The Pumping Station

Only 30 mins from London yet set amongst thousands of acres of woodland and countryside, the Pumping Station has miles of footpaths and bike trails directly on its doorstep, and is engulfed by birdlife, wildlife and endless country pubs. The Pumping Station annex has been converted from a 1888 industrial building (see Channel 4's Restoration Man) and comprises a 6x4m living and kitchen area, a 3.6x3m double bedroom and 3x2m bath/shower room. (There is an additional 3.2x3m bedroom that can be included in the rental by the locking and unlocking of various doors. This is included in the rental for numbers over 2 people.) It is underfloor centrally heated throughout by ultra efficient heat pumps; hot water comes from the sun, as does 50% of it's electricity; it is lit almost exclusively by LEDs and has 35Mb WiFi broadband. A 'breakfast' island for for 4/5 bums has been cleverly designed for lunch and dinner as well... The kitchen has an induction hob, a combo oven and microwave, and a large fridge freezer, a small dishwasher and a sink with a 'very nice tap'. The other half of the living area has a lovely sofa bed (6'x 3'6"), Freeview TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, a B&W Zeppelin and various USB and iPhone adapters. The main bedroom has a double bed and any number of shaker pegs for your stuff. We can swap out the shelves for and extra 5' child's bed. The second bedroom has a bunk that converts to two singles or pushes together to make a double - and a third, pull-out single. And, we have various cots and baby baskets if needed. The annex is part of the main house separated by a locked door. It has its own entrance, parking, facilities etc. If we're not here, you're welcome to use the garden as your own, but we may ask you to feed the chickens! When we are about we try to keep out of your way, but it is likely you'll see us pottering about in the garden . Also, a place like this needs upkeep so occasionally there will be lawn mowing, trimming, hedge trimming, maintenance (... the list goes on!) during working hours. Unfortunately, our accessibility is very poor. Being an industrial conversion, we have had to work with the building as was and there are steps and narrow doorways throughout. Please see notice about Covid-19 precautions. ________________ We're a fairly gregarious and friendly family of four. But it's a big place... The Pumping Station is surrounded by around two thousand acres of woodland reserve, footpaths, bike trails and country pubs, yet it's only 30 mins out of London. It is all utterly beautiful. Whether you're looking for a quiet weekend of walks and nature, or sweaty peddling there's a trail for you and every one seems to pass by a pub. Newgate Street is a small village of a few hundred residents, a church, a playground, two pubs and a restaurant. It's a 10 min walk along the road or an hours adventure through the woods and over the top of the rail tunnel. If you're coming up by train or are otherwise carless, we can offer the odd lift, but, essentially, you're on foot, bike or taxis. There is a bus, but it left last week and isn't due back till next month... Travelling into Central London is relatively easy - Ali and I do it every day - and it will take you around 45 mins. Cuffley station is a five minute drive where there is a car-park. From there it is a ~25 min train ride to Finsbury Park and then onto the Tube to wherever. The trains run from early until ~midnight. And if you miss the last one, you can go to Potters Bar and take a taxi. To contact a good local firms dial 01707 followed by: 876 401 or 874 437 for Tex This is cyclist central. The lanes are prefect for road bikes and the trails for off road bikes. And then there are the footpaths for the less "revolutionary"...! Sorry, I'm a dad. Lastly, I’m afraid we can’t accommodate groups of six adults. We list the place as six, because we can accommodate a family of six - including couples and children - but when it comes to groups, it’s just not suitable. I'm sorry. This is an ongoing problem with the way capacity is advertised but AirBnB hasn’t, so far, been able to provide a solution. However, our next door neighbour also has a couple of B&B rooms. She is a short walk through the woods and if you'd be happy to split your group between the two of us, she can accommodate another 3 in a double and a single room, bringing our combined total to 7.