Mulsford Cottage

The property was clean and well maintained. The cottage is out of the way but only 6 miles from town. The owner was lovely.

A very comfortable and well appointed Shepherd's Hut situated in the corner of a field a few yards for a sizable gravel parking area in front of the main house. The hut is shielded by a hedge and faces away from the house overlooking fields. There is a fenced off area in front of the hut with table and chairs, ideal for sitting out on a nice day. It feels nice and secluded. The hut itself is fairly small, as you would expect, but with double bed, plenty of electrical sockets (including integrated USB ports so no need to bring a charger), 2 comfy chairs, a kitchen area with kettle, microwave, plenty of cutlery, a decent sharp knife, and I think I spied a George Foreman grill in a cupboard. The shower is a good size, with decent water pressure (albeit not a power shower) and plenty of hot water, although I don't have long showers. Washing up liquid, soap, shower gel and shampoo were provided, along with a decent stock of tea bags and coffee, although not enough tea to feed my habit so you may be advised to bring extra if you like 3 cups a day. Milk was provided (local dairy in a glass bottle). Having been contacted by the owner before arrival, it was a particularly nice touch to have skimmed milk. The hut was open and unlocked when I arrived with the key having inside, but the very friendly host did come out to great me. I spotted a keysafe just outside the hut.

Not so much "what I didn't like" as this section asks me to report, but things to be aware of. The sink in the bathroom is very small, and overhung by a shelf. If you are a wet shaver like me, a face flannel is useful due to the ergonomics. The shelf itself slopes forward a bit, and I found a full cup of tea or water on top of it tended to slide forward - there is a very handy shelf just above to toilet you can use instead. If you are a dry shaver or have an electric toothbrush to charge, I didn't spot a shaving socket, so an adaptor plug would be handy (I didn't burrow in every cupboard so there may be one hidden away) As expected with a Shepard's hut, there is not a lot of spare space and no cupboards for clothes, so perhaps not the place for posh frocks and DJs, as its easiest to keep stuff in your case. That said, there is a gap at the bottom of the bed that was the perfect width for my reasonably large suitcase, so I wasn't tripping over it. It was on the pricey side for what it was, but I was staying over the period of the National Eisteddfod, when all local accommodation seems to have gone up in price, so although I can't say the price I paid was good value for money, it was the cheapest I could find. I'd look at what others say for value for money, as I suspect my experience was out of the ordinary.

No breakfast in the deal which is what was expected.

A dream country cottage, beautiful to look at, plenty of space. Comfortable beds. Welcome by proprietor’s representative.

Smell of ‘dog’ particularly in the living room area. I have friends who have a dog & their house doesn’t smell. Connecting interior door to proprietor living area which couldn’t be locked (I’m glad I wasn’t alone). None working fridge on a 35°C hot day (although proprietor said we could use a fridge in an outhouse it was exactly convenient)