Cosy Retreat in heart of South Downs National Park

Whispers Too is located within the quintessential English Village of Lodsworth in the heart of the South Downs National Park. Quietly tucked away yet a short stroll from the heart of the village which boasts an award winning shop and pub. Here you will find a place to unwind and relax, away from the demands of everyday life. Whether its an escape to the country, walking/cycling, visiting friends or foodie packed weekend we hope that you fall in love with this area of outstanding national beauty. Whispers Too is a self contained two bedroomed property attached to Whispers, our family home. It has been designed in an eclectic style to be cosy and luxurious in every way helping you to feel it’s a home away from home. Parking for up to two cars is by the front door. Access is by pin code using a Yale Keypad Lock. Each guest will be provided with a personal pincode unique for the duration of your stay. Once inside you will find an entrance hall with space to leave shoes, walking boots and wellies. A short staircase takes you down to the kitchen/diner, lounge, WC and space to hang coats. The lounge overlooks the garden with far reaching views to vineyards and the South Downs. It features a 50" Samsung Smart TV with Netflix, a desk, log burning stove and a selection of books and board games. Beside the lounge is a modern kitchen with underfloor heating, an induction hob, oven, fridge freezer, dishwasher, washer/dryer and microwave. The kitchen is well equipped to create a three course candlelit dinner or to spend a Saturday morning baking a cake. Directly outside the kitchen door is a private terrace with table and chairs overlooking the garden and field perfect for alfresco dining. A short staircase up from the entrance door takes you to the bedrooms. One is a Super King with a luxury natural mattress, Hungarian Goose Down Duvet, Egyptian Cotton bedlinen and towels. This bedroom boasts the best views in the entire property. It is a treat to open the windows and soak up the birdsong and colours of nature. Often you can spot deer in the field at the bottom of the garden. The second bedroom has two Single beds with luxury mattresses with toppers, Hungarian Goose Down Duvets and Egyptian Cotton bedlinen. This bedroom overlooks the private terrace with a magnificent walnut tree. **Please note - A supplement of £15pp will be added for two adults wishing to use Bed 1 and 2. At the time of booking add 4 Adults, let your hosts know that you are a booking of 2 but wish to make use of both Bedrooms. This is to cover the extra cleaning and linen costs. Welcome Basket Organic Milk, fresh orange juice, tea & fresh coffee beans, home made granola and greek yoghurt, home baked Irish soda bread with organic butter and jam. *see Neighbourhood Overview for other local food and drink should you wish to organise before your stay. Sour Dough Homemade Sour Dough features in the photos. A freshly baked Sour Dough Loaf can be provided on the day of your arrival, notice is required. **This will be an additional cost due to the time involved to produce such a natural loaf with just three ingredients, flour, water and salt. Ready Cooked Meals and Meal Kits Rachel is a keen cook and is very happy to provide you with meals ready to pop in the oven. These can be left in the fridge and for some will provide a welcome treat after a long journey. If you prefer to cook but would like ideas on what to prepare and help with providing the ingredients meal kits are also an option. Bike Storage Cycling is very popular in this stunning area. We are happy to store your bikes safely overnight should you wish to bring your own. You can hire bikes, including E-Bikes, from a local shop in Midhurst. BBQ - Upon request Wi-Fi BT's Halo offering fast wi-fi speeds Photoshoots/Filming - Should you wish to use the location of the grounds, main house or guest suite we would be happy to discuss. Sour Dough Demos**Additional charges will apply** Rachel has a passion for all things Sour Dough and would love to share her knowledge she has learnt from attending courses and growing up with a mother who loved to bake. If you would be interested in finding out more about sour dough, Rachel will welcome you into their family kitchen where she will happily demonstrate the steps involved in producing your own sour dough, provide you with your very own starter and instructions on how to keep it alive along with tried and tested recipes. With strong Irish roots running in both hosts families, demonstrations can also be arranged showing simple methods of producing bread indigenous to Ireland such as Soda Bread, Wheaten and Soda Farls. Traditional family recipes can be passed on so you too can produce a wonderfully quick bread in less than an hour. *Covid-19* We appreciate that travel has somewhat changed and want our guests to feel safe in the knowledge of how clean they will find their accommodation. Air BnB have implemented a new Covid-19 cleaning regime which we have signed up to. The property is required to be left empty for 3 hours once a guest