Interior- Downstairs

The living room:

This is the first room you come across when you go into the cottage. With its two large windows overlooking the garden and the countryside beyond, this cosy living space has plenty of natural light.

The dining table seats four in comfort, while six adults would not have much elbow room! The living area has a two seat sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table.

This is also where the bookcase is, housing a collection of boardgames, toys and colouring equipment for children, and a couple of folders with dozens of maps and tourist leaflets about the surrounding areas. This room has a TV (just local channels for now I'm afraid) and a DVD player. There is a small collection of films and children's cartoons(all in English).

In the corner of the living room is a wood-burning stove to warm the room up in the cooler months. Temperatures in this country can go down to -15ºC and even lower during the winter months, but between the months of April and October the stove will rarely be needed. Oil-filled electric radiotors are also provided (just in case!).

We provide some kindling to get the first fire going, but further firewood will be charged separately. As an alternative for those with an adventurous spirit, there is plenty of wood to be found in the forests behind the cottage. Loan of axe and saw provided! Even in the summer months, we rarely come back from woodland walks empty-handed!

The kitchen:

The kitchen in our cottage is not very big, but well equipped. It has a gas oven and four-ring cooker, a fridge with a small freezer compartment, a microwave, a toaster, a food mixer and a whistling stove-top chrome kettle!

There are plenty of pots, pans, utensils and cutlery. But I'm afraid you'll have to do your own washing up! You'll also find a few basics, like teabags, coffee, sugar and some spices.

We can also offer a "welcome food pack" service if you would like us to buy a few essential food items ready for your arrival. FREE for two week visits! Please enquire for details.

The downstairs bedroom (sleeps two):

This is a spacious room that we use as a second sitting room. It has a double sofa-bed, a small table with two chairs and a large wardrobe.

This room also has a wood-burning stove that can be lit in the cooler months.

When we stay at the cottage we prefer to sleep upstairs and leave this room for guests. To reach the bedrooms upstairs, you need to go through this room. Although there is a curtain separating the sleeping area from the stairs, this room is not very private if the cottage is shared with others. This is why we advertise this cottage as sleeping 4 to 6 guests despite having 8 beds.

In the photo on the left you can see the stairs leading to the upstairs bedrooms. We have two young children (6 and 4 years old) who are up and down the stairs all day without a single fall when we stay at the cottage, but I can understand how this may put some people off. I think that guests with babies would probably be more comfortable sleeping in the downstairs bedroom. And for the same reason I'm afraid this cottage would not be very suitable for the elderly or disabled.

The bathroom and toilet:
The bathroom has a small bathtub incorporating a shower. The space in here is not huge, but I am 6'3'' (1.91m) and don't have any problems getting myself clean! Hot water comes from an electric water tank.

The bathroom also has a brand new top-loading washing machine (instructions provided!).




The toilet is in fact just outside the front door of the cottage- an "outdoor loo" to be blunt! It also has a washbasin and some store cupboards.

This set-up is not ideal for the winter months. I was here for a few days at the beginning of December. With nighttime temperatures of -10ºC I wasn't going to be sitting around in the loo for very long!! As for our stays here during the rest of the year, it is something we have very quickly got used to.