garden

The back of the property forms a three sided courtyard, creating a completely private oasis in the middle of a village setting, with views up onto the bracken covered hills behind. Though please remember that whilst it is very private, we do have neighbours!

There is a long flight of stairs leading from the lower patio area up to The Upper Malt House, and when the Four Poster Bedroom is closed off  at night when its ocupants have gone to bed, this is the main access for The Upper Malt House.

The Gazebo Style Porch has plenty of coat hanging and boot storage space for walkers – and also provides hanging space for towels and swimming costumes for the hot-tub, and is situated between the al-fresco seating area and the inner porch and the kitchen.

The entrance to The General Stores is to the left off New Street, into the gravelled off-street parking area, which has parking for 10-11 cars (depending on guests’ parking ability!).

Access to the garden and main house is via a further set of wooden gates, through the stone BBQ area and down into the courtyard. The entrance to the house is via the wooden doors on the left.  the courtyard garden is very private, though please be reminded that we are in a village location and don’t be tempted to crank up the music in the garden.  It isn’t fair on our neighbours!

There is an enclosed rockery garden providing the outlook from the dining room. There is a small herb garden (newly planted) to the left of this, from which guests can pick fresh herbs for cooking. The yew tree provides shaded seating for those who do not like sun, with great views up to the hills behind, and the tiers of the rockery provide a divide between the upper garden where children can play, and the lower seating and eating garden.  We also have strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, redcurrants and green beans dotted around amongst the other flower beds.  You are very welcome to pick what is ripe when you are staying but please leave some for us too!

The upper garden has a rough lawn and is surrounded by shrubs, and has an extensive activity play area with ladder and platform, commando net, rope ladders, climbing knotty ropes, recycled tyre horse swing, monkey handles, swing, hammock seat swing and under 3 year old safety seat.

The built-in BBQ is in the area against the south facing wall of the malt house, which gets the sun from first thing in the morning until it disappears behind the hill in the early evening. There is built in stone seating in this area, and the bee skep indentations provide perfect alcoves for night-time candle-light.  Motorbikes can be brought through beyond the second pair of gates, and mountain bikes can also be locked here overnight.

Level top lawn with kissing seat and table with four chairs, getting evening sunshine

Sand pit, swing, rope ladder and rings in shade of Yew Tree

Railway sleeper and old brick low steps down to lower garden

Stone steps around hot tub and down from BBQ area

Small herb garden through gate in wall opening beyond hot tub

Al Fresco Seating:
There is seating & a table in the courtyard garden, which gets the sun most of the day in summer. There is also seating in the built-in BBQ area, which has a south facing wall, under the very rare ‘bee skep indentations’ in the old Malt House Wall. There is also seating in the top garden, which catches the early evening sun, until it sets over the malt-house. Please feel free to water the plants in tubs whilst you are staying, summer or winter!

The two storey malt house forms the divide between the garden and the off-street parking. The end wall of the malt house is south facing and gets the sun all day. It has rare ‘bee skep indentations’, historically used for keeping bee-hives warm at night, and a small, circular ‘owl window’ traditionally left unglazed for controlling the mouse population inboth sheep fleeces and hops stored in the upper level when it was a malt house.

Mitcheldean seems to be party to all extremes of weather conditions – having had plenty of falls of snow since we have owned the house,.  We have been snowed in almost annually, providing dramatic views up onto the white hills.

Dogs Welcome:
Dogs are allowed, though not upstairs, & definitely not on furniture. Any fouling or damage to furniture will be charged for and deducted from the security deposit. Please also do not leave any dog mess in the garden – please bag it up and then put into black bin bags.

The quickest & nearest places to exercise dogs are – out of the parking area, & up the lane in a loop repeatedly turning left, along the path round the primary school. There is a public right of way at the top of New St, at the back of the house, leading straight up onto the hill with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Also, if you turn right out of the car-park and cross the road, go through the church yard and turn left, then right, there is a path leading to the swings and playing field, and a woodland hill-top walk, with a right hand turn through beautiful woodland and back into the village.