departs before we start cleaning. Therefore to give us the time needed to appropriately clean and sanitise the property, making it safe for our guests, we kindly ask that you check out no later than 10am and that you arrive no earlier than 4pm. However, an earlier check in can be arranged if the property has not been occupied immediately prior to your stay. You will find an automatic hand sanitiser by the front door where we respectfully ask that guests sanitise their hands upon entry. Extra details on our cleaning regime can be found in your guest information folder. Garden Guests have sole use of the terrace directly outside the property. The rest of the garden is used primarily by our family particularly at weekends and during the holidays however should you fancy a stroll through the garden or a different spot to sit and soak up the views we are very happy for you to do so. For example, we have a small terrace at the bottom of our garden with far reaching views of the South Downs . Here you can catch the last rays of evening sunshine. Hi everyone, I'm Rachel, married to Barney and busy Mum to two daughters. Born and raised in Northern Ireland - hence the quirks you will spot in our property should you book. I came to England in January 1998 to work for BWA and later that year joined Japan Airlines as a member of London Heathrow Base Cabin Crew. Through my job and training I developed a love of the travel service industry. I especially enjoyed meeting people from many different nationalities and loved taking care of them during our long flight times. These days I prefer to have both feet firmly on the ground and look forward to welcoming guests into our home. I will be available throughout your stay and look forward to welcoming you into our family kitchen for a cuppa and to chat all things West Sussex and more. If its peace and quiet you're after you will find everything you need to know about the property and area in your Guest Information folder. Local Food and Drink options, Lodsworth Larder An award winning community village shop offering guests a pre-order service. Guests can order food and supplies in advance, ready for collection on arrival making your stay as easy as possible. The larder stocks an array of local produce from breakfast and savoury pastries, local artisan breads and quality wines and beers. Farretti Valeriana runs an Italian Micro Artisan bakery within our village. She produces slow fermented ciabatta, pizza, various meat and veggie lasagnes and the best Tiramisu - EVER! Orders can be placed on line for collection only. The Hollist Arms, Our wonderful village pub is located 100 yards from the property. A traditional Sussex pub with roaring open fires to sit by serving local beers, fantastic, locally sourced food and wines. Langhams Brewery Lodsworth village has its own award winning brewery. They have a passion in producing innovative, distinctive and flavoursome real ales. The benefit of buying direct from the brewery is that your Ale will be super fresh. Blackdown Distillery *2021 closed due to Covid* 2.9 miles. A small family run distillery specialising in gin of all kinds. Farm Shops The Hungry Guest Petworth, deli and sperate butchery shop. Cowdray Farm Shop, offering fresh seasonal fruit and veg and an extensive range of meats from the butchery. Fish - Johnson's Enterprises A family run well established fish merchants. Selling locally caught day boat fish, often less than 24 hours to your plate. You can place orders to be delivered to your door or they have a fish stall at Cowdray Farm Shop on Tuesdays and Fridays, Durleighmarsh Farm Shop on Tuesdays and Charlie's Farm Shop on Thursdays. Charlie's Farm Shop, Bury, Pulborough, 11 miles, 20 mins, further afield but worth noting as a 'real' farm shop on a working farm who produce their own milk and meat. The butchery sells beef, milk fed pork and rose veal, all reared on the farm, together with lamb, pork, poultry and game all sourced locally. Cowdray, 3 miles, 8 minute drive. A wonderful cafe with plenty of space indoors and out serving delicious breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The menu includes favourites such as, Full English Breakfast, The Cowdray burger and triple cooked chips, to vegetarian and vegan dishes. They use their own estate produce and other local suppliers for their igredients ensuring a connection to the same views you can appreciate as you dine. Cowdray Express (an outside hut) offering freshly prepared healthy food, Barrista Coffee, smoothies and juices to be enjoyed 'on the go'. Cowdray Wood Fired Pizzas, the best pizzas in town! a delicious selection of toppings for their incredible Sour Dough bases *available throughout the summer months* We can provide maps or point you in the direction of three award winning pub walks from your back doorstep. The Horse Guards Inn, Tillington, crowned pub of the Year by The Good Pub Guide. Approximately 2 miles through stunning footpaths and woodland. Noah's Ark, Lurgashall, another award winning pub from Square Meal and recommended by The Good Pub Guide. Noah's