Self-Catering at Shortmead Cottage | Holiday Cottages in Bedford

Holiday home
Shortmead Cottage is a Victorian farm cottage situated on the Shortmead Estate, behind the owner's 18th century manor house, one mile from Biggleswade in Bedfordshire. This cottage sleeps four people in two bedrooms, consisting of one double and one twin, as well as a bathroom with free-standing double-ended bath and walk-in shower. The cottage also has a kitchen with dining area and a sitting room with study area and multi-fuel stove. Outside there is off road parking for two cars and lawned gardens with patio, furniture and small vegetable plot. Shortmead Cottage is an ideal holiday home for visiting the many nearby attractions, including London, which can be reached in less than 40 minutes by train.

Accomodation Details
Two bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x twin. Bathroom with freestanding bath, walk-in shower, basin and WC. Kitchen with dining area. Sitting room with study area and multi-fuel stove.

Area
The Bedfordshire market town of Biggleswade is an ideal base for exploring the neighbouring counties of Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire. Biggleswade offers shops, restaurants and takeaways, plus just three miles away is the Shuttleworth Collection, which is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield. Just 20 miles away is Woburn Abbey with its famous safari park, and London can be reached in 35 minutes by train.

Region
The Home Counties comprise the counties that surround London and include Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Middlesex. Although mostly built up, they include some fabulous scenery and attractions which are well worth a visit.

Amenities
Gas central heating with underfloor heating on ground floor and bathroom and multi-fuel stove. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV with Freeview, DVD, CD, WiFi, selection of books, games and DVDs. Fuel, power and starter pack for stove inc. in rent. Bed linen and towels inc. in rent. Off road parking for 2 cars. Lawned gardens with patio, furniture and small vegetable plot. Sorry, no pets and no smoking. Shop and pub 1 mile. Note: The cottage stairs are steep. Note: Some noise can be heard from the railway when outside. Note: Shortmead House is sometimes used as a wedding venue. Note: Please contact us to discuss a Friday arrival during the Christmas & New Year period.

Mrs Lewis

September 2020

NO UNDER FLOOR HEATING IN FACT NO HEATING AT ALL ON GROUND FLOOR FABULOUS WEATHER BUT WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN WE WERE FREEZING..

Mrs Wallace

October 2019

An island of tranquility which proved to be an excellent base from which to explore the area.. Biggleswade has a good range of facilities and there's a large supermarket nearby. The park-and-ride for Cambridge was very convenient and efficient. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Mrs Hurrell

April 2019

Cottage was delightful.. A perfect blend of old and new. With quality facilities and wonderful little things that made it special.

Mrs Barber

March 2019

Cottage was comfortable and fairly well equipped.. Owners were welcoming. One problem was lack of an info folder, so no info on how to use hob, how to adjust heating, waste disposal etc. Key to main door tended to jam in lock.

Mr Curtis

February 2019

Great cottage

Mrs Price

December 2018

Beautiful cottage in a very quiet location.. Despite the age of the cottage it's lovely and warm and the owners are very helpful with any little queries we had. We will definitely be back to stay again.

Mr Sims

September 2018

My colleague and I arrived at Shortmead Cottage and met the owner.. We were then shown to the cottage and instructed on how to use the facilities. While inside the cottage we could clearly hear and feel vibrations from trains passing on the main line adjacent to the property. Although this is mentioned in the description we both felt the issue is more significant and deserves mention in this review. Otherwise it’s a nice cottage in a good location.

Poppy10r

May 2018

We loved staying in this beautiful cottage. The hosts were very welcoming and the cottage had everything we needed. Would highly recommend anyone to stay here. Set in lovely grounds and my daughter loved the pet chicken Mary.

The cottage was well appointed, warm and cosy.. The underfloor heating was really appreciated as the weather was so cold. A very peaceful situation in the grounds of the main house and, for a train fan, the east coast main line railway was a bonus! Yes you could hear the trains but they were not intrusive at all. The owner, Mr Bond, was welcoming and very helpful.

Mr Schuette

February 2017

Wonderful cottage, beautiful location even though the railway is quite close, access road was a bit rough to navigate.. .. ;-)) but we would definitely book it again!!

