Shropshire Hills Cosy Riverbank Retreat

Our lodge lies in a sheltered spot above the bank of the Darnford Brook as it gently meanders along the Shropshire Way. The private garden connects with the footpath leading straight up onto the Long Mynd where you can explore the 5000 acre National Trust AONB, including the Jack Mytton Way and Offas Dyke. Alternatively, follow the byway as it makes its way towards the Stiperstones. The well maintained paths, bridleways and mountain bike trails offer fabulous opportunities for exploring. The space ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Important House Rules & Details ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * We welcome guests with 5 OR MORE positive reviews. If this is not the case, please make an enquiry before making a formal booking request as we may respectfully decline your request based on a lack of feedback. * The lodge is strictly for use by NON-SMOKERS ONLY (including vaping and e-cigarettes) * The lodge is suitable for children aged 8 YEARS OLD AND OVER only * Pets are NOT allowed * We are unable to offer charging facilities for electric vehicles but there are two separate charging stations 5 miles away from our location. * The 2 bedrooms can sleep 4 people. * The beds can be made up as 4 single beds, 2 superkings or a combination of superking and single beds. * Additional charges apply if 2 guests only book and/or wish to use the second bedroom for sleeping or storage (please see the bottom of the listing for details) * We offer a DISCOUNT for bookings of 7 NIGHTS or more ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Details About the Lodge ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Driving down the No Through Road next to St Margaret’s Church, Ratlinghope, your first sight of Darnford Lodge will be from the well lit, private car parking area for two cars, which looks out over the Darnford Brook and Rookery Wood. Sweeping down the fully lit steps to the plateau below, you will step up onto the veranda, through the French doors and into your home away from home for the duration of your stay. ~~~~~~~~~ Living Area ~~~~~~~~~ As you enter the lodge from the veranda, you will find ample space to store coats and footwear immediately inside the doors on your left. The painted walls and vaulted, natural wood ceiling of the living room give the feeling of space and light from where you can gaze out of the double aspect room into the garden and woodland above and below the plateau. The central heating is quick and efficient but nothing is as cosy as lighting the wood burner which is ready to light whatever the season. The two large sofas provide a comfortable place to sit and relax and enjoy a chat, a good book, games or entertainment on the TV via the Sky box or the DVD player. The dining table provides plenty of room for four people but can also operate as a workstation area as it is well lit by the five-armed chandeliers above. It has a double plug socket with USB points on the wall behind it and is near to the WiFi router. ~~~~~~~ Kitchen ~~~~~~~ Passing through the living area, you enter the kitchen which is well equipped with an electric ceramic hob, electric fan oven, microwave, kettle, cafétière, toaster, large fridge freezer and dishwasher. There is plenty of cutlery, crockery and glassware and a broad range of cooking pans and utensils. ~~~~~~~~ Bedrooms ~~~~~~~~ Each bedroom has two single beds which can be connected and converted into a super king. There is ample clothing storage with hangers and a seated vanity area with adjustable lighting and a hairdryer. USB points can be found next to the headboards of each bed and in the vanity area. ~~~~~~~~ Bathroom ~~~~~~~~ The bathroom is well equipped with fixed overhead and hand-held shower head options, an LED mirror with inbuilt shaving socket and a large, heated towel rail. The mirrored bathroom cabinet and other shelving areas offer ample storage opportunities. ~~~~~~~~ Outdoors ~~~~~~~~ The French doors in the living room open out onto the partially canopied veranda with its wooden dining table and bench seats, providing an ideal area for outdoor living in all seasons. The veranda and the surrounding garden offer the opportunity to relax and surround yourself with the sights and sounds of the local plants and wildlife that inhabit this emerging environment. The sympathetically curved wooden furniture and charcoal barbecue provide the perfect end to a day’s exploring whilst waiting for the stars to come out in this “dark skies” area. To the rear of the lodge is a shed where you can store items. An outdoor carousel clothes airer occupies a sunny spot next to the shed and hooks under the veranda canopy offer places for drying off the worst of the water resulting from