Herefordshire Self Catering cottage, Hayloft, Lyonshall, sleeps 2

City boy falls in love with the starry nights
We arrived at the Hayloft with Storm Dennis looming over us. The Hayloft is what I would describe as "rustic chic". It is done to a very high standard, it wouldn't look out of place in modern city as a studio apartment. The finish is top notch and it was the perfect shelter from the stormy nights. There's a small kitchen that was perfectly adequate for a short stay. The Hayloft is warm and cosy, and feels very homely. Our hosts were lovely, and we were greeted with scrumptious home-made carrot cake. The nights were silent occasionally punctuated by some of the near by animals on the 50-acre farm. A welcome change from the mad dash of city life and the relentless noise of car engines. Due to the weather we were unable to explore the farm land. However, we made a habit of visiting the baby lambs and racing horses every day. There are two awesome farm dogs that roam around and super friendly. As well as chickens and pheasants! There is no shortage of things to do - there is a well put together welcome pack that has a plethora of things to do. For an excellent evening meal we would highly recommend The Cider Barn in Pembridge which is about a ten minutes away. For a fun day out we would recommend the Small Breeds Farm in Kington (also roughly ten minutes away) this turned out to be a great day out! My favourite bit was of course the stars! As a city boy I rarely have the opportunity to see the stars. Every night I fell asleep under the stars (there is a skylight directly over the bed). The sky at night was wonderful, with zero light pollution the stars were ridiculous bright. Sleeping under the stars like that feels like a rare privilege that few city dwellers have had the chance to experience. We had a few minor issues:- 1) The post code only takes you to the general area, the actual property is further on down the lane. This could be resolved by using What3Words or even sharing the latitude and longitude. 2) The door was pretty difficult to lock from the outside. 3) Due to the constant down pour the metal stairs were rather slippery. I was very lucky and managed to catch myself on the rail before having a very nasty fall. All in all, we are planning to visit again. Fingers crossed for slightly better weather next time! PS, thanks to "kate" for leaving your Netflix logged in on the TV :)
IndyBrum
2020-02-29

Cosy rural haven with lovely owners
We'd made this booking with pragmatism rather than any particular expectations in mind - simply intending to use the Hayloft as a base for attending a nearby wedding, and family visits. But we ended up being really glad that we'd built a couple of spare days into our schedule as we ended up not wanting to leave. The accommodation itself is quiet, clean and comfortable, with everything we needed for a short self-catering break. It was lovely being able to see the farm's horses and poultry at close quarters (and super that the Hayloft's welcoming groceries included some freshly-laid eggs from the latter). And we were so well looked after by the owners Glyn and Cei, who very kindly provided a lift to the wedding we were attending, as well as homemade cakes and preserves. Within easy driving distance we had great day trips to Hay-on-Wye (for its bookshops and cafes), and a wonderful stroll on Hergist Ridge (part of the Offa's Dyke trail) where we spotted wild horses grazing. Would definitely like to return.......
Caroline B
2018-08-18