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Kestle Cottage

Sleeps 4 in 2 bedrooms (+ cot)

Heading through the garden from the wooded car parking area takes you down to the pretty little cottage. Opening the door into the generous hallway you are greeted with the comfort of a stylish holiday home. Beyond is the open plan living, dining and kitchen area, complete with window seat, natural light and a wood burner. Here a décor of soft grey tones, natural wood and beamed ceilings make the perfect place for socialising and relaxing on your holiday. There are sofas and armchairs for four, as well as a dining table and stylish modern kitchen. Upstairs you’ll find a spacious master bedroom with a king sized bed, and next to it a twin room with bunk beds. Both bedrooms have views over the farmstead and countryside, looking across the garden of the main farmhouse. Also upstairs is a family bathroom. There is a second WC downstairs, off the reception hallway. The central heating and hot water at Kestle Cottage are supplied by a biomass boiler, fuelled by locally-sourced wood pellets, making it very eco-friendly as well as cosy.

The Garden

The garden is tranquil, and is mostly laid to lawn. A natural woven fence along one boundary, and trees and shrubs on the other ensure it’s very sheltered — and it catches the sun for most of the day, making a great place to relax or to have a barbecue. If you fancy sitting somewhere else for your morning coffee you can always pop over to the gallery where there is a beautiful garden as well as changing displays. The whole of Kestle Barton has been lovingly restored, and the superb architectural quality has been acknowledged with several awards including the Conservation Category in the RIBA South West Town and Country Design Awards 2011, and the Green Apple Award 2011 for The Built Environment and Architectural Heritage. Because Kestle Cottage is in situated in a wing of a larger building, the living area and bedroom windows overlook the pretty front garden of adjoining Kestle Barton Farmhouse. In turn, two of the farmhouse’s windows look over the cottage’s garden.

The wow factor

We think this cottage has a really nice feel about it. The building’s story can be seen in beams and exposed timbers, and in the Cornish slate roof-lines. It’s a continuing story, as the renovation had been carried out with great care and imagination, leading to a thoughtful blending of very old and very new that works brilliantly. Kestle Barton itself is a hidden gem full of little surprises. The art gallery (it’s free but note that it’s seasonal) has fascinating exhibitions from acclaimed artists, and the garden, wildflower meadows, orchards and ponds are there for all visitors and guests to enjoy. The farm itself continues its ancient role with beef cattle and a new walnut nuttery, and is managed in a benign, organic system to allow the rich and varied wildlife to thrive. The surrounding area is one of Cornwall’s most tucked-away secrets, with its sheltered woods and ancient pathways meandering down to secret creeks. Scenic, wooded footpaths beckon in both directions from Kestle Barton. In one direction is Frenchman’s Creek (made famous by Daphne du Maurier) — and in the other direction the village of Helford, with its unforgettably ancient pub and foot ferry to the other side of the river. The superb sailing waters of the Helford — as well as wooded valleys and creeks, charming fishing villages, lovely National Trust cliff-tops, pristine beaches and sweeping heathland — are all to be found within a fifteen minute drive.

Facilities

Sleeping