From the kitchen sitting area, drift out with your drinks to the private walled garden, an oasis of lush grass, inviting terracing and big skies.
This is a space of almost monastic repose, where the peace is broken only by the sizzle of steaks on the barbecue or the bubbling waters of the hot tub with its views of the rolling hills.
Take off your shoes. You’ll want to pad around barefoot and feel the flags and oak floors beneath your feet, as well as the deep, forgiving cushions of the sofas, just ripe for a good read.
Life here revolves around the open-plan kitchen diner. You’ll feel like you’ve stumbled on a country restaurant, with its flagstone floor, beams, exposed-stone wall and toasty Aga. Cook up a storm yourself, put your feet up in the sitting area and pop a cork or two.
After dinner, retire to the living room and throw another log on the woodburner. There’s wine on the coffee table, the crackle of conversation in the air and a hearty sense of wellbeing all around.
But this is a house with fun as well as comfort at its heart. Keep in touch with the wifi. Beam up a blockbuster in the cinema room. Hop over to the adjoining Granary to burn excess energy in the games room.
Picture a country kitchen dripping with homely charm, crafted with authentic materials and warm as buttery toast, thanks to the heat from its own Aga. That’s The Old Byre and Granary.
The oak beams above smile down on exposed-stone walls, flagged floors and an island kitchen straight out of Country Life. The pre-prandial seating area comes with squishy sofas, coffee table on which to prop aperitifs, and flatscreen TV for light entertainment.
This is the heart of the home, where light floods in from the French windows and laughter fills the air. Pile the oak table high with fresh country fare, slosh some wine around and toast the epic tranquillity.
Wherever you lay your head in The Old Byre and Granary, you’ll do so in capacious comfort. Bedrooms are beamed, with exposed-stone walls, and the flagged floors, shag-pile rugs and deep carpets are a tactile treat for tootsies.
Beds are warm and pocket-sprung and layered in soft cotton. Crack open the window and you’ll doze deeply and dream vividly. This is the sleep of the just in the crisp country air.
The Old Byre sleeps 10 in four ensuite bedrooms, each more beautifully and authentically equipped than the last. Choose from three doubles, plus one room with four singles. If more decide to join the party, you can also request two extra Z-beds for an additional charge.
The adjoining Granary sleeps six in three more doubles, all ensuite.
