A delightful rural cottage in the Shropshire hills

Welcome to No. 16. Come into the cottage through the porch. It's somewhere you can put wet coats and leave muddy boots, then go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. You'll find all you need for your stay, including teas, coffee, bread, butter, jam and cereals. There's a Calor gas range cooker, a microwave, pots, pans, cutlery, wooden spoons and the like. You should find everything you need to cook a meal. If you need something particular, please ask. The space This is a restored mining cottage in the south Shropshire hills. We’re are in the lee of the Stiperstones so the cottage is shady and (mercifully, this year!) cool. It’s a cottage so don’t expect huge windows and vaulted ceilings. There are some great oak floorboards and a few beams, though! You'll come into the kitchen, where you can cook and eat meals. The kitchen is in 2 parts, you go up a little step and you'll find the kettle, toaster, sink and all manner of fancy teas... The living room is next door. There's an excellent woodburner which lights really easily and you'll find a basket of logs, newspaper & kindling. We charge £5 a basket for more logs, or you can get some from the local garage. Upstairs is the bathroom & 2 bedrooms, one double and one with 2 singles. There's loads to explore around the area. We are trying to work towards being as green as possible, and trying to cut back on single use plastic, but we're not there yet. The milk comes in glass bottles from a local dairy, it's organic and not homogenised, so shake the bottle or use the top of the milk on your cereal. Please don't dispose of the bottle or the cap. We buy it at Hignett's in Pontesbury. If you do want more milk, take the empty bottle with you. The butter we provide is organic, too. Marmalade and jam are home made ( the jam is usually made with fruit from the garden - but I've not been able to grow Seville oranges...) We will keep trying to improve on our carbon footprint! Guest access The whole house and garden is for you during your stay. Expect visitors, because our cats and chickens know no boundaries. And we tend to wander at will and peg washing out on the line in the garden. Our garden is unruly, please don’t expect manicured lawns and tidy borders. We also have “work in progress” at the bottom of the garden - and this year’s constant sunshine has meant a lot of scorched grass. There’s a wealth of wildlife though and you can find slow worms, lizards and newts around if you look. We also keep bees but don’t approach the hives. Other things to note Now for the more interesting stuff. We live half way up a hill in rural south Shropshire. It’s 35 minutes to Shrewsbury and about the same to Bishop’s Castle. Please don't expect a tidy garden and a manicured lawn. You'll be happier staying here if you are down to earth, have a pair of wellies and like animals. If you enjoy walking, reading, cycling and folk music you'll love it here. We have several fab local pubs but none within easy walking distance. At least, we’d prefer you didn’t try it in the dark! Talk to us and we will give you information, directions and possibly a lift home. Please note if you are bringing children. There is a pond in the garden so please supervise children outside. This is an old cottage and there will be spiders, and spiders webs. And, try as I might you may find cobwebs. Spiders have 8 legs. I have just 2. I rest my case. We’ve just installed a fab new shower and given the bathroom a makeover. Pets are welcome and we don’t charge extra but you must keep dogs on a lead in the garden (and on the Stiperstones ) and we don’t allow you to leave them in the cottage unsupervised. This is also true for children ☺️ We live in the lee of the Stiperstones and you’ll find the cottage is shaded by trees - which has been wonderful for this recent series of heatwaves. Also, if you want a view you need to go up the hill (or stand in the middle of the road!) And there’s NO television