Mr & Mrs Smith

Barn Cottage

Devon, United Kingdom

A lovingly converted barn in North Devon with a reverse layout: the sun-flooded open-plan living space upstairs overlooks a leafy, grassy meadow, below are two pretty bedrooms and a bathroom. It’s a high-spec hit of low-key contemporary cool in a simple, relaxed set up, 10 minutes from Bude on the coast of Cornwall.

Need to know

• Rates information £600–£1,150 a week; long weekends available, except from early July until the end of August.
• Ideal for An outdoor-loving family with two children, young couples playing house for the first time, surfers, walkers and anyone who enjoys the great outdoors.
• Sleeps 4 (and a baby).
• Property style 100-year-old brick-constructed barn with an open-plan reverse living place, the simple furnishings are stylish with Scandinavian influences.
• Grounds A large private deck overlooks tree-lined fields, all set within this 6.5-acre smallholding.
• Minimum hire Weekends; except in summer when it is a week. Changeover is usually Fridays.
• Children All the hardware such as high chair, cot, steriliser and even a stairgate or a car seat available. Kids’ toys, games and books on tap too if you want them. There are plenty of grounds right on your lap for them to explore, but coast lovers are a short drive from surfing, rockpooling and sand-castle building. Or hire a bike and hit the Camel or Tarka trails. More...
• Booking process Smith deposit taken when you book.
• Also No smoking, and no pets allowed.

Floor plan

• Bedrooms

  Both bedrooms are downstairs and separated by a cute shared bathroom. One has a double bed (not best suited for anyone over 6’3”) and the other a twin, with plenty of room for a cot. There is shared hanging space in the hallway.

• Kitchen

  The open-plan living space is ideal for a family who want to spend time together throughout, particularly during meal preparation. There’s an electric cooker and oven, a washing machine, a microwave and most of the pots, pans and utensils you would need for basic cooking requirements.

• Living room

  There is a wood-burning stove, which heats the whole of the top-floor quick-smart and it looks mighty pretty; two sofas guarantee maximum relaxation time.

• Dining room

  A table and four chairs occupy the open space between the kitchen and sitting room area, which is lined by a bookcase stocked with lots of readable novels and board games.

• Gardens

  Barn Cottage has its own large private deck overlooking tree-lined fields, set within a sprawling smallholding and sandwiched between nature reserves. The wooden terrace is off the kitchen and living room and faces east so it’s steeped in sunlight all morning. Stray beyond that and you'll find a fruit-festooned orchard and flower-filled meadows. The main farmhouse is next door but they won't mind you inspecting their vegetable patch or playing hide and seek in the fields beyond. Nature lovers should keep an eye or ear out for rabbits, foxes, buzzards and woodpeckers among the abundance of wildlife.

• Private parking

  There is space outside on the driveway for a couple of cars.