The Farmhouse
Step in through the porch of The Farmhouse and oh! The ambience is wonderful, so calm and gentle; interiors are refined with neutral tones, solid oak floors and doors, and soft white walls. Straight ahead is the wide hallway, to the left is the movie room, on the right is the games room with a snooker table and wood-burner.
Either end of the hall doors open onto the gardens; there’s table football and to one end a lobby leads to a utility room and the movie room. Straight ahead is the huge open plan living space; to one side is the fully equipped kitchen in the middle of the room where doors open onto the terrace there’s a long dining table, and to the other end elegant sofas and chairs await you.
The bedrooms are upstairs off a wide landing; families should bagsy Bedroom 4 as it’s got the option of 2 extra guest beds* (see Rooms).
The Cottage
The front door opens into the dining room, with Bedroom 1 on the right. Straight ahead is the kitchen leading to a utility room and open plan to a spacious hallway with the living room at the end. Between the living room and the dining room there’s a double-sided wood-burner for extra warmth in the colder months. Upstairs are Bedrooms 2 and 3 and a bathroom; Bedroom 3 has an optional extra guest bed*.
Outside
A few strides from the Farmhouse is the indoor pool, housed in a very striking building built into the hillside with a green roof. A sweeping circular façade adds a softness, floor to ceiling doors give achingly beautiful views across the valley.
Linger over leisurely alfresco lunches on the terrace just outside the Farmhouse; run about on the vast lawns with the kids, let them loose in the play area, tiptoe round to the shepherd’s hut, tucked beneath the trees - a secluded workspace or a den for the children. Streams babble merrily along, there are woodlands where birds sing from the treetops. Yes, it really is that idyllic.
*Although there’s a choice of 3 extra guest beds, due to insurance reasons, only 2 of these can be used. These are suitable only for children aged 12 years and under.
Local Area
Stride out from the door to follow footpaths through open fields and woodlands, stroll around the local nature reserve tucked in the valley, home to a multitude of flora and fauna. Have an adventure in Exmoor National Park pootlign around the heather-clad heaths, spotting Exmoor ponies and red deer grazing, visiting beautiful places like Tarr Steps and Watersmeet. Climb up over the cliffs to tiny Culbone Church, watch the world go by at Porlock Weir, make a summit bid on Dunkery Beacon, the highest point in the whole park.
Amble around the local shops and farmer’s markets in the little town of Wiveliscombe, have a browse around Wellington then puff your way up to Wellington Monument where the views across the landscape are staggering. See how Somerset cider is made at Sheppy’s Cider, stroll through the orchards billowing with apple blossom in spring time.
Board a steam train to the coast with the West Somerset Railway for a day on the beach at Blue Anchor or Minehead, take the little ones to Tropiquaria Wildlife Park, have a ride on a horse drawn barge along the Grand Western Canal at Tiverton, soak up the hallowed tranquillity of Cleeve Abbey.
If you can tear yourselves away from Perys Hill, that is… for here is where life slows down, it’s almost like another time as well as another place. It’s a very special place to stay.