TRAVEL FEATURE

Stay close to home

A change is as good as a rest they say… Mary and Kate tried it for themselves, just down the road from their own homes

FOR THE SECOND summer running holidays abroad are being restricted; more so this year than last extraordinarily. And if we do travel overseas there is always the risk of suddenly being made to quarantine or having to rush home to avoid it; and who wants to queue at airports for hours on end? Certainly not me.

So welcome to the staycation. If we are being truly pedantic that does mean holidaying at home but in these weird times it has taken on a new meaning; holidaying in the UK. But that doesn’t necessarily mean following the hordes and fighting your way to the coast to sit am pac ed on a beach. No, go somewhere slightly less obvious, even very close to home as it’s true, a change really is as good as a rest. nd we chose to go to ing’s liffe.

There was method in our madness. Neither of us really knew the village despite it being pretty close to where we both live. But the biggest attraction was the beautiful

Boundary Cross House which lies in the heart of the village’s conservation area.

BOUNDARY CROSS HOUSE

Boundary Cross House is one of three properties that Sarah and eoff rent out for holiday accommodation. he other two, The Stables and The Hayloft are converted barns next to their farmhouse near the church, ust across the road from Boundary Cross House, both of which sleep two. They are extremely spacious and luxurious with a lovely garden, outside seating, covered and uncovered, as well as a summer house to en oy this really is high end holiday accommodation. Note the artwork on the walls, much of it is Sarah’s own. Guests who stay here have access to bicycles and can help themselves to bespoke gourmet ice cream which eoff has made for charity, raising over , . ate and were going to en oy a night in Boundary ross House. New this season it is beautifully and luxuriously decorated and furnished using British and European design with everything you could think of. Aga in the kitchen, tick. Comfy bed and pillows, tick. Luxury furnishings and fittings, tic . Landscaped garden, tic . ot tub, tick. Games room, tick. It even has a mood enhancing lighting system which is fitted throughout the house and caters for every sort of light you want. And note the beautiful Murano lights in the kitchen. Attention to detail is very apparent and eoff and Sarah have thought of everything, right down to the beautifully arranged owers waiting for you.

‘This area is a sort of hidden Cotswolds,’ says Sarah ‘and people are beginning to realise. It’s as beautiful as the Cotswolds but with half the amount of visitors so you can en oy the peace and tran uility of the countryside and surrounding area without having to sit in tra c ams.’ Sarah is right, we are living in a hidden gem around here and I quite like that.

But ’d never e plored ing’s liffe. suppose when you live on the doorstep of so many pretty villages you don’t ma e the time to visit them all. Slightly off the beaten trac , in that it’s not on a main road, ing’s liffe is not somewhere you’d necessarily drive through unless you were visiting for a specific reason. Some of these pretty

places you never actually stop in and wander around, and that’s a pity. So for one night this was going to change. We were going to e plore what is right on our doorstep and en oy staying in a lu urious, beautifully furnished house sat in the heart of this conservation village. But before we headed out to admire the architecture and e plore the village we took the time to enjoy the house itself. As I said, it’s beautifully furnished with uropean and British furniture. Attention to detail is second to none; designer furniture and fabrics; local artists’ paintings on the walls. You need to actually sit on the comfortable sofa and take it all in; absorb it as it were. e were in ing’s liff e on a warm day in une so we made the most of the garden. There’s a Heston Blumenthal barbecue, plenty of seating and of course the hot tub. But what Kate and I most enjoyed was the beautifully furnished games’ room with its table tennis table. That was it, we were reliving our youths and happily played for ages. We were pretty evenly matched and after initial rustiness quickly settled into a groove. We were delighted that we could actually play competitively and chat at the same time; pretty impressive we thought! n the morning it was time to e plore ing’s liff e properly. Because of its pro imity to woodland, historically Rockingham forest, it has been home to many a wood turner and Sarah has used Glyn Mould, a local wood carver for all the nameplates at the properties. It’s also historically a village of artists and crafts people and some of them remain today. And take note of the blue heritage signs in the windows that tell you who lived in the house in a censor year) which Kate and I found fascinating; and how much times have changed. Not many people of ‘private means’ these days we imagine. And the butcher had one of the largest houses in the village. rchitecturally ing’s liff e is very pretty local limestone with a huge variety of houses and cottages ranging from the rather grand to the prettily tiny. We were sorry we did not have more time to spend there as there’s a lot of history. And it’s not just the village that is worth e ploring, the surrounding countryside is very pretty too. he urassic ay s irts the village and there are lots of walks to enjoy.

