If I had to name my least favourite month of the year it would be a straight shoot out between January and February. January because it begins with a chocolate and cheese hangover and seems to last longer than a Caribbean cruise with Bobby Davro. February because it always just feels so grey and sensible. It is the calendar equivalent of John Major. To get through #MalmosLeastFavouriteMonths the first thing I do on the 2nd of January is start holiday planning for the year ahead.
I often get asked where I get my travel inspiration from so let me let you in only a little secret from my modern rustic rolodex: Sawdays Travel. Long before Mr & Mrs Smith were on the scene Alistair Sawday was searching out and recommending great places to stay in the UK and Europe. From self catering to hotels, bed & breakfasts to pubs with lovely rooms he has it all covered. I honestly cannot think of a more comprehensive guide of places to stay in the UK that caters to all tastes and budgets. So there are simple minimal places for the Scandi like me and more traditional grand properties for a cluttered Gothic like my dad!
Sawday Guides look good on a coffee table but there is also a comprehensive collection online
Having using Alistair as my holiday wing man for well over 20 years I was therefore delighted to be asked by Sawdays Travel to go and review Bibury Farm Barns, one of the new kids on their amazing holiday block.
Bibury Farm Barns
The five newly renovated stone barns are nestled in a particularly lovely corner of the Cotswolds (although to be honest am not sure there are any crappy corners unless Cirencester gets a bit lairy on a Saturday night). They are set on the edge of a working farm but the interiors are definitely more Daylesford than Old Macdonald. The focus of the renovation was apparently “luxurious comfort” and it is definitely a case of mission accomplished.
The exterior of the Cart Shed at Bibury Farm Barns
We stayed in the Cart Shed which sleeps six in three incredibly comfortable double bedrooms all of which are ensuite. The star of the bedroom show (in a non porn film sense) is definitely the ground floor master suite. You could probably fit the entire downstairs of our house into it with a bed so large that you could be sleeping with Eamonn Holmes and his three burly brothers and still feel like you were the only one in the bed.
This way to the master suite!
The enormous bed in the master suite of the Cart Shed
I loved the rattan pendants beside the beds
The spacious garden at the Cart Shed with a big lawn
I loved the rattan style pendants either side of the bed which add contemporary edge and the Roberts Radio is on my bedroom bucket list. There is a separate dressing room area and then a large ensuite bathroom with an enormous freestanding bath and a generous supply of 100 Acres Bath products. The room also enjoys lovely views out to the garden.
The Roberts Radio that is on my bedroom bucket list when we start our renovation
The enormous bath in the master ensuite
With his and hers sinks
And a generous supply of 100 Acres products
However if you lose the race to bag the biggest bedroom (is it just my family who do this on holiday?!) then the two upstairs rooms are equally comfortable and decked out in the same calming neutral tones. One of my favourite features of the house were the copper wash basins in the ensuite bathrooms of both these bedrooms.
Upstairs Bedroom number one
Upstairs bedroom number two
The copper basins that captured my heart
If you can drag yourself out of bed of a morning the kitchen and living space are equally appealing. We visited in December so so enjoyed a cozy Saturday night on the sofa with the log burner blazing, Strictly on the TV and plenty of sheepskin blankets to snuggle under. The boys also enjoyed being able to watch Football Focus on a TV approximately 3 times the size of our ancient number at home.
A view through to the open plan living/dining space at the Cart Shed
The sofa on which we spent plenty of time happily snuggled up!
I think you can probably guess from this picture what the boys favourite feature of the barn was and it wasn’t the ceramic vases.
The log burner waiting to be lit
In the Summer you can shed the sheepskins, slide open the huge glass doors and enscounce yourself instead on one of the dreamy looking sunloungers in the garden. If you are part of a bigger group then rent the Grain Store next door which sleeps 10 and comes with the added bonus of a hot tub.
A view of the large Grain Store barn next door which sleeps 10 and has a hot tub
The kitchen in the heart of the barn was our favourite place to gather. What I really liked about it’s design was that the owners George and Polly had not gone down the traditional country kitchen route (nice as those can be). It was rustic with a contemporary twist - my favourite kind of decor. There are shaker style units but they have been paired with a geometric tile splash back which works brilliantly. It is also super well equipped. My Mum and Dad (the family chef) came with us.. My dad is not one to litter compliments around like confetti but he was praising the pan selection and was basically in #UtensilUtopia.
The contemporary kitchen that is the heart of the Cart Shed
For coffee lovers there is a seriously impressive looking coffee machine
There are several different seating options to choose from ranging from a huge limed oak dining table to more casual seating around the Island and my favourite: a butter soft curved leather banquette build into a corner of the kitchen. It was here I sipped tea and worked my way through the stack of lovely magazines and coffee table books provided.
The rustic oak dining table with statement curved mirror
My favourite corner of the kitchen
Three years on Instagram and still look like I am holding in a fart in most photos
The view from the kitchen through to the living room
I also popped my parents Instagram cherry filming a video about our stay around the capacious kitchen island with them as my co stars. I know they say never work with kids or animals but I think that list might also need to include “your seventy one year old father” after he threatened Mariah Carey style to storm off set after a failed first take.
We got there in the end though with the perfect team teacup boomerang
If you manage to leave the luxurious comfort of the barns then a short walk away is Bibury, the nearest village which is nothing short of picture postcard perfect. Rows of honey coloured cottages, winding streams and frosty fields and a lovely cosy pub in which to warm up your frozen fingers after you have taken 1001 photos of said honey coloured cottages for the gram.
My 6789 photo of these dreamy cottages in Bibury
5 minutes further on is Barnsley House Hotel, home to a delicious spa, gorgeous gardens and a lovely restaurant. It is well worth popping into even just for a drink or a meal at the more affordable Village Pub. On a previous visit to the spa I encountered Mark Owen doing a topless yoga handstand on the lawn. That was in 2014 so he is probably not still on the lawn but the Cotswolds is the kind of place where you are never far from a celeb spot (although you are potentially more likely to see Jeremy Clarkson filling up on diesel than a half naked Take Thatter ).
Half an hours drive from the cottage is Daylesford Farm which offers up next level lifestyle goals although before you enter be prepared to triple the amount you thought you would ever spend on a Scotch Egg. I came away with a new mug, a toy tambourine and a candle in exchange for 34% of my monthly salary. If you can avoid looking at the price tags it is a gorgeous inspirational place to spend a couple of hours.
Poshest Santa’s Grotto ever at Daylesford Farm?
You will come away with lots of inspiration and a large credit card bill
One (okay 3) of these mugs may have come home with me from Daylesford
If I could have afforded or fitted this sofa into the car it would have been coming home with me
Five minutes down the road in Kingham (also owned by Daylesford) is the Wild Rabbit Pub where I would happily pay £70 to eat just one of their Yorkshire puddings again. We had the best Sunday lunch I have ever eaten there and the decor is every bit as gorgeous as the food. Closer to Cheltenham, Winchcombe is also possessed of a very nice pub in the Lion Inn and afterwards you can walk off your lunch with a scootch around Sudeley Castle.
Contender for best bread rolls ever tasted
The Cotswolds hold many more delights too numerous to list here all within easy reach of Bibury Farm Barns. A few of my other favourites things to do include a visit to Tetbury which is stuffed full of gorgeous antiques and vintage shops followed by a walk in nearby Westonbirt Arboretum. For the kids Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Adam Henson’s (of Countryfile rather than the Muppets fame) Cotswolds Farm are both good options.
* Our stay at Bibury Farm in The Cart Shed was hosted. If you would like to find out more about how to book a stay through Sawdays click here *