Meadowsweet - luxury Shepherd's Hut, amazing views

Meadowsweet is one of two extra-large, luxury Shepherds huts nestled into the bottom of the owner's beautiful country garden, overlooking miles of open countryside in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Measuring 6m x 2.4m, there's plenty of room for a super-comfortable kingsize bed, a kitchenette with mini oven/grill and 2 ring hob, a seating/dining area and a luxury shower room. Outside there's a little patio with a bistro set and recliners. Access to shared garden with BBQ and hot tub. Tucked away down a little lane with trees meeting over the top in places, 15 minutes walk from the charming Sussex village of Herstmonceux, nestle Meadowsweet and her sister hut Heartsease. Designed to be the perfect antidote to the stress of modern urban life without sacrificing any of its creature comforts or modern connectivity, they enjoy uninterrupted views across an area of outstanding natural beauty and still have very civilized bathroom arrangements, 32" smart TVs, excellent wifi and good 4G reception. Happily we are allowed to open from the 12th April :) In the event of changes in Covid restrictions affecting future bookings guests will be able to postpone their visits or be covered under the Airbnb Extenuating Circumstances Policy, however in all other circumstances our normal cancellation policy applies. Horses clop down the lane and the air is filled with bird song. At night you can hear owls. There is a farmer along the lane who has equipment in use and large vehicles during the week sometimes so it's more reliably peaceful at night and weekends. There's a private patio especially for you outside your hut and a much larger shared patio in the middle of the garden with two charcoal barbecues, a fire pit and pots of fresh herbs which you are welcome to use. Next to the big patio is the new therapy room built during the latest lock-down, where guests will soon be able to book treatments such as Aromatherapy massage, Reflexology and Reiki. Newly built and finished to a high standard, the huts offer a level of comfort far beyond what might have been available to a shepherd in times gone by. Much bigger than a traditional hut, each has more than enough room for the king-size bed which has a 3000 pocket sprung mattress topped with memory foam, goose feather/down duvet and pillows, high quality linen, a deliciously super-soft blanket and a sumptuous array of cushions to lounge on whilst you drink in the magnificent view. Should you require a bottle of chilled Champagne/Prosecco on arrival this can be arranged with the owner. From the gate on the driveway, Meadowsweet is the first hut you come to and dominates that area of the garden overlooking the fields behind it, which are often occupied by sheep or horses. The windows in Meadowsweet are panoramic - the only obstruction is the back of the other hut to the far right which has no windows looking onto you and vice versa, but basically it's a full widescreen vista along the front of the van. There are fairy lights around the bed for night time and large bunkers with lids for your things at the end of the bed that can also be somewhere to put a cup or plate on if you're sitting there. Unlike some huts, our beds are normal height and fixed in position, so there is no need to rearrange anything before going to bed or climb to get there. There is ample room for suitcases underneath, as well as a bedside cupboard and hooks with proper wooden hangers by the door and hooks in the bathroom. Meadowsweet has a table and chairs in the main body of the hut and a wifi router with a LAN port next to the table ideal for laptops. Opposite is the kitchenette, which has a small fridge, a sink and a small tabletop oven/grill with a two-ring stove on top. It's equipped with pans, crockery, cutlery, utensils and basics such as cling film, foil, kitchen roll, washing up liquid, olive oil, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and seasoning. It's also got tea, coffee, sugar, herbal teas, a kettle and a cafetiere. There's a flat screen TV with Freeview which can be angled towards the dining area or the bed and a wifi router with a LAN port, ideal for homeworking. Opposite the door there's a rocking chair ideal for admiring the view through the door/reading/strumming an instrument/snoozing by the little electric flame-effect stove which provides a warm glow and variable heat in winter as well as cool air in summer. The hut also has an oil-filled radiator by the foot of the bed which can be left on all the time in winter, making it much nicer, cleaner, quieter and safer to sleep in than having a real fire or fan heater running all night whilst ensuring you'll wake up warm and cosy. The huts are very thoroughly insulated to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. To the left of the front door is an ensuite shower room with hot and cold water, big super-absorbent towels, soap and shower gel/shampoo and a proper, flushing toilet. Because the huts are elevated off the ground and pointed towards the fields, you can see the beautiful view but nobody can see you, so you have a loo with a view :) Outside Meadowsweet there's a little private patio and an area of garden which has been recently landscaped and laid to turf and borders with a lot of flowering shrubs and bulbs. There is a folding metal bistro set and two zero gravity recliners which can be stored under the huts or moved around the communal areas of the garden as required. There's a stepping stone path across to the bigger communal patio with the BBQ and fire-pit. During the latest lockdown we extended the patio to make social distancing easier. Beyond this is a garden gate to the driveway and a building housing the owner's art room and above, Treetops, another holiday home with a treehouse balcony. To the right of Treetops, on a deck in the middle of the garden, is the hot tub. It really is bliss! Behind that is the main house and owner's lawn and veg plot which is not fenced off for aesthetic reasons but guests are asked not to go beyond the hot tub deck. We encourage guests to feel welcome in the shared spaces and avoid going very near each others' front doors, none of which overlook each other. There are a maximum of six adult guests onsite at any one time, which makes social distancing easy and ensures the facilities are never too busy. The hot tub is available between 9am and midnight. Please be aware that it is shared and for therapeutic use only. Guests can book private half hour sessions and must use the sanitisation provided. There is a small charge for each use - £5 April - September or £10 October - March. You can have as many goes as you like but if there's a thunderstorm or it's very windy it can't be used. Also if the water needs changing