It did emphasise to us what is on our doorstep and sometimes we can overlook this. You don’t have to travel far to en oy a complete change of scenery and a diff erent pace of life to feel yourself rela ing almost immediately. nd doing it in the lu urious surroundings of a holiday rental such as Boundary Cross House really is the icing on the cake; well maybe the table tennis topped it all.

www.hallfarmkingscliffe.co.uk

FAIRCHILDS

And if you want a farm stay right in the middle of rolling Leicestershire countryside, look no further than Fairchilds, situated just outside Caldecott on the edge of Rutland. Fairchild’s Barn and Big Drift Barn are two stunning semi detached barn conversions set over two oors. ach house enjoys views over the countryside, with bi-fold doors opening onto the properties’ private gardens with seating to enjoy al fresco dining during the warmer months and a private hot tub each, whatever the weather. The open plan living space makes these properties perfect for celebrations with friends and family, and both houses feature a focal wood burner making the rooms warm and cosy. Having bedrooms with bathroom facilities on the ground oor, these properties cater for less mobile guests which is defi nitely something to thin of when organising a multi-generational holiday.

The barns are situated on Andrew and Louise Brown’s farm. The grounds back onto woodland where you can en oy a campfi re, or even camp overnight, if you want a diff erent e perience during your stay with permission from the owners). ach house sleeps eight or you can boo both for a larger party of si teen guests. nd music to dog owners’ ears, two dogs per barn are welcome. Hot tubs and pets allowed, what more can you ask for?

www.visitourfarm.co.uk

RIVERSIDE

Idyllic country cottages are fabulous places to stay, there’s no doubt about it. But town centre apartments can off er ust as much pleasure. You’re bang in the middle of town in walking distance of all the restaurants, cafés, bars, theatres and facilities you can think of. Everything is on your doorstep so you don’t need a car. Stamford has all of that as well as fabulous architecture to absorb, admire and en oy. And it also has the river which meanders gently through the town. Some of you of a certain era who have been in the town for a long time will remember the Riverside nightclub; Stamford’s fi nest and only eshpot. Many of us cut our nightlife teeth in this old converted warehouse and have many a story to tell. And our children probably have many stories of their own as the Riverside nightclub then metamorphosed into Quayhole Kate’s.

The building is no longer a place of pulsating music, secret corners, sweaty bodies, stale cigarette smoke and sticky, beery carpets; thank goodness. It has now been converted and has a much more tranquil aura these days. he ground oor houses a MediSpa home to a and the top oor, which visited, is now split into modern, comfortable, fully furnished apartments which are available all year round. And you can even stay in the Toll House which fronts on to the town bridge.

The Grade II listed building is ancient and is an iconic building in Stamford. Once inside you are met with bright, airy, modern apartments all with their own entrances and most of them with great views over the river. They are the perfect spot for visiting family and friends to come and stay and are the ideal location for exploring Stamford and the surrounding area. You can also stay here for long term lets such as between house moves. There are four apartments in total: two, two beds and two, one bed, including the Toll ouse. nd every guest is off ered a discount by a for treatments and you can en oy sitting on their terrace overlooking the river.