Mr Brooks

November 2016

The owners of the cottage are to be congratulated on a sensitive and sympathetic renovation to what I presume were two back to back cottages.. In the grounds of a large Georgian Mansion, the cottage is detached, so no noisy neighbours. More importantly, it is not on a road. My pet hate. There is a nearby railway line but it was not intrusive. Olde World meets New in this well proportioned property. The two bedrooms are spacious and provide more than enough storage for guest clothes and cases. A first for us was the more than adaquate supply of coathangers. Owners - PLEASE - do not remove the coathangers. There was also a good supply of extra blankets should they be required. The living quarters comprise of two large ground floor rooms. The kitchen is marvellous. There is a big modern rectangular table with two benches. We didn't use as there is a smaller table (for 4) in the lounge/diner which we preferred. The kitchen facilities are excellent. The underfloor heating was appreciated. The living room come dining room was very cosy. Especially when the log burner was on (could the owners provide a poker and fire set please). The TV is concealed in the left hand unit. A remote control raises and lowers it. We kept it in up position whilst there as we were concerned it might get stuck. I'm sure it would have been alright. It is also 'neck friendly'. At a comfortable level. Not up a height which appears to be the way these days. The TV is freeview so there is a good choice of viewing. Of course, it can also be used as a radio. Classic FM and Smooth radio are very cottage friendly! There is only one point I feel possible guests should be aware of. The stairs are quite steep and care is required. Those with mobility issues should possibly look elsewhere. The cottage is very well located to explore a large area. We visited Bletchley Park, Cambridge and London. The train station is located in Biggleswade. We walked there from the cottage in a comfortable 20 minute walk. There are car parking facilities at the station. Only £3.70 for off peak hours. We paid £27.70 for off peak train tickets to London on a week day. This included tube and bus travel 1-6. Excellent value. About £20 without this. Cheaper fares are available on Saturdays and Sundays...About £13.70 for off peak without tube and bus travel, £19.70 with. Take time to have a walk around the shopping area in Biggleswade. Many pubs and eateries as well as your everyday shops and at least 3 charity shops. There is an Aldi very near to the train station. Enjoy !

Mr Shroff

October 2016

Shortmead Cottage is a Joy.. The kindness of Marilyn and Ian and Laura vied with the offerings of the cottage. The scaping of the grounds offers variety; but no artless heavy pruning here; only natural textures that nourish, 360 degrees. Trusting hens and a friendly cat offer judicious companionship. Peace in great measure. No small-minded restrictions mar the enjoyment of the property; to the contrary the hosts spared no pains to make our stay Wonderful.....

Mr Duffy

September 2016

Being on the outskirts of Biggleswade, it made an ideal base for so many activities in the area.. We visited Cambridge, The Shuttleworth Collection, The Imperial War Museum at Duxford and a number of good National Trust properties. Eating out was very enjoyable, with many good pubs and restaurants within a few miles. Can definitely recommend the Hare and Hounds at Old Warden. We had a great week, which was helped by glorious weather.

Susanne K

May 2016

Wonderfully situated. Lovely surroundings. Really nice and helpful owner. Inside is everything you need. And more. Distance to Cambridge and London by car or train easy and short. Peace and quietness when you come home from a daytrip.

Mr Day

April 2016

Shortmead Cottage had a friendly and helpful owner in an interesting location. It was a good quality property with interesting features and the kitchen area was particularly good for working and eating. We liked the wood burning stoves and underfloor heating. Overall it was a comfortable cottage with a pleasant feel.

Mr Leach

January 2016

Wonderful location on a beautiful estate with the River Ivel flowing through. The highlight is spending time in the kitchen, looking out over the grounds. The underfloor heating throughout the stone floors downstairs and lashings of hot water to use the free-standing bath or walk-in shower upstairs, plus the log burner, make this an ideal winter retreat as well as a summer escape. Will be returning!

Peggie97

October 2015

Nice cottage but lounge furniture very tired and one chair the bottom had fallen out of. Insufficient kitchen utensils and Broken lightening. All of this was told to the owner the first day but nothing happened. No instruction folder which should show how everything worked and listing places of interest, restaurants and local shops so you had to work blind and find out for yourself No welcome package. No welcome starter fuel package which was included in the deal. Met Mr Bond but Mrs Bond didn't make herself known to us which made us feel like the poor relations. Nobody came to see if we were happy/unhappy with the cottage and nobody came to see us on the day of departure. We felt this cottage to the owners was just a hobby and they didn't feel they needed to put much effort into looking after guests. We stay in a cottage every month for the last two years so we do know what we are talking about. Nice bathroom but a bit OTT. Shame if they don't look after this cottage after spending money on it.

Mr Davies

January 2015

It was a proper cottage in lovely surroundings, very warm cosy. The owners were very welcoming and helpful.

Mr Wilson

October 2014

The fixtures and fittings are better than average for a holiday cottage, the kitchen was excellent and the free range chickens were entertaining.

Mrs Ellis

August 2014

This was perfect for us, we wanted a few days away from the hustle and bustle of life, and this ticked all of the boxes. Shortmead Cottage was lovely and the owner was excellent in being there with information but not over powering. Looking at the birds and small animals in the garden and of course the resident hens was an added bonus.

rwhk

July 2014

We stayed in this cottage with our 7 year old son. The cottage is located on the property of Shortmead House and there are a lot of green spaces with lots of animals (chicken, cats, donkey, horse, ...) around. Inside the cottage you will find a modern kitchen, a living room and 2 good-sized bedrooms. WiFi connection as well as a TV with DVD player were also provided and much appreciated. The owners, Marilyn and Ian were very friendly and kind and as such we really enjoyed our stay. Only two minutes away from supermarkets and road connections to London (45 minutes) and Cambridge (30 minutes). We would definitely stay here again. The main house is used also as a venue for weddings, and during our stay, there was such an event. However, we did not get disturbed at all.

Mr Hannan

May 2014

Super all round property and hospitality and friendliness from the Owners was outstanding. A great centre for museums and local attractions. A quiet hideaway with restful surroundings and close to shops etc. Would definitely recommend to family and friends.

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Shortmead Cottage in Bedford, Bedfordshire