> SlowTrav > UK > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Heart of England

Review 278: Blakes Holiday Cottages, Ivy House

www.blakes-cottages.co.uk

Recommended. Review by Beverley and Noel from New Zealand

Village house in village of Butterton, near Leek in Peaks District, Heart of England

When

September 2001, 1 week

Review

Ivy House is in the picturesque little village of Butterton, near Leek, in the Peak District. The village consists of a church, pub, village store and post office and butcher shop. It is a detached stone house, covered with ivy, of course, and has a spacious back garden with a lovely outlook. Kitchen and dining are combined and there is a separate living room and conservatory opening to the garden. The two roomy bedrooms are upstairs. All the rooms are well furnished and comfortable and the kitchen is very well equipped. One small inconvenience, but definitely one we could live with, was the downstairs bathroom. There was central heating and an open fireplace. We bought fresh supplies daily from the general store and butcher, a few minutes away, and ate in most nights. The local pub served good hearty fare on the others. Our landlord was the proprietor of the Mermaid Inn in the High Peak, about 20 minutes away, where we lunched with English friends and enjoyed a complementary bottle of excellent New Zealand wine. (We found this offer on a menu in the cottage.)

Apart from one wet morning, the weather was perfect and we enjoyed many drives and a wonderful walk through country lanes to Whetton Mill where we had tea and Eccles cakes before taking the long loop back.

One of England's most beautiful stately homes, Chatsworth House is nearby and this is the place to be if you are interested in fine china. The surrounding countryside is very beautiful.

We liked the fact that we were the only rental house in the village which made it really easy to feel part of village life. The locals were friendly. We were invited to the local Harvest Festival dinner at the village hall and the butcher shop opened specially for us as we didn't know that Monday was closed for "slaughtering day". Would definitely recommend. Very reasonably priced.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

Return to Reviews List

Car Rental	Hotel Booking	Flight Booking	Train Tickets	Books, Maps, Events
Europe Cell Phones	Long Distance Cards	Luggage, etc.	Travel Insurance	Classifieds

* Advertise on Slow Travel | Post your travel questions on the Slow Travel Forums

Review 278: Blakes Holiday Cottages, Ivy House

When

Review

Vacation Rentals

Reviews

Listings

Other Listings