Wood cabin near North Devon & Cornwall border

The perfect retreat for couples looking to relax after exploring the heart of rural North Devon or walking the spectacular nearby trails of The South West Coast Path. Tucked away in the grounds of our home, this cosy off-grid cabin has views of our pond below and a stream that winds off into the woodlands. Enjoy a calm comfortable stay with simple BBQ dining and evenings spent gazing up at the stars. The space Birdsong is an off-grid timber built cabin. Its cedar shingle roof and waney board cladding give a rustic feel and provide a natural thermal barrier to create the cosy open plan space inside. Double doors open out onto a seated veranda and a grass area to the side fringed by trees provides a secluded space for outside BBQ cooking. Log seating around the fire pit will help keep you warm well into the evening. birdsongcabinatlewbarn If you are hankering to leave behind the interruption and distraction of modern day living, then this is the place to stay. Leave your gadgets and tech at home and turn your hand to cooking over a flame. If this is a new concept for you, book a couple of nights to find your feet. If you like to mix it up and dine out, book a little longer. Birdsong uses solar power to provide dimmable LED lighting and a small tank of hot water. We are currently exploring both wind and water power generation to help keep the batteries topped up over night. There is no Wi-Fi. Birdsong is connected to the mains water supply and to our home’s own sewage treatment system. The open plan design includes a kitchenette in one corner; a king size bed at the rear; a lounge area with log burner and sofa facing the lake view; and a dining bar with stools overlooking the woodland to the side. Hot water: Hot water is available from the kitchen tap and the shower. The bathroom sink has a supply of cold water ONLY. Bathroom: With a flushing toilet and an enclosed shower. The toilet uses the waste water from the small overtop hand basin. The hot water tank is small so swift showers are best. Liquid hand soap and toilet rolls are provided. Bed linen and towels: These are provided. To help cut back on energy usage we no longer tumble dry our laundry, so if you prefer a fluffy towel please remember to pack one. Curtains and blinds: These are blackout, but the sun will still peep through at the sides. Kitchenette: Includes crockery, cutlery, glass wear, cool box (freezer blocks and small bags of ice can be renewed daily on request), electric kettle during Summer months, stove top kettle for use on the inside log burner or cast iron gas burner ring located outside under the veranda, utensils for the BBQ and pots/pans for the gas burner. Tea towels, dishcloths, oven gloves, apron and washing up liquid are all provided. Tea, instant coffee, sugar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper and tin foil are also supplied. Cooking options: The outside BBQ plus an outside cast iron gas burner ring under the veranda. Please bring your own BBQ charcoal and firelighters. Heating: A welcome supply of logs and kindling is provided for the log burner. Further supplies can be purchased on request as well as wood for the fire pit. Please make sure you are a good fire lighter as the log burner is your only source of heating. Instructions for lighting will be left. In the colder months, if you provide an ETA we will light it in readiness for your arrival to give you a warm and cosy welcome. Location: Birdsong is a 10 minute walk from the little working village of Bradworthy and just a few miles from the Devon Cornwall border. The magnificent coastal scenery of Bude, Widemouth and Crackington Haven is a 24 minute drive away; the tors and wetlands of Dartmoor National Park is a 50 minute drive away; and Appledore and Instow on either side of the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet is a 30 minute drive away. Our ethos: Although not fully off grid or Eco by delivery, we have kept both these in mind when sourcing the build and fitting out the cabin. We chose a Devon based company that uses sustainably sourced UK timber and Eco-friendly products such as wood fibre insulation. All furniture is second hand and sourced within a 15 mile radius; crockery etc is charity shop bought plus spares from around our home; the kitchenette is part of our old kitchen; it is stocked with environmentally friendly home products; the BBQ is built from reused stone and slate found around the grounds; and a number of items such as the coffee table, dining bar and wall mounted coat hook have been made in our workshop using seconds from a Devon wood flooring company and left over steel from my husband's welding jobs. Items such as bathroom fixtures, doors and windows have been chosen with the warmth and comfort in mind expected from a holiday home stay. Birdsong has been a steep learning curve to create and remains an evolving project open to future improvements. Noise: When you fling open the doors and windows you will hear bird song and the gentle ripple of water. The cabin is nestled next to an old hedge bank with our hard working sheep farm neighbours on the other side. You will hear on occasion farm vehicles, which can sometimes operate in the early hours or late at night. Lambing during the months of February to March will also bring a blend of bleating to the birdsong. You will hear the movement of large tractors and trailers on the roads as you approach the village. Some come in for repairs and maintenance in the yard adjacent to Lew Barn. All noise will not be restricted to 9am-5pm Monday-Friday. Farm work is done when it needs to be done, weekends included. The inverter for the solar power is housed on an outside wall of the cabin and the batteries are stored in a cupboard inside the cabin. You might hear the soft whirring of the inverter’s cooling fan when it’s converting energy in times of demand. You may notice it more after a shower and perhaps on occasion in the night when it tops up the temperature of the water tank. We hope this all adds to the appeal of your stay in an off-grid cabin in the heart of North Devon’s farm country. But mostly we hope your stay is a peaceful one. Other things to note: Staying in the country means living with the wildlife. Birdsong Cabin and its immediate area is a home to not just our guests, but a home to bats, toads, frogs, newts, rabbits, voles and hedgehogs, to name a just few. You will not not have to share the cabin’s cosy inside space with them, but you may see and hear them come and go day and night. THINGS TO BRING: - Torch, essential to light your way from car to cabin especially if you arrive after dark - Wellies, the ground can be soft at times on your walk from car to cabin - BBQ charcoal and firelighters - Food suitable for cooking on the BBQ and outside gas burner ring and which can also be stored safely in a cool box - Warm layers so you can enjoy the outside space for longer - Marshmallows for toasting on the fire pit - Insect repellent in midge season - Car phone charger - Towels, only if you prefer a fluffy one from home (non tumble dried towels are provided). THINGS BEST LEFT AT HOME: All electrical items, such as laptops, hairdryers and straighteners, air cooler fans, smart speakers etc. The size of our solar power system provides you with LED lighting and a small tank of hot water ONLY. Both of these basic comforts cannot be guaranteed if the batteries are drained to charge/use electrical items. Guest access There is a short walk from car to cabin. You are welcome to use one of our wheelbarrows to help transport your belongings. The short walk will allow you to take in your surroundings and with less disturbance to nature you are more likely to see the heron, kingfisher or otter that are all visitors to our pond. We have also had nesting moorhens. Guests have private use of the space directly outside and around Birdsong Cabin including a BBQ and fire pit area. They are also welcome to enjoy a walk round the pond which is shared with guests staying in our holiday cottage. Other things to note We cannot accept bookings with infants and children due to the danger of water hazards and steep slopes in the barn's large grounds. We cannot accept bookings with dogs due to the cabin's close proximity to our sheep farming neighbours. Walking into the village is along a lane with no footpath and street lights. Care needs to be taken day or night. Hi-vis vests can be borrowed on request. Always take a torch. Paths around the lake and from car to cabin can be uneven. They will be slippery after rain and sometimes boggy. The lake is not fenced off and care should be taken with soft verges. Lifebuoys are sited around the lake. There is no EV charging point.