The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes

Hot tub, tennis… and a train

Big garden? Tick. Communal spaces? Tick. Real fire? Tick. Tennis court? Oh yes. Hot tub? For sure. Longest private, narrow-gauge steam railway in the country? Tick. The Hyde, sleeping 20 on the glorious rural borders of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, offers train rides around the yews and lakes. Jump on board.

Sorry, did you say railway?

You’ll have a ticklist for your holiday home. Big garden? Tick. Communal spaces? Tick. Real fire? Tick. Longest private, narrow-gauge steam railway in the country? Tick. Sorry, what was that? Yes, The Hyde, sleeping 20 on the glorious rural borders of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, offers train rides around the yews and lakes.

You can wild-swim in those lakes. Then burn off any remaining energy on the tennis court. Eat out on the huge, south-facing terrace. Then chill in the hot tub and lap up the sense of peace. How peaceful? The estate drive is a mile long. That’s peaceful. It’s also a dog-friendly delight, so bring Rover and rove around to your heart’s content.

Inside, Grade II-listed The Hyde (house and cottage) comes with an aura of history amid the meticulous restoration. Walk the Malvern Hills, drop your coats and wellies in the boot room, pour a Prosecco, feed the fire, and curl up in front of Sky in the TV room. Or sign up for serenity in the light-filled conservatory and L-shaped sitting room.

Cook on the range, or call up the Michelin-starred chefs from A to Zest, then get all 20 around the dining-room table beneath the old beams, with flames flickering from the inglenook. Sleep in bedrooms as beautifully restored as your wellbeing will be after a stay in this oasis of peace and privacy.

Hot tub, gardens and grounds

The all-weather tennis court, ready for action and designed to precede a well-deserved gin and tonic, might not be the best thing in the garden. That’s because The Hyde comes with a 2km narrow-gauge steam railway, complete with station. All aboard for family fun that includes tunnels, bridges, turntables and a viaduct.

With a one-mile drive through the estate, the grounds ramble forever. You can, too, along walking trails that take in pheasant and guinea fowl, explore the mini hedge maze and stomp the wooded areas. Children will be entertained with bikes, football goals and playtime in the Wendy house.

As if that wasn’t enough, in the neighbouring field, you’ll discover two private lakes, perfect for wild swimming, kayaking and private fly-fishing. Long day? Unwind with dinner and drinks on the south-facing terrace and a long dip in the hot tub. Why would you want to leave?

The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes
The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes

Living spaces

English Heritage and the deft hand of craftsmanship have created a wonderfully restored world of wonky ceilings, beams, inglenooks and flagstone floors. In front of roaring flames, you’ve got big spaces amid the medieval magic in which to host that long-overdue get together or simply slip apart for a recharge.

The garden’s a delight and the light-filled conservatory sucks it in. Thirteenth century this may be, but dashes of modern comfort mean you never lose out on luxury. Get together for evening games in the L-shaped sitting room or scroll through Sky in the TV room with the doors open to the south-facing garden terrace.

The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday HomesThe Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday HomesThe Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday HomesThe Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes
The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes
Cooking and diningCooking and diningCooking and diningCooking and dining

Cooking and dining

Having a railway on site is impressive, but so is hosting an award-winning restaurant. The chefs at Native come with a wonderful foodie pedigree and values based around sustainability and local sourcing, not least from the kitchen garden. Alternatively, call up the pros from A to Zest for special celebrations, drop-offs or a fully catered break.

Dab hand in the kitchen? This one comes comprehensively kitted out, with a range cooker, separate wine fridge and two dishwashers. Eat out on the south-facing terrace with the pheasants and guinea fowl wandering the lawns, or beneath the beams in the 20-seat dining room with logs alight in the inglenook fireplace.

Tuck in to takeaways from Pukka Pizzas, Efe’s Kebabs, and Teme Street fish and chips. Pop into The Spotty Dog for afternoon teas and picnic bags. At The Peacock Inn, the head chef is French, giving the English dishes a continental twist. Get your laughing gear around prime Herefordshire beef fillet with Dauphinoise potatoes.

Consider Bahar for a five-star Indian experience, Pembroke House for chicken in Stilton sauce, or head to the Med at Unwined Bar and Bistro for brunch, tapas and charcuterie, accompanied by world wines, Spanish lager and cocktails. For Michelin-Guide magnificence, consider The Baiting House or Kilpeck Inn.

