Latest news with #PottingShed
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Welly-up and cosplay as a farmer with these five UK countryside stays
A patchwork of green fields, rolling hills and ancient woodlands, the British countryside has been eulogised by poets, painters and playwrights for centuries. Almost 70% of the land is made up of working farms, where cattle are grazed, fields are ploughed and an assortment of animals are reared. Many of these estates now welcome guests, offering the chance to disconnect from urban living by enjoying locally sourced food and engaging with nature. Stays range from cosy coastal cabins to off-grid eco-glamping pods set in vast pastures. As spring springs into action, now's the time to visit. NORTH HAYNE FARM, DEVON Young guests can help farmers feed chickens, goats, ducks, alpacas and pigs in a purpose-built children's farm at this award-winning property in North Devon. Continuing the hands-on theme, kids can also ride or guide donkeys, handle rabbits and help bottle feed orphan lambs. Designed to fully immerse visitors in nature, other activities include bird box building, trails, mini-beasting and shelter building. Set on the outskirts of Exmoor National Park in a dark sky area, eight self-catering cottages come with hot tubs and use of a telescope for stargazing. Book it: Seven-night stays from £1,599 (four sharing). COWBRIDGE CABINS, PENLLYN ESTATE, VALE OF GLAMORGAN Enjoy true farm-to-fork dining with a menu of dishes using ingredients sourced just yards from the table. The Forage Kitchen restaurant serves a mixture of meats and veggies grown on 2,000 acres near Cowbridge. Its Sunday roast is so good, it featured in the Good Food Guide's Top 50 Sunday Roasts in Britain. Other local produce to try includes Snowdonia cheese, Potting Shed chutney and Barry Island Gin. After dining, wander around the farm to see 24,000 free-ranging chickens, rare-breed pigs and livestock reared on pastures packed with wild herbs and flowers. Stay in a choice of six cabins or recently added hobbit pods and participate in tractor trailer rides and storytelling sessions. THE STAR BARN, NORTHUMBERLAND Located in the National Park's Ingram Valley in an area with zero light pollution, the Star Barn promises a dazzling night to remember. Guests can rent a telescope and stargazing kit (including star charts, planisphere, binoculars, red astronomy torches, spare blankets, hats and gloves, tripod, picnic chairs and marshmallows), while a sky window above the bed makes it possible to sleep snuggly beneath constellations. Hills and moorland surround the working farm. Visitors can enjoy gentle walks to a nearby 60ft waterfall and wild swimming in the River Breamish. Guided off-road farm safaris around the estate provide an insight into the area's history and conservation efforts, including reintroduction of wild deer and cattle that roamed the valley thousands of years ago. Book it: A four-night stay starts from £538. HEDGEROW LUXURY GLAMPING, LANCASHIRE This eco-conscious retreat operates completely off-grid with discreet renewable energy solutions including wind turbines, solar panels, private bore hole filtration and air source heat pumps. Electric vehicle charging ports and rainwater collection systems further reduce environmental impact, while upcycled furniture and zero single-use items demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. The grounds feature highland cows, alpacas, rare breed sheep and abundant wildlife, with a paddock area perfect for morning yoga. Stay in luxury pods with rolltop baths or rainforest showers and private hot tubs. A communal firepit cabin provides space for evening gatherings. DOWN ON THE FARM, ABERDEENSHIRE Get a taste of authentic farm life while enjoying plenty of wild wonders at this great-value property overlooking the Scottish coast. Guests can participate in seasonal activities including lambing tours (April-May) with bottle-feeding opportunities, sheep shearing tours (from May), and trailer tours (May-September) that explore fields, coastal cliffs and the foreshore. There's also a chance to spot dolphins in the nearby Moray Firth on strolls along the glorious nearby beaches. A choice of well-priced accommodation includes wooden glamping pods, converted farm workers' huts, a vintage rail carriage and a cosy cottage. Book it: Self-catering stays at the Hideaway start from £20pppn (four sharing).
