Otterhead House - Accommodation
With snooze space for up to 10 people in 5 bedrooms plus room for 4 extra guests* at no additional charge, Otterhead House is set idyllically in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset; the backdrop is leafy woodland, the outlook is of gently tumbling hills and unspoilt countryside. Interiors are super stylish and there's no shortage of rustic charm with huge timbers, a big fireplace in the sitting room and quirky elm window sills. Outside there's a big terrace for laid back family lunches in the sun, a hot tub and barrel sauna, and a garden that slopes softly down to a babbling brook and has its own wild flower meadow.
Step inside to the big open-plan kitchen-dining room; the kitchen is a big oak framed extension that blends seamlessly with the older part of the house, floor to ceiling glass walls make it light and airy, big double doors open onto the garden. It's very well equipped and very stylish, with a Travertine floor, dark grey units beneath burnished brass worktops, and right in the middle an island with all the space you need for slicing and dicing.
Straight ahead is the dining area, with a colossal chunky table where you can all gather round and tuck into those scrumptious celebration dinners. Stairs rise from here, and what a staircase, hand made from enormous hunks of oak. Off to the right is the utility room with a loo to one end, a tall fridge-freezer, and big curved walls through to the boot room where there's a walk-in pantry. A stable door takes you out to the side of the house to the right, to the left it's back round to the kitchen.
Off to the left of the dining room is the living room, lovely and cosy with sofas to curl up on, a huge fireplace with a burly rustic lintel, and a wood-burner to keep you toasty on those colder days. There's a projector that gives a whopping 8ft x 4ft 'screen' - great for family movie nights. You'll be snug as bugs at Otterhead House even if it's freezing outside; besides the wood-burner there's underfloor heating throughout the ground floor. Beyond the living room is Bedroom 5, with an ensuite shower room and snooze space for 3 in zip and link beds (super king or twins) and a pull out single.
Upstairs, off to the left, a short corridor leads to the main bathroom, with a huge walk-in shower and a free-standing bath; the floor is slate, the walls are mosaic tiles, the effect is fantastic, what a bathroom! At the end of the corridor is Bedroom 1 where massive timbers soar to the pitch of the roof, full height glass walls on two sides give a breath taking outlook over the valley. There's room for 3 to sleep in zip and link beds and an optional extra guest bed (charged), and there's an ensuite shower room with marble floor and walls.
Along the landing is Bedroom 2 with a 4ft 6" double bed, and Bedrooms 3 and 4; these both have zip and link beds and an optional extra guest bed (charged), so snooze space for 3 in each room. A lovely touch in Bedroom 4 is the oak A-frames, salvaged from an old chicken shed that was left forlorn in the woods before being given a new lease of life at Otterhead House; we like that; a little backstory here and there adds to the character.
Outside at the front of the house there's a big terrace with garden furniture and a charcoal barbecue. Being south facing this is a wonderful spot for alfresco dining; get the sausages sizzling while the kids have a run about on the lawn, go and tiptoe through the wild flower meadow, roll up your trousers and have a paddle in the stream that trips happily along at the bottom of the garden. And the icing on the cake, on the upper terrace there's a barrel sauna and a hot tub; sit back, close your eyes and just enjoy being here with the peace and quiet and fresh country air. It's what family holidays in the country are all about. Check availability and book your stay today.
NB: The extra guest beds at Otterhead House are perfectly suited to children, making 4 of the bedrooms great for families.