the ancient oak-beamed ceilings, the rustic inglenook fireplace and French painted bedroom furniture that clinches the deal.
But for whatever reason, guests can rest assured that its pleasing chocolate box exterior is perfectly matched by homely warm-hued interiors that’ll guarantee a memorably luxurious holiday come rain or shine.
More infor here.
Somerset
Chapel CottageYou could say that it’s taken nearly 600 years for this mellow-stoned thatched cottage to evolve into an idyllic holiday cottage. That’s how long it has taken to create and match a blend of exposed beams, carved oak window seats and flagstone floors, and roses around the doors with contemporary comforts such as an American fridge freezer, Sky TV, Wi-Fi and oodles of hot water.
With three bedrooms (children will love the big bouncy bunk beds), spacious lawns and just about every form of entertainment technology to keep minds occupied on rainy days, it’s perfect for families. It may be close to sandy beaches, great walks and historic houses, but you may just find you arrive at this blissfully quiet corner on the Somerset-Dorset border and leave it only when it’s time to return home.
More info here.
For more information or to book your next cottage break, visit www.myfavouriteholidaycottages.co.uk
By Rick Bond
Rick is a Director of My Holiday Marketing, a business providing online marketing and design services for holiday cottages and their owners in the UK.
FemaleFirst @FemaleFirst_UK