Have you seen the film, Misery? The main character in the film, Paul Sheldon, is an author that enjoys the solitude of a log cabin to finish his books. Peace, quiet and nature. But be assured, his number one fan, Annie Wilkes, is not in residence.
Now I’m not suggesting that we were isolated, but at Arethusa Cottage (named after HMS Arethusa, a Crimean warship) peace, quiet and the sound of falling acorns (maybe hazelnuts too) hitting various outdoor structures were the norm. Sightings of red squirrels and an abundance of birds were viewable from the decking area as well as the lodge itself. Bats may also be seen as dusk greets the day’s end.
We were greeted warmly on arrival by Sue, and Paul a little later, who promptly showed us around our lodge for the week. Clean, comfortable and presented well, this holiday let had everything we needed for our stay…and then some. The garden area is great. Well-manicured lawns overlooked by trees and shrubs invite you to explore further. At the bottom of the garden, there is another area, quite magical at night, that may contain fairies. Or even faeries. Let your imagination decide.
And then, there is the swimming pool. A heated, indoor, swimming pool. I’m not the fittest of people (my jogging days are now a fading memory) but gentle exercise of this nature is a welcome start to the day. That is, when the smell of bacon cooking didn’t discourage me. Shared by only one other lodge, pool time can be enjoyed pretty much whenever you feel like it.
Later in the week, we had the pleasure of meeting Gracie. Gracie likes to bound around and sniff things. Of course, Gracie is the family dog. I believe she is from Romania but I might have misheard the country of origin.
Okay. So what did we take away from this experience? The owners are genuinely warm, welcoming people who could not have been more friendly. The lodge fitted our needs entirely without compromise. The location is down a private lane with no through traffic so there was plenty of quiet time, perfect for sitting outside, closing your eyes and listening to the local wildlife chirping, chattering and squabbling over food and territory. If we come back to the island in the future, without hesitation, we will be booking the same place again.
We enjoyed our stay here.