The Strawbale, near Stiperstones, Shropshire

The Strawbale is a timber-framed strawbale lime-rendered round house, with disability access, & parking, at the foot of Stiperstones Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Sleeps 3, one double futon (with optional topper) in living room and single sofa-bed in sideroom. Shower/wetroom with underfloor heating. Late check-out sometimes possible. Firewood for stove provided. Unique design and structure. Literally timber-frame with strawbale walls, and topped with a bark/crushed brick mulch to encourage wildflower growth - roof seems to have its own microclimate! View our photos of the construction on her or on The Strawbale page on popular social media website. This is an ideal place for up to 2+1 adults or 2 adults sharing plus one child. We recommend short breaks because the kitchen has microwave plus two ring hob cooking facility and most people choose to fold away the beds during the day. Underfloor heating in foyer, wetroom and small room. Wood-burning stove in main room. Convector heater to take any chill off the room on a Summer morning when you don't want to light the stove. Outdoor patio area with table, four chairs and parasol. Barbecue can be provided if booked in advance; campfire in field also possible if you discuss with us first. Acre of woodland. Acre of heritage orchard. Paddling in brook, field sometimes with badger-faced sheep. Optional hot air ballooning, child care, therapies for children (play) and for adults (counselling/creative) guided visualisations, holistic interpretations, and other therapies available to book. We are also familiar with a range of dietary needs so we can help you meet your catering needs. Sometimes my husband or one of my adult children will welcome you to The Strawbale if I am busy elsewhere. We try to give guests privacy whilst also being available a lot of the time to answer any questions, face to face or by phone. If you wish to bring your own linen/towels, we give a discount. I can sometimes provide baby/child-sitting £8.00 per hour plus materials at a mutually convenient time; please ask to see Disclosure and Barring Service check. Ideally placed on a bus route and near main road and one mile from shop and petrol station, there are excellent pubs serving great food 3 miles in any direction. Very rural and on the edge of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and many Sites of Special Scientific Interest, plus lots of pretty villages, castles, rivers, cafes, artisanal galleries, history . . . and night star filled skies, complete with a small bat colony to observe flying around on warm summer nights. Lovely walks, so much to do and not too far from other towns and cities. Perfect location in so many ways. Come by train/bus from Shrewsbury or Bishop Castle (Minsterley Motors). Regular and reliable service. Or by bike, mostly route 44. Lots of parking if you want to travel by car. We have an electric recharging point if you let us know and pay an appropriate fee. Personally, because the kitchen is limited to a two ring hob and microwave (e.g. no dishwasher, no oven), I would recommend this for short-stay up to three nights. If you find yourselves needing a washing machine unexpectedly you can use ours for a small charge. We are not far from a centre of excellence in permaculture and are exploring permaculture principles ourselves. We offer a locked shed for storage of bicycles overnight.