firstoftwins
December 2019
When pulling up after a long drive I wasn’t surprised to see that this remote, stand-alone building was exactly like the photos state in the advertisement: an old chapel. Upon entering through the original wooden door under its original stone lintel I removed my coat while looking around this anteroom with its exposed stonework I noticed a very handy large Dutch sink with its adjacent shelf. Underneath the shelf I was very glad to see a modern washing machine which takes a generous 6KG load. There was ample room on the solid stone floor for me and my family to move around and remove our outside footwear before going into the rest of the building through a very modern glass-panelled door. My first thoughts were on the extensive works done on this old place. The tiled ground floors are all heated independently by room, and every room is very nicely decorated with modern furniture and generously equipped with wall sockets in almost every corner. The tiled bathroom floor is heated, and so is the large towel rack by the door when entering. It has a large bath with a rounded shower door and a large porcelain sink in front of a large opening window next to it, allowing all the noises from the countryside in while you prepare for the day. The toilet is a good size with a very handy electric shaving point close-by so that you can carry two chores at the same time. The first, smaller bedroom on the left as you walk further along the floor-heated hallway has a sturdy modern bunk bed, a surprisingly large wardrobe and a bedside table with a light on top. It’s a good-sized airy room with plenty of room to get around without having to squeeze past your room-mate. The independently heated floor is newly-carpeted and clean; freshly hoovered by the owners before our arrival. The second, master bedroom at the end of the hallway, again, has an independently-heated carpeted floor. The comfortable king-size double bed has clean sheets and pillowcases, and there are a couple of solid wood bedside cabinets each side and a sturdy chest of drawers against the wall at the foot of the bed. It’s airy with a good-sized opening window and has plenty of sockets all round. Apart from the large impressive boiler and heating system in a custom-built room opposite the foot of the wooden stairs going up to the lounge and kitchen area, that’s my description of the ground floor.
The impressive wooden and glass-sided staircase leading to the upper level is solid, well-made and modern. They take you straight into the well-furbished kitchen area and breakfast bar. It has an electric four-hob cooker/oven with a large hood over the top extracting all the steam into the outside, a good-sized under-the-counter new fridge with an icebox, a modern 800W microwave oven, and a slimline dishwasher, kettle, toaster and a good-sized sink fitted with modern taps and draining board. The surfaces and splash tiles around the kitchen and the breakfast bar, with its accompanying bar-stool style seats, are very clean. The entire upstairs area has a solid, modern light wood floor and is also very clean. Just outside the open-plan kitchen is a small round dining table with four comfy chairs. The lounge area has two double-seater sofas which extend to lift up your feet in front of the modern log-burner while watching the large, modern LG TV. It’s a well-ventilated room and well-lit with modern ceiling lights. The best feature, in my opinion, is the solid beams running along the length of the ceiling with their supporting A-frames. Again, this whole upstairs area is very well populated with electrical sockets, and one of them by the small dining table has a USB point. Smoke detectors are fitted and there are plenty of kitchen utensils, cutlery and crockery to support at least 5 people. Nothing has been left out. We came here to spend Christmas, and the owners decorated the lounge area with a nice tree and lots of Christmas lights winding around the bannisters up the stairs and around those beautiful A-frames in the lounge. They even left us some mince pies, a Saffron sponge cake, some Cornish clotted cream, tea, milk, toilet rolls, and a couple of bottles of home-made cider. Like I said, nothing was overlooked or left out to make us feel welcome.
The surrounding area is perfect for dog walkers, which the owners generously allow, or hard-core hikers who take their walking up and down rocky hills (tors) seriously. I would definitely recommend this holiday let and look forward to my next stay.