If you’re hankering after a spell in a large holiday cottage in the West Country with a pool, well, we don’t like to boast, but we have the solution. The Cottage Beyond sleeps 14 + 2 and is an absolute idyll when it comes to holidays and short breaks for big groups, whether it’s a multi-generational family holiday, a few days away with friends, a hen weekend, or a corporate break. Shall we tell you why?
Well, for one thing, The Cottage Beyond has a setting that’s in a word, breathtaking. It’s like this fabulous little world has been created in the middle of the Somerset countryside – and it has! A fabulous little world with its own swimming pool, its own hot tub, its own sauna, play areas and gorgeous grounds, and all around are the lush organic pastures of a 180 acre private farm. Talk about tucked away! This is right over yonder, it’s brilliant. Peace and quiet guaranteed.
But your own spa! Can you imagine? The luxury of having your own private swimming pool AND a hot tub AND a sauna, less than a minute’s walk from the house – no-one’s going to see you anyway because the house, the grounds and everything, it’s all so secluded. You can laze away the hours in the garden, strolling around the flower beds and along the pergola, stretched out in the sun on the lawn, or all sat round the Giant’s Table on the terrace having lunch.
You’re free to explore the farmland too; admire the views, take a picnic up to the woods and play on the log swings and slide, go and play table tennis or table football in the undercover games area, spend an afternoon doing the letterbox challenge with the kids, or play Boules – there’s even a boules pitch here. Great isn’t it? Something for everyone, doesn’t matter how young or old you are – you’ll love it.
There are zip and link beds in all 6 bedrooms so you can have them arranged as super kings or twins – all you have to do is let us know and it’ll be done. Two of the bedrooms have room for extra beds at no extra charge and can sleep 4, which is a bonus for families with young children. As well as that, all the bedrooms have their own bathrooms; well, 5 have shower rooms, 1 has a wet room, and one uses a bathroom right opposite so it’s as good as an en suite. It’s like staying at a hotel but there’s no one to bother you and you don’t have to go and sit with a bunch of strangers at breakfast time!
Another good thing about The Cottage Beyond is that you don’t have to worry one little sausage about what the weather’s going to be like. The pool, hut tub and sauna are all indoors in the spa hall and anyway, there’s plenty of room in the house for you all to have fun on a rainy day. The huge living/dining room wraps around one end of the house and there’s plenty of room to snuggle together and watch a film, or if a few of you want somewhere quieter to play board games or chat, there’s a snug next to the kitchen, and an undercover seating area on the terrace. See? Rain or shine, this is the perfect rural retreat for large groups!
And if you’re looking to book a nice big house for a special occasion – ta-dah! With a well-equipped kitchen and a long chunky dining table, rustling up a scrumptious celebration feast for that milestone birthday or anniversary is no trouble. Anyhow, there’s always the option to hire one of the professional caterers from our Extras page, they’ll do you proud whether you want canapes and cocktails, a cold buffet, or a refined 3 course dinner.
Now look, when we say it’s tucked away, we don’t mean the back of beyond because that’s not the case. If you need shops, say you’ve run out of milk or something, well, Wiveliscombe is only 4.1 miles way. You should go and have a mooch about, see what else is there. These West Country towns of ours, they’ve all got their charm you know, just wander round, look at the buildings, the backdrop of hills and far reaching views, you’ll soon spot it. ‘Wivey’ as they call it has a very good deli and you wouldn’t believe the farmer’s market, all manner of lovely local goodies to buy. Book up for something to eat – Duende is very unique, fab interiors, tasty food; The Bear is more down to earth and they do jolly good pizzas that can be washed down with a glass of their very own beer, made in the little brewery out the back of the pub. Wellington isn’t a lot further and there you’ll find two supermarkets and all the shops you’d expect to find in any town – butchers, bakers, a deli, a florist and so on. The atmosphere on market day is quite bustling, so take a big basket and go and fill it up.
Don’t worry about family days out either. We appreciate you may not feel the need to go out but if you do, you’ll find something that takes your fancy. You could have a big jaunt exploring Exmoor or the Quantock Hills, or you could go over to the Jurassic Coast and spend the day on the beach. Within just 10 miles of The Cottage Beyond you can see how cider is made and stroll in the apple orchards at Sheppy’s Cider, you can board a steam train to Dunster Castle or Minehead with The West Somerset Railway, get behind the wheel of a dumper truck or JCB at Diggerland, tinkle the ivories in a Gothic revival house at Knightshayes Court, or have a ride on a horse drawn barge along the Grand Western Canal at Tiverton.
You won’t have to go any further if you want to go out to eat either; there are several good country pubs round these parts, all just a very short drive from The Cottage Beyond. The Martlett Inn at Langford Budville, The Rock Inn at Waterrow, The New Inn at Halse and The Culm Valley Inn at Culmstock all serve decent food made using fresh and local ingredients. You can choose your own favourite!
And that’s something else; sometimes it’s wise to find what you like and stick to it. That’s certainly the case with The Cottage beyond because, well really, if you’ve found the perfect group accommodation that meets all your expectations and has everything you need, what’s the point in trailing the internet trying to find anything else? Come again next time, only make sure you book it well in advance. Let the good times roll. Book today!