Partridge Barn
We arrived at Partridge Barn on a sunny but showery day. Entering through the wooden gate, we found ourselves in a very small courtyard and the entrance to the property was through a glass door. The one room downstairs comprised a kitchen with all amenities, including a washer/dryer which looked like a mini version of the real thing. It did hold 6 kg of clothes so we guessed it would do the job! A sitting area was off to one side, with a coffee table and a flat screen TV was attached to the wall. The end walls were the original brickwork and gave the room a very rustic feel. Next to the kitchen was a spiral staircase which led up to the loft bedroom, with a slanting roof and a lovely skylight. There was an ensuite bathroom with a bath and shower and a very welcoming heated towel rack, reminding us of the one we worshiped in France!
In all, the place was very clean, and had everything we needed to stay for the month. The kitchen equipment was a little sparse, but we would manage. As is usual in these short-term rentals, cutlery was limited, as were serving bowls, tea towels, and cleaning equipment. Nevertheless, we would manage and we were glad of the food delivery that the owner had kindly stocked into the small fridge.
As always, I’m continually surprised by how small things are here compared to the USA. The fridge is tiny, but then there’s no need to put that much in the fridge here. Condiments are kept in the cupboard, butter and eggs can be left on the counter, as can the fruit and vegetables.
There were two things that were much larger than those in the USA, the bath and the teapot. The bath was huge, long and deep and once we figured out how to fill it (faucets/taps were nowhere in sight), by using the shower controls, we looked forward to a long hot soak, after all the long walks we planned to do. The teapot was heavy and rotund and held a gallon or more of tea! We did plan on using that too, iced water not really required in great quantities here due to the cold weather. Much better to hydrate with a lovely hot cuppa!
The bed was very comfortable – always a concern when traveling – the pillows firm and the mattress firm but not hard. The duvet kept us warm and every evening we went to sleep looking out through the skylight at the stars. As the weeks progressed, we enjoyed some English dramas on TV and caught up with the new series of The Crown. We cooked some basic but tasty meals and found a lovely Marks and Spencer food hall a few miles away, which stocked really healthy, tasty ready prepared meals. We made the barn our home for the four weeks, and were very cozy and comfortable.
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