After an intensely difficult half term, and with the ever-looming threat of a “circuit breaker” lock-down, we decided to seize the moment and book a few days away to escape from reality.
It was quite doubtful for a while that we would actually get to go on our mini-break, but finally, thankfully, one rainy day in October, we packed our bags, loaded up the car and drove the short distance to Lincolnshire and Church Barn, our home for the next 4 days.
First impressions were just – wow! The outside of the cottage/barn was just as beautiful as the photos on the website had been. The cottage was part of a small group of properties, but you didn’t feel overlooked or crowded. It was blissfully peaceful and perfectly presented. There was a little outdoor seating area that would be nice for an al-fresco meal, but definitely not in British October weather.
The exterior of the property was beautiful, but the interior was immaculate! The downstairs living area was mainly open plan, with a sliding door leading to the master bedroom and bathroom.
Walking upstairs lead to the stunning mezzanine walkway (possibly one of my favourite features of the cottage, and then the second bedroom and an additional toilet. The whole cottage felt light and spacious and was beautifully decorated.
The focal point of the Living Area was the beautiful fireplace, with log burner and a good-sized TV. I adored all of the wood and stone features and we spent every evening cozied up in front of a roaring fire, watching one of our favourite films or TV shows.
I completely fell in love with the kitchen and if I could I would have packed it all up and taken it home with me. It had all the modern conveniences you could ask for (and some I didn’t even know existed!). There was a dishwasher, which was a real treat for me, and lots of unique storage solutions, with sliding drawers, cupboards and hidden bins. It was very compact but beautifully designed and I never wanted to leave.
The master bedroom was on the ground floor, separated from the main living area by some wooden sliding doors. (I’m a convert to sliding doors 0- I think every home should have them!) The focal point of the room was a magnificent stained glass window. I was very tempted to sleep with the curtains open as it was just too lovely to cover up.
The master bathroom was streamlined and modern (although I don’t seem to have any photos.) There was a large walk in shower. I’m more of a bath girl, so missed the opportunity to have a relaxing soak, but hey – you can’t have everything!
Upstairs was the second bedroom and en-suite toilet, where the girls made their home for our stay. They spent hours up on the mezzanine and in their bedroom, watching their tablets and reading books. Poppy especially loved that she could nip to the toilet in the night without having to leave her bedroom. Small pleasures, eh?
The owners were absolutely lovely, welcoming and generous. They would always stop to have a (socially-distanced chat) if they saw us outside the cottage and they went out of their way to make sure we had everything we could need.
They also provided us with an amazing welcome basket, filled with treats galore for both adults and children. There was even a bottle of wine! The cottage also came fully stocked with milk in the fridge, all the cleaning products you could need, complimentary toiletries in the bathroom and ample logs for the wood-burning fire. I was completely blown away by the treatment we received and couldn’t be more grateful.
Although the cottage felt quite isolated and is situated in a small village called Ropsley, we were only a 15 minute drive from the centre of Grantham which had plenty of shops and supermarkets (if you are that way inclined). We were also only 2 minutes walk from a very nice pub, The Green Man, which also offered a fantastic takeaway service which we used a number of times. I’ll do a separate review of their food as we ate there a lot and I have lots to talk about!
I would thoroughly recommended a visit to Church Barn. It had everything we could want for some time with the family, away from stress and worry. We’re definitely planning to make another trip back there as soon as we can.
