The Coach House: rural retreat in the South Downs

Dating back to the mid 1800s, the coach house used to be the stables for The Old Rectory. Now the aesthetic is country chic, with the emphasis on comfort. Lydia (a travel writer) used natural materials from oak and slate floors to linen furnishings to make the house cosy and calming. The original beams in the second bedroom ooze character and the master bedroom looks over the Rectory garden and your own courtyard where the draping fig tree offers shade and roses bloom. Freshly painted in calming Farrow & Ball shades of grey, crammed with books and games and with a great supply of toys, you could happily hunker down in the Coach House for days on end. Do let us know your children's ages and we will tailor to suit. There's an open fire for cosy winter mornings and a rose-filled courtyard in which to enjoy your morning coffee in the summer. The entire cottage is yours and is totally self-contained. The courtyard gate opens onto our garden where our two whippets and three children can usually be found, but keep it closed for privacy, or come on into the garden to be social. The dogs (and children) are house trained and well-mannered. We have an acre of garden and should you visit with children, we are more than happy for you to use our climbing frame, tire swing and playhouse when we are not using them ourselves. We also keep a fully stocked vegetable garden in the summer months and usually have far too much produce so please enquire if you would like to try our salads and veg. We would be happy to supply you! We live across the driveway and work from home so are on hand to answer your questions, but if you are looking for total privacy then feel free to hunker down. The coach house is situated in a pretty, rural village just a stone's throw from the South Down's Way and in the glorious rolling hills of the South Downs National Park. We have exceptional walks, hikes, bike rides and bridleways dissecting the surrounding fields. We provide local maps and are on hand to help you plan your explorations. We are a very active family and have cycled, run and hacked across the area for years. Just ask! There's two award winning pubs within a few minutes walk: the nearest has an Italian pizza oven and the sourdough is to die for. Local towns and cities include Winchester, Petersfield, Chichester and Portsmouth: from theatres and historic dockyards to cathedrals and marinas, there's a lot to explore. There are buses from the end of the road to the local towns and cities but they are rural (they wind through villages and take their sweet time). We recommend you hire your own car to get the best out of the area, but we do know some great local drivers if you would like to organise airport pick up and drop off, we can put you in touch. You will have a space to park off road on the driveway and the area is very safe and secure. The kitchen is stocked with everything you might need to cater for your family, and some local produce will greet you on arrival to give you a taste of the area. The smart TV is linked to Netflix and the wifi in the coach house is fibre. Do let us know your children's ages and we will tailor the toy baskets to suit. If you plan to stay home and relax, we have gone to every length to provide anything and everything you need. But if there's something you want that we haven't thought of, do let us know and we'll do our best to help.