We arrived home last Friday from a week's holiday on the Isle of Wight. We haven't had a holiday there for a few years but this was our tenth visit (it's our favourite holiday destination!) so it was good to be back.
I won't dwell too much on the journey but it took much longer than expected due to the closure of a large section of the M40!
Departing on the Wightlink Ferry from Lymington - finally, on our way!
We were staying on the outskirts of the village of Niton in a thatched cottage, dating back to the 1600's. I wouldn't normally post so many photos of our accommodation but the cottage itself was just charming and full of period features (as B and D will testify suffering from rather a few banged heads from low doorways!). The cottage garden was a total delight full of perennials and annuals which attracted a great many bees and butterflies.
The car parking area was at the rear of the cottage (even that area was full of flowers - Valerian, Alliums and Thrift and in a few weeks it will look even more lovely when the lavender and nasturtiums are flowering).
First view of the cottage.
I took a few photos of the garden during the week - unfortunately they do not do it justice. It was much larger than it appears with pathways and archways leading to benches.
Those lovely Planters again - when I see one of these in a Nursery I am going to buy one!
Front view of the Cottage.
There was a folder in the cottage full of photos of the restoration/renovation of the cottage which took place about 20 years ago. A great many of the original features of the 17th century cottage were revealed and restored including hidden windows and inglenook fireplaces.
This is the Sitting Room.
The oar above the fireplace in the Dining Room was found in the roof when the cottage was re-thatched. (Excuse the pile of bags and books on the little settle by the fireplace - I was in the middle of packing stuff to take home when I took the picture).
The cottage even has it's own tiny stained glass window :)
The bedrooms were lovely too especially the Lavender bedroom - unfortunately I never got round to taking many photos but the single Yellow Bedroom had a panel showing some of the original cottage walls
and there was light you could switch on that illuminated part of the inside of the thatch through the bedroom window.
The cottage was very cosy and homely and well equipped and we will definitely be returning. It's probably one of the best cottages we have stayed in. By the way I am not receiving a discount from the holiday cottage company for my rave review :)
Day Two will include an encounter with a very special mammal, a visit to a chocolate box village including a cream tea I refused to miss and a trip to Brading Down.
A very beautiful cottage indeed Caroline, it must have been wonderful spending a whole week there :-)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Part Two :-)
I know you always love seeing my photos from the I.O.W. and that cottage is so pretty as are the gardens. Make sure you go to Brading Marsh adn Laundry Lane for bird watching. Look forward to seeing more on Day 2.
ReplyDeleteIsle of Wight?? surely not......
ReplyDeletehope you got a mammal photo!!
David Turner - Thanks very much David :) A lovely cottage to stay in :) Godshill Church (though a fleeting visit) will be in the next post.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Adamson - Thanks so much Margaret - yes your IofW posts always bring back happy memories. Didn't manage Brading Marsh this time but we did visit once in the past.
Pete Duxon - lol :) Pete. Thought we'd return again this year (for a change!!!!). Have found a thatched cottage I want to retire to!! Not the one we stayed in but in another Village. Sadly, its come on the market a year too early :(
Yes photo indeed of the mammal!!! :) Though not by me - the Bridge Camera D was wielding came in handy!! :)
It's so lovely, the garden and all the little details inside the cottage, my family would have sore heads too, average hight 6 foot 3...
ReplyDeleteAmanda xx
Amanda Peters - Thanks Amanda - so much thought had gone into furnishing the cottage - as you say the little details. B and D around 6 foot - luckily the beams weren't too low!! I didn't have to even dip my head (I'm only 5 foot 2 inches!!) but I did have to remember there were steps up and down absolutely everywhere!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cottage and what a delightful garden. Sounds like you had a lovely time and we are only on Day One! Did someone mention cream tea? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI've only been to the IoW once, for primary school camp. I have memories of hot sunny days every day. I sometimes wonder if we ever had bad summers during my childhood and teens - it always seemed like lazy summer's days back then! Guess it's selective memories. :-)
Millymollymandy - Thanks so much. Yes, it was a great week (I'll post a photo of the cream tea!!).
ReplyDeleteI have the same memories as you of long hot summers when I was little and the school holidays seemed never-ending (in those days too as children we had far more freedom to wander). Apart from our last IofW holiday about 4 years ago we have always had brilliant weather there. I think rainfall there is low and sunshine hours high! Although have to say it got far too hot for me last week!
It is so long since I was last in IOW that I can't recall much of what I saw, but I don't remember such prettiness as you had.
ReplyDeleteToffeeapple - Thanks so much for the comment. Its very beautiful there especially West Wight which is less commercialised and more rural. I'd happily move there tomorrow - it just seems to have stood still in time and is so unspoilt :)
ReplyDeleteSo very interested to come across this holiday item while searching photos about Niton. The thatched cottage you stayed in was the home of my great-grandparents George and Catherine (Kitty) Creeth in the early 1900's and the wedding photo we have of their daughter's wedding in October 1910 was taken in the rear garden of the cottage. Their daughter, Alice Mary Creeth, married Robert William Thomas Forster on 10 October 1910 and emigrated from Britain to New Zealand the following year. Their son, Frank Cameron Forster was born in Hamilton, NZ, in 1913 and he was my father. Thank you for sharing the lovely photos of the cottage and of your rambles. I also live in Hamilton, NZ and I am on Facebook if you should wish to find me there. I have recently posted the wedding photo and two modern photos of the cottage there.
ReplyDeleteKaye Forster-Hill - Thank you so very much for your very interesting comment - I am so pleased to hear from you and read about your great-grandparents and their links to the cottage.
ReplyDeleteWe wanted to stay there again last year - it really is very beautiful and the garden delightful and Niton is a lovely village. Unfortunately there was already a booking for the week we wanted to go. We are, however, returning later this year and I will try and get more pictures of the cottage for you.
I am not on Facebook (I use twitter instead!) but my husband is so later I will ask him to search for you to I can read more and see the photos.
Thank you again and I am so glad you got in touch.
Best wishes
Caroline
Kaye Forster-Hill - a bit more information for you! The lady who owns the cottage obviously loves it very much. It was the home of her parents who fell in love with it and bought it without even seeing it! There is a bit of history about the cottage so I will see if I can find a mention of George and Katherine Creeth.
ReplyDeleteNiton Church which is more or less opposite the cottage is interesting and if you look at later posts of the holiday there is more information and photos. I wonder if your great grand-parents are buried there?