I don't hesitate but it can now be done in a few hours. Please don't email asking if it's shared or if you can book it just for you as that would not be fair to other guests. If all 3 guests booked 3 half hour sessions a day it would still be mostly available. Guests must be happy with committing to 2m distancing and participating in our new hygiene regime by using the products provided. On top of Airbnb's enhanced cleaning protocol we are also running an ozone generator (which kills everything including viruses) between stays. Because of the considerable extra costs of doing the extra cleaning and sanitizing, shorter stays are more expensive. Because of the time it takes to prepare, unfortunately it's no longer possible to offer early check-ins or late check-outs. We have a dog and a cat who are very friendly but not allowed in Meadowsweet because of people with allergies. Because we have our own pets we can't have anyone else's here and it wouldn't be fair to people with allergies so please don't book and then ask if you can bring your pet, no matter how well-behaved. Also if one of your party is afraid of animals please don't book as it's not practical to keep the dog in all day. He loves a game of ball and is very affectionate. If you play with him please use the ball thrower or the gloves provided. If you’re interested in booking more than one of our places at the same time please see my profile for links to our other listings and also to our Guidebook for Herstmonceux which has lots of information about the local area, places to eat, walk and visit and activities available nearby. Have a lovely time! There's free parking on the drive and in the lay-by next to the property. I do my best to be here to welcome guests (if I can't I leave a key and come and say hello when I return). I live next door so guests are totally private and separate but I am usually on hand to help if needed. My aim is to be available but not intrusive; we've made a lot of friends through offering holidays but only if people have actively approached us. You will probably see us in the garden from time to time. Should anything go wrong I always have my phone and even if we are out or away we have local friends who can help if needed. Herstmonceux is a lovely little Sussex village with a pub (the Brewers Arms, now doing food Thursday-Sunday), a French brasserie (The Sundial, French cuisine, a proper treat with amuse bouche between courses), a fish and chip shop that also does very good burgers, chicken, halloumi and pies (The Willows) and a really outstanding Indian restaurant (Eastern Promise). We've got a convenience store and post office, a petrol station with a general store, a bake shop, a coffee shop and a few other shops. It's about 15 mins walk to the village. Supermarkets (Asda, Tesco and Waitrose) are about 3 miles away in Hailsham. Callendars in Hailsham is a really lovely restaurant, there's also a Prezzo and a Ribs & Co and a vegan restaurant called Sacred Cow. If you don't mind driving or longer walks, there are plenty of good pubs that serve excellent food within easy reach. The Merrie Harriers in Cowbeech is about a mile a half away and it's a favourite amongst locals - a very traditional pub with beams and ingelnook fireplaces, good food and beer and a lovely garden. The White Horse in Bodle Street is at the other end of the lane and does good pub food and has a nice atmosphere. The Bull's Head in Boreham Street (about a mile and a half) have a beautiful garden and do great food including excellent home made pies. Tucked away in historically rich 1066 country it is ideally located for walking, horse riding, cycling and painting. For nature lovers there is an abundance of local bird life and the nearby marshes and levels on the way to the beach at Pevensey (15 minutes by car), where there's another castle and lots of pubs and an excellent restaurant called Simply Seafood which sometimes has freshly caught lobster. It's only open on Friday and Saturday evenings and you have to book. Raipur is a really good contemporary Indian restaurant; there's also a Chinese restaurant called the Happy Dragon where you can order as many dishes as you like for a fixed price per person. Within easy reach of Eastbourne, Bexhill, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Brighton, Ashdown (Pooh Bear) Forest, Forest Row Country Park and the South Downs National Park, there is plenty to see and do. There is fishing at the local trout farm, golf, tennis, falconry, archery, pottery, the windmill at Windmill Hill, and of course, Herstmonceux Castle. The Science Centre and Observatory is a great day out no matter how old you are or what the weather is like - they also host special events which you can find out about on their website. You can go lake swimming at Lime Cross nursery and they also do yoga and Tai Chi sessions by the lake. Knockhatch Adventure Park is about 3 miles away and Flying experiences/lessons can be booked locally and you can go paragliding off the Downs. You can go sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and paddleboarding from Eastbourne or Cuckmere, which is a meandering river valley with a pub (the Cuckmere Inn) that does very nice food and you can walk from there either across the fields to the beach or around Friston Forest. Other nearby attractions include Bateman's (Rudyard Kipling's house), the Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park, Michelham Priory, Birling Gap, Seven Sisters, Beachy Head, Standen House in East Grinstead (a treasure trove for lovers of the Arts and Crafts movement), Great Dixter House and Gardens in Northiam, Scotney Castle Garden in Lamberhurst, the White Horse at Alfriston and Long Man at Wilmington. Alfriston is a charming medieval village with quirky shops and really good walking nearby, in fact the Pilgrims Way runs through it. Rye, with it's abundance of interesting antique shops and restaurants, is less than an hour away, as is Winchelsea, which has a lovely beach. Camber Sands is only a little further. Battle (the village where the 1066 battle with the Normans happened) is 20 mins east by car. Bewl Water and Bedgebury Pineatum are about 45 mins by car where you can hire bikes or canoes or go fishing, sailing, waterskiing, walking or take a boat ride. If you like castles, Hever Castle (Anne Boleyn's family home) is about an hour from here and a really brilliant day out and a lovely drive through the countryside to get there. There's also Scotney Castle and Sissinghurst Castle Garden. A car is recommended, however, the nearest train station is Polegate, which is about 15 mins by taxi and costs about £15. You can get a number 98 bus from there to the village which I am told takes about half an hour. It's about 15 mins walk from the village to here.