New Forest Cottage - Holiday Rentals


Two views of the house from the garden

Our cottage in the New Forest is a wonderful place to come so that you can unwind and let the gentle murmur of the waterfall give you a complete rest. The gardens are arranged so that there is always somewhere to sit in the sunshine and smell the flowers. It is an idyllic spot where you can easily forget that you are only about an hour and a half from the centre of London. Our waterfall, two acres of garden, copse and meadow plus the ford and stream across Mill Lawn, make this place a great favourite with children and adults alike.

The 1840 detached cottage was extended significantly in 1955 by the owner's aunt, a Chelsea Gold Medallist to form a delightfully spacious and generous home. During 2003, the property has been fully restored, repainted, re-carpeted and the original parquet floor has been re-discovered. A new kitchen has been put in to complement the Aga and, generally, the house has been updated to make a comfortable family home. The spacious and elegant sittingroom, furnished in muted pinks & greens, has a lovely sunny bay window looking onto the garden as well as an open fire (fuel provided). There is a TV & video. Original paintings and books are plentiful. The bookcases have many books about the New Forest, gardening & other topics and the hall desk has many local information brochures and leaflets.


The sitting-room	& main bedroom

Upstairs the three bedrooms, (2 doubles & single) all have electric blankets for that extra cosiness and are delightfully furnished with period furniture. The large main bedroom, decorated in a cream & floral theme, has a separate dressing-room and a tiny balcony looking out over the stream. The large upstairs hall can be used as a second sitting or play area.

The Kitchen is brand-new and fully equipped with an Aga; microwave; dish-washer; washing machine and tumble dryer as well as our 'Welcome Pack' of basic items such as milk, tea, coffee and home-made or local produce such as chutney, jam, elderflower cordial or sloe gin. For the summer, there is an electric cooker as well as a barbeque.
The kitchen leads to a separate dining room.


The kitchen	& a view of the garden

Children are specially provided for with a high-chair, cot, baby gates (removable), a box of toys and a selection of children's books & videos. Outside there are great opportunities for playing with water and mud in the stream, in the ford and on Mill Lawn itself.

The Garden was designed in the 1950s with its special emphasis on rhododendrons and azaleas and roses. The spectacular Kiftsgate rose covers the old tree in a cascade of fragrant white flowers in midsummer. Paths and riverworks were built to take full advantage of the site, the little stream and the waterfall - so there are formal beds, a stream-side walk, and an old orchard with bulbs. Gates through the meadow and bluebell copse give private access to Mill Lawn and the forest. As with so much of England, just by getting away from the beaten track, an almost empty beauty spot can be found - and so it is here - meandering stream, wild ponies, soft grass and peace. You can be alone and walk for miles along the Mill Lawn Brook in perfect silence apart from the birdsong.


The apple-tree enveloped by Kiftsgate rose	view across the meadow

Things to do - the New Forest is a wonderful place for walking, cycling & horse-riding. There are several walks or rides which can be targeted to finish at a worthwhile pub in time for lunch. Burley has a specialist cycle shop which hires bikes, tandems & trailers. For riders, nearby Burley Villa has large stables and it also offers weekly livery.
There is fly-fishing on the famous Avon as well as coarse fishing on the lakes. Also on the lakes and more so on the coast are sailing & watersports. There are several golf courses in the area. The nearest safe sandy beaches are 15 minutes away.

Gardens to see - since Waterfall Cottage has a superb garden, it is important that any enthusiasts know that there are several great places to visit within a short distance. Exbury is the nearest - with the magnificent Rothschild collection of azaleas and rhododendrons. Near Romsey are Hilliers Arboretum (over 180 acres) and Mottisfont Abbey (the National Rose Collection). A little further afield are Cranborne Manor, Athelhampton and Stourhead - all sites of international renown.

Places to visit - Salisbury, Winchester and Portsmouth Dockyards are the main attractions but Brockenhurst, Lymington and Beaulieu (Motor Museum) are each worth the visit. Special attractions include the Owl & Otter Park, Forestry Commission events, Pony sales and the Forest itself. You can even take a trip to the Isle of Wight from Lymington.

For more detail on Things or do or Gardens & Places to visit -Click here

The New Forest has a wonderfully rich collection of animals, plants, birds, and insects. Surprisingly despite the name, very little of it is forested. Much of it is trimmed by the cows, deer and ponies to a 'lawn' - and you can get to one of these, Mill Lawn, through the gate at the bottom of our garden as shown here. The cows, ponies and deer wander freely around the common land that surrounds the property as well as up and down the lane outside the cottage. From time to time, they peer in through the dining-room window.


View onto Mill Lawn from the private gate	& Ponies on Mill Lawn Brook

Information Burley, the nearest village, is about a mile away. It has pubs, shops and all the essential services. Ringwood, about 4 miles away, is bigger and has supermarkets as well as an excellent information office and a weekly market. Free parking is available there too.

Food and Drink - as well as pubs, of which the nearest is a 10 minute walk, there are several excellent restaurants in the New Forest. The most famous is Chewton Glen, one of the "Hotels of the World". The AA Restaurant Guide lists some 10 places with 2 or more rosettes within 20 minutes of the Cottage; several of which we have tried & enjoyed. Visitors are invited to make their comments and recommendations in our visitors book.


Map showing Waterfall Cottage	One of the many rhododendrons & azaleas

Directions the simplest instructions are :- 'About 1 & ½ hours from London; take the M3, M27 and A31 for continuous motorway & dual-carriageway nearly to Ringwood. 8 miles past the end of the M27, take the left turn signposted for Burley & Services - go into Burley village and turn left down beside the Queen's Head into Chapel Lane - go on for about one mile then turn right into Mill Lane, approximately half a mile further, after 3 right-angle corners, is Waterfall Cottage - a cream cottage on your left.
If you reach the ford at Mill Lawn then you have gone a hundred yards too far.'

Trains- the train from Waterloo will take about 1 h 30 mins to Brockenhurst which is about 5 miles away. If it is arranged in advance we can pick you up from there.

On a personal note, we love Waterfall Cottage and really enjoy visiting and staying there ourselves, we hope you will too.

Bookings
Please call 0(044) 1722 334337 to arrange visits and to discuss rates and availability.

Terms- Payment is due in full 8 weeks before arrival. A deposit of 1/3 will secure the required period.
Cash payment is required if the booking occurs less than 14 days before arrival.
Cancellation - any payments will be refunded at our discretion provided that the period is re-let.

Additional Services- with sufficient notice a 'daily' maid service is available. Baby-sitting can be possible as well.
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Thankyou for being interested in our house - John and Naomi King. 1st December 2006