Darren Grigas and his partner Sarah have been running the Riverside apartments since 2017 and have been very busy. uests are oc ing to stay in Stamford and they were lucky to have some long term business guests over the lockdowns. Now they are getting tourists. They also have a three bedroom house in the town that looks over the Meadows as well as another property in rowland. heir properties are available on websites such as airbnb but you would be best to book direct using their website.

And I can assure you that you would never know there used to be a nightclub in the building there is defi nitely no remaining residue of beer and cigarettes!

www.stamfordstays.com

CLEMATIS COTTAGES

If peace and quiet, tranquility and relaxation are what you want you need to head to ichard and aye ri n at Lodge Farm, which is on the edge of the hamlet of Aunby, four miles from Stamford. ere you will fi nd lematis ottages which are a collection of spacious, bespo e, luxuriously furnished, very pretty, mainly barn conversions made up of fi ve cottages which together sleep 14 people. The cottages range from beds for six, two doubles and a twin, to a small anne e. hey can be boo ed as a whole for extended family or you can rent them individually; both options are very popular. There is e cellent ifi for those that need it and even electric charging points for your car. he cottages are at the end of a long drive, off a narrow country road, sitting in fi ve acres of grounds which includes ponds, paddoc s and beautiful herbaceous gardens with wonderful views over open countryside; you are literally in the middle of nowhere and can enjoy the seclusion, peace and quiet; you feel relaxed as soon as you step out of the car and breathe in the fresh air. There’s certainly no light pollution here. hese fi ve acres have been laid out, designed, planted and nurtured by Richard and Kaye in the twenty odd years

that they’ve lived here. There is a fabulous vegetable garden which guests can order seasonal veg boxes from. Richard is a bee eeper with an apiary so there is always honey for sale, and you can do a bee eeping course with him as well. nd aye ma es her own produce so you will always fi nd chutneys, piccalillis and jellies on sale as well; and eggs too, courtesy of the resident chic ens.

This beautiful place is a haven for wildlife. You will meet the resident barn owl, rare bats, rabbits, hares and duc s on the pond. here is now a hide so een bird watchers can spend time watching the wildlife; you really are close to nature here. ‘We want our guests to enjoy the peace and tran uility and ma e the most of the grounds,’ says aye. here’s plenty of room to play cric et and football, picnic or barbecue as well as lots of seating dotted around, and a table tennis table. ou can be as sociable as you li e or completely private. We want guests to relax here and treat the grounds as their own space.’

www.clematiscottages.co.uk

RUTLAND HOLIDAY LETS

Location, location, location is what it’s all about and this property in Orange Street in Uppingham certainly ticks all the boxes. Situated right in the heart of the beautiful, historic town on the ground oor of the recently converted ld onstables building it really is convenience personifi ed for any visitor. ppingham is awash with historical architecture, art galleries, antique shops, bars and restaurants and everything is on your doorstep. he one bedroomed at, whilst in this beautiful old building, is modern, crisp and well equipped and sleeps four. There is also an outside area to enjoy. ob and Sheila also have three properties in Belton in utland, a uaint and idyllic village in the utland

countryside where you can enjoy walking and cycling as well as visit all the local nearby attractions. he ld Boiler house is a charming little cottage that used to house the heating system for the hunting lodge next door. It is spacious and decorated in a contemporary style with a large double bedroom, bathroom on the fi rst oor and a lounge diner downstairs with a private outside sitting space to the rear.

Another room in the old hunting lodge next door can be made available for a bigger group and the lounge has a sofa bed. or peace and rela ation he og’s Barrac s should fi t the bill. Li e its name, the layout is uir y, with a fi rst oor lounge and spacious bedroom. n the ground oor is a well equipped country style kitchen with an Aga as well as a large shower room and utility area, both with under oor heating. And there’s a patio seating area nestled in The Orchard belonging to the neighbouring hunting lodge. he ovecot is a two bedroom cottage spread over three oors. t is all decorated in a simple contemporary style, uncluttered yet comfortable which is just what any guests want.

www.rutlandholidaylets.co.uk