boasts one of the best quintessential English Village views from its front door. It is a popular destination pub in the summer to enjoy a summer tipple whilst watching the cricket on the village green. This walk is approx' 3 miles and mostly flat. *Noah's have gone far and beyond to offer their guests a safe, Covid friendly, beautiful stretch tent with outdoor heaters and pretty festoon lights. They can also offer tables indoors in their Ark Room. Duke of Cumberland in Henley, another Pub of the Year in The Good Food Guide and named among the best in the UK. They offer a unique roast option, serving a whole joint to your table for you to carve alongside all the trimmings, this needs to be pre-booked at least two days before your booking. Pubs slightly further afield The Halfway Bridge, 1 mile, a 20 minute walk The Lickfold Inn, 2 miles, 5 minute drive The Three Moles, Selham, 2 miles, 7 minute drive The White Horse, Graffham, 4.5 miles, 15 minute drive The Forresters Arms, Graffham, 4 miles, 13 minute drive The Welldiggers Arms, 5.5 miles, 12 minute drive Things to do; Spa Details can be provided for a local award winning luxury day spa that offer guests an intimate environment in which to relax and unwind. They welcome guests for individual treatments and spa days alongside a range of facilities. It includes a 15 metre mother of pearl indoor swimming pool and gym. From May to September there is also a heated outdoor swimming pool where you could be mistaken for being in the South of France. Vineyard Tasting Tours, Blackdown Ridge with their superb English Sparkling and selection of wines. Upperton and Roebuck Estates. All are roughly two miles from our property and are open daily for you to purchase bottles and be given tours of their stunning vineyards. Walks Boot up and head out for many walks from your back door. Local maps are available, leaving you to explore the countless footpaths the area has to offer. Petworth, 3 miles, the nearest small town. Renowned for it's array of Antique shops alongside food deli's, gift shops, pubs and cafes. Petworth House, A National Trust property known for its Capability Brown 700-acre parkland that was much loved by the artist J.M.W. Turner who painted it several times. You will enjoy spotting the Fallow Deer who mow the grass and trim the trees. Midhurst town - 4 miles, Cowdray Ancient Castle Ruins. Cowdray House was once one of England's finest Tudor houses with Queen Elizabeth I herself staying. The ruins sit beside a river on the edge of Midhurst. Cowdray Golf Course Cowdray Hall and Therapy Rooms for Yoga Retreats, World Class Polo culminating in the Gold Cup in July. Haslemere - 8 miles, Goodwood House, 13miles, 25minute drive. Golf Club, Aerodrome, Motor Racing, Festival of Speed, Revival, and Glorious Goodwood Hot Air Ballooning Horse Riding Amberley Working Museum/Petworth Cottage Museum/Novium Museum Chichester/Haslemere Museum/The Weald and Downland Museum West Dean Estate and Walled Gardens Fishbourne Roman Palace / Bignor Roman Villa Clay Pigeon Shooting - local lessons available Fly Fishing - local lessons available Cycle Hire Parham House & Gardens Chichester and Guildford Cathedral Pallant House Gallery, Chichester The Festival Theatre, Chichester - one of the UK's flagship regional theatres with an international reputation for producing work of the highest quality. The Festival Hall, Petersfield. Popular performances by the Petersfield Youth Theatre all to a very high standard. Arundel Castle & Cathedral Uppark National Trust Beaches and coastal villages; Bosham - 35 mins Climping - 30 mins Littlehampton - 35 mins Selsey - 35 mins Bracklesham Bay 35 mins Hayling Island - 45 mins Isle of White Ferry link at Portsmouth - 50 mins Brighton / Hove - 1 hour Haslemere Train Station - 15 minutes, with super fast lines taking you to London Waterloo in just 50 minutes. Alarm Whispers Too is fully alarmed for your added peace of mind. Dogs We regret to say that due to livestock and areas that are not fenced we are unable to accomodate animals. Infants and Children Our property is not suitable for infants and children under the age of 10 this is due to not having appropriate safety equipment and the nature of the property. Interconnecting Doors Inside you will find a downstairs and upstairs interconnecting door linking Whispers Too to the main house - these will remain locked from both sides throughout your stay. Family Life We have two teenage children who will, from time to time be in the garden playing. Disruption will be minimal as possible. The upside is that your host is on hand. Animals - We have one friendly labrador who will meet and greet you with the the warmest of welcomes - should you wish! We also have Chickens who appreciate a visit and there are horses to pet over the fence. Mud - Wellies are essential for ploughing through muddy trails in winter months. We provide all bedding, towels and hand soap but please bring your own toiletries. Washer/Dryer We politely request that you keep drying loads to a minimum. A dryer rack is provided alongside an ironing board and iron.