CHECKING IN | WHISTLECRAFT BARN

The rolling fields of the Suffolk country side are home to the spectacular West Estate, near the market town of Eye, featuring one house