With snooze space for 10 people in 5 bedrooms, Otterhead House is snuggled nicely in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset; the backdrop is leafy woodland, the outlook is of gently tumbling hills and unspoilt countryside. Interiors are super stylish and there’s no shortage of rustic charm with huge timbers, a big fireplace in the sitting room and quirky elm window sills. Outside there’s a big terrace for laid back lunches in the sun, a hot tub and barrel sauna, and a garden that slopes softly down to a babbling brook and has its own wild flower meadow.
When you come here, you might think there’s no need to go anywhere else, and we get that, but we'd say do explore a little because there are amazing things for you to discover just a very short distance from the house. Over the road are Otterhead Lakes, once part of a Victorian estate that fell into ruin during the war years; now it’s a tranquil nature reserve where beavers have been spotted, where ducks dabble on the lakes, kingfishers dart by the stream and dragonflies dance.
You can walk for miles around the field and lanes and you probably won’t see a soul, birds chirrup merrily all day long and sheep graze in the field over the fence. Just up the road is the quiet village of Churchinford where you can stock up with local goodies at the community run shop and have a pub lunch at the York Inn. A couple of miles the other way is Bishopswood where the award-winning Candleight Inn serves seriously tasty food and is family friendly. If you want to browse around a town, head to Taunton; there’s a good selection of big name and independent shops, a traditional park with an Adventure Course and golf club, a choice of places to eat like The Cosy Club and Brazz, and on the outskirts of the town there’s a multiscreen cinema and a bowling alley.
You won’t have to go far for family days out either – Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Wildwood Escot, Forde Abbey, Barrington Court, and Axe Valley Wildlife Park are all within easy travelling distance. The beaches of the Jurassic Coast are easy to get to – spend the day in Lyme Regis where you can visit Dinosaurland Fossil Museum, the Marine Aquarium, and go out to sea on a mackerel fishing trip. Head to Seaton for a ride on the tram along the estuary and wetlands; over the hill in Beer there’s Pecorama and Beer Quarry Caves and a few miles on is the Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth.
Further afield are Crealy Adventure Park, Diggerland, The West Somerset Railway, Wells Cathedral and Wookey Hole. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can come back to Otterhead House to unwind for the evening before you head off to bed for a blissful night’s sleep. Beautiful holidays, wonderful memories. Book today!