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Transform your home with paint, a curvy bathtub and a sunshine sofa
Some years ago, a friend and I were the last to leave a night out on the town. She wasn't keen to swap the high stools we'd fought so hard to claim for a seat in our chariot home — until we'd exchanged precise details of our fantasy jobs. Aptly named, the Alchemist emulsion range conjured up that memory in all its technicolour glory this week. Because my parallel-universe occupation was dreaming up titles for paint colours. (Isn't everyone's?) The creatives at the Irish company must have had so much fun christening each shade on its luscious palette. Alchemist 'Deck Chair' Mood Emulsion. Sun-seekers, look no further than Deck Chair, Al Fresco, Beach House and Sea Spray. Gourmands will find Biscuit and Blackberry difficult to resist and Amethyst will surely appeal to sybarites. Alchemist Mood emulsion in Exhale. My particular favourites are Blank Canvas (genius, isn't it?), Blueprint and, wait for it, Exhale. Paint can be polarising, of course. The sultry shade Potting Shed propelled the Carlow-based company's founder and MD, Alchemist creator Kate Gaynor, to paint her house black. Kate Gaynor, Alchemist founder. She expected it to turn heads. But she didn't anticipate the flood of opinions that followed. Kate, who has over 55,000 followers on social media, shared her home transformation online. 'The reaction to this deep, enigmatic black with subtle green undertones was anything but neutral,' she says. 'Some people were obsessed with the bold, modern look, while others thought I'd lost the plot.' Kate painted her house in 'Potting Shed'. As she read the comments section online, Kate held the ultimate in 'what will the neighbours think' test. Kate and Alchemist/The Paint Hub polled 8,000 people in a nationwide survey on whether they would be honest about a neighbour's paint colour. 'The results revealed just how reluctant Irish people are to share their true thoughts: Only 3.13% (248 people) said they would openly tell their neighbour they disliked the colour,' says Kate. Alchemist 'French Vanilla'. "It's fascinating how house colour can stir such strong emotions. What this really shows is that people might have their preferences, but at the end of the day, they're unlikely to share their negative thoughts, at least not to your face!" Kate comes from a family that spans three generations of paint experts. The Paint Hub is a fully online paint shop, offering a curated selection of over 14 globally sourced brands. Alchemist's Biscuit. She created Alchemist specifically for Irish homes and award-winning Irish architect and interior designer Denise O'Connor curated the colours. 'The range includes paints for walls, wood, metal, and more, all designed to deliver superior performance and sustainability,' says Kate. Alchemist's Night Sky. 'Our water-based paints are non-toxic, cruelty-free, and vegan-friendly, embodying our unwavering commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. "I've spent thousands of hours interacting with Irish painters, be they professionals or DIYers, and I've used this experience to create this range for our customers.' Meanwhile, Alchemist's Pure is a new interior emulsion without preservatives, biocides, or plasticisers. See Alchemistpaint Sonas Bathrooms' Reed fluted freestanding bath. Curve appeal Circular shapes are swooping centre stage in interior design. Remember The Moon Door in the Eyrie in Game of Thrones? Definitely one way of rocking the look. And also niftily bringing the outdoors in and vice versa. But we'll skip it for now, thanks. That trapdoor execution element is off-putting. Just not the way to treat guests, no matter how you feel about them. Back to curves' more calming connotations — see the Reed fluted freestanding bath, €2,695, from Sonas Bathrooms. Freestanding tubs are elegant and soothing centrepieces, where space allows. See Sonasbathrooms Sun seats A few rays of sunshine, the temperature hovers above 20C, and we think we're in the Caribbean. Aruba garden sofa set, €1499. But now's the time to transform the garden, balcony or patio into the ultimate summer sanctuary. Check out the latest outdoor furniture collection at EZ Living. We love the Aruba garden sofa set €1499.