the day’s adventures. Our whole property is managed sympathetically to support wildlife. Carefully cut paths guide you around your own private section of our garden and there are seats which provide quiet places for you to enjoy your surroundings. A bridge over the brook leads you to the Shropshire Way footpath where it's a 10 minute amble downstream to the pub or an uphill meander towards the Long Mynd or the Stiperstones. ~~~~~~ Guest access There is a private parking area on level ground for two cars. The lodge is accessed from the car park by wide shallow steps to the plateau below. There are two entrances to the building. The main entrance is via two wide steps up onto the veranda and in through the French doors to the living room. The kitchen entrance is around the side of the building facing the brook and consists of two steps up onto a platform leading into the kitchen with the bedrooms straight ahead. The car park, steps and immediate areas surrounding the lodge are covered with small granite chip to allow all year round access. A grass path leads down to the wildlife garden area and a wooden bridge crosses the Darnford Brook to give immediate, private access to the Shropshire Way footpath. We like to welcome our guests as they arrive but the key to the lodge is kept in the lockbox allowing you an instant check-in if preferred. ~~~~~~ Other things to note We live at the foot of the western face of the Long Mynd. Please note that driving around the Shropshire Hills may involve driving along single track roads with passing places, sometimes next to steep slopes. Our lodge is accessed either by using the single tracks over the Long Mynd or via the wider, flatter routes around its base. We live in a poor mobile signal area and Vodafone in particular is adversely affected so we advise activating WiFi calling on your mobile. Our WiFi is fed via an aerial linking to nearby masts as opposed to broadband due to living in a rural location. It is normally good enough for remote working or downloading movies. However, it can be affected by atmospheric conditions so if you like to watch movies online, it might be an idea to download them at home. We have Sky TV and a DVD player as alternatives. We do not have the facility to charge electric vehicles. However, the nearest charging points are in Church Stretton, which is 5 miles away. We provide essentials such as bed sheets, soap and toilet paper but we kindly ask guests to bring their own bath towels to protect our off-grid biodigester system from the harmful effects of excessive use of laundry detergent and high water temperatures. It is for this reason that we endeavour to keep our laundry cycles to a minimum and we greatly appreciate our guests' understanding. Please note that hand towels, tea towels and cleaning cloths are provided. We kindly ask our guests to observe the following: * To respect our neighbours and not play loud music in or around the lodge. Quiet hours are from 10pm – 7am. * To remove external footwear before entering the lodge as the floor is wooden beneath the floor coverings. Rubber backed mats and a tray beneath the coat rack have been provided inside for wet walking boots. Dirty/wet footwear can be left in the shed to the rear of the building if required. * To not use candles, floating sky lanterns, fireworks or other flammable items inside or outside the lodge during your stay. The lodge is a wooden building situated next to farm buildings and animals and is very close to the moorland of the Long Mynd, which is vulnerable to in controlled fires. A long-handled lighter has been provided to light the log burner and the barbecue. * To keep to the designated paths in the private garden area and respect the animals and wildlife by not attempting to touch or feed them. The garden is a dedicated wildlife conservation area and has horses and sheep actively grazing the grassland areas around the lodge throughout the year. * To not use chemicals or apply hair dyes during the visit and not flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet as our biodigester sewage system is a carefully balanced bio system. We have provided suitable sanitary bins, hand soaps, washing up liquid and laundry liquid for your use. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Additional Charges ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ £30 = Single charge only per booking for 2 guests sleeping in separate bedrooms (to cover laundry and cleaning costs) £20 = Single charge only per booking for 2 guests sharing 1st bedroom and using 2nd bedroom for storage (to cover cleaning costs) These additional charges will be identified before the booking is confirmed and subsequently charged using the "Change Reservation Request" after the initial booking.