The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes

Bedrooms

The ten bedrooms here across the house and cottage are bursting with beamy beauty. Surrounded only by lakes and woodland, you’ll slip into a sleep you know you’re going to relish.

In the main house, bedroom one is a double en-suite, as is bedroom two, which also offers a rolltop bath and separate WC. En-suite bedroom three provides a kingsize that can be split into twins and bedroom four is a kingsize with en-suite shower room. Bedroom five offers twin beds and bedroom six a kingsize or twins.

In the cottage, bedrooms one and two are double en-suites, while bedroom three is a twin or double en-suite. Bedroom four is another en-suite, with twin beds.

The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes

Virtual Tour

Gone are the days when the only way to view a house was solely by way of poring over flat and sometimes confusing floor plans. With the emergence of 360-degree video we have an exciting new way of being introduced to the layout of a house.

With a few clicks you can be leisurely making your way through living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and bathrooms – the whole house in all its beauty waiting for you to step on in for an effortless and insightful virtual tour.

Children welcome

There’s a lot to get right when you choose a holiday for kids. But The Hyde does everything beautifully, even keeping the suspense going with a one-mile journey down the drive on arrival. If these are the grounds, how big can the house be? Plenty big. In fact, with room for 20 in the house and cottage, you can bring home with you.

You don’t even need to pack a cot – you’ve got two travel cots available, with linen provided, plus two high chairs. Inside, there’s plenty of space for exploring, large-scale games of hide-and-seek, and just being together. That includes two dogs, by the way, so don’t forget your furry friends.

By day, the garden and grounds offer plenty of diversions for the curious mind. Walk the dog through the woodland trails and find the lakes. Wild-swim or kayak with a grown-up. Discover the Wendy house and treehouse. Get lost in the mini-maze or play croquet, cricket or football on the lawns.

Come between March and October for the best time to ride the narrow-gauge steam railway (we need to book a driver). All aboard at the station, then follow the 2km track around the estate that includes tunnels, bridges, turntables and a viaduct. Wrap up the day with Sky TV or with toys, books, and DVDs.

The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes
What our guests say

What our guests say

We had a wonderful family week at The Hyde. Our grandchildren said it all when they announced that it was the best house ever for a holiday. The Hyde is a beautiful house, and its lovely surroundings provided the perfect setting for the children to have fun and games. We were fortunate with the weather and had all our meals, apart from breakfast, outside. The children enjoyed boating on the lake and Lucy provided a great clay pigeon shoot for a few of our party. Thank you to the housekeeping team who prepared everything so well for us. We couldn't have wished for anything more. - Maureen
The Hyde was absolutely perfect for our stay. The house was immaculate, tastefully decorated and plenty big enough for our party of 19. Peta and her team went out of their way to make our stay perfect and Jamie the Chef is perfection. We are planning our next visit! - Jayne
The Hyde was unique, well fitted out and of high quality with helpful owner and generous welcome basket of local produce. The staff at Kate and Tom's are helpful and are able to give knowledgeable advice about the properties and follow up queries assiduously with the property owners which I have found very useful. - Rosemary
The cottage was everything we wanted and more! Every comfort was provided plus extras. The whole cottage exudes quality. The kitchen is excellently equipped should you wish to self cater. Books, children’s bikes, DVDs, tennis equipment and some toys are provided. The tennis courts were enjoyed by some of the guests (racquets and balls provided). A most enjoyable stay! - Janis
We’ve recently come back from our weekend away and were blown away by the property. It was even better than we thought it would be and we’re already trying to think of times that we can go back. - Peter
We had a fantastic time at The Hyde. The house & the surroundings were beautiful. The house & cottage really are so well equipped and are spacious and thoughtfully renovated. We had lovely meals together & there were so many different places for everyone to relax. - Emma
Had the best 30th birthday staying at the Hyde! An amazing beautiful house all set in gorgeous surroundings. Can’t wait to go back! - Becca
 The Hyde - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes

Sink a frizzle

Dodge the scary dentist at Top Escape Rooms, play golf at Sapey, or fish for trout at Kingfisher Lake. Walk from Wyche to Wynds Point, get pampered at Malvern Spa or sink a Frizzle at The Hop Shed. Swim outdoors at Droitwich Lido, walk through a 360-degree ocean tunnel at Sea Life or meet meerkats at Little Owl Farm Park.

 Royal Oak Manor - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes  Royal Oak Manor - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes  Royal Oak Manor - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes  Royal Oak Manor - kate & tom's Large Holiday Homes