Linhay Cottage is a beautifully presented holiday home set on the edge of Withypool Common, in the heart of Exmoor National Park. As its name suggests, the cottage has been converted from a traditional linhay, a type of farm building typical of Devon and Somerset, usually open-fronted and originally used for housing livestock below with a hayloft above. Before its conversion, the property served as the farm’s groom’s quarters and overlooks the former stable yard.
Entry to the cottage is through a tiled porch, offering ample space for storing boots, coats, and bicycles. Inside, the spacious open-plan living area is tastefully furnished in a country style, with a handmade, painted L-shaped kitchen that is fully equipped for preparing delicious home-cooked meals to enjoy at the adjacent dining table. The cosy sitting area has plush pink sofas arranged around a wood-burning stove, perfect for gathering together for a film night or a board game. With windows on all sides, the living space enjoys stunning views across the farmland and the surrounding countryside. Both comfortable bedrooms also look out over the picturesque Barle Valley below.
Outside, guests are welcome to relax in the sunny, sheltered stable yard or enjoy the large lawned garden to the rear, complete with a picnic bench. Occasionally, the field in front of the cottage is used for grazing horses; when it isn’t, guests can walk through it by taking the second gate on the right and following the path down into the natural ‘wet’ field, which leads directly onto a public footpath, and continue right towards Withypool or left towards Landacre Bridge.
Withypool is a charming village with a 17th-century pub that serves excellent food and a fine selection of local ciders. There is also a village shop, post office, historic church, and a welcoming tearoom. Exmoor offers a wealth of outdoor activities including horse riding, cycling, fishing, rock climbing, hiking, and walking. Nearby attractions include the ancient Tarr Steps, the dramatic Valley of Rocks, a dry U-shaped valley running parallel to the sea just west of Lynton, and Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on both Exmoor and in Somerset.
The National Trust’s Dunster Castle, with its working Victorian watermill, is also well worth a visit. Its terraced gardens are home to a wide range of Mediterranean and subtropical plants, along with a riverside wooded garden and an old bowling green.
Exmoor is also blessed with many beautiful beaches, including Minehead, a wide sandy bay with rock pools, and plenty of cafés, and pubs overlooking the sea, Kilve Beach, famed for its geology and popular with fossil hunters, and Porlock Weir, a shingle beach backed by marshland, and a pretty harbour with a fascinating history.
All ground floor accommodation:
Boot room
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining table, and sitting room with wood burning stove
Bedroom with double bed
Bedroom with single bed
Bathroom with shower over bath, basin, and WC
Central heating, wood burning stove
Electric oven, ceramic hob, microwave, kettle, toaster, bean to cup coffee machine, fridge, dishwasher
WiFi
TV with Freeview, DVD player
Fuel and power
First basket of logs for the wood burner from November to February
Bed linen and towels
Hairdryer
Ample parking available
Garden with picnic bench
Stable with sheltered seating
Guests are welcome to explore fields surrounding the cottage
This property is not suitable for children under 5
Two well-behaved dogs welcome; a small charge applies
Sorry, no smoking
The water supply at the cottage is from a private reservoir
Distances are calculated “as the crow flies”, so actual driving, cycling, and walking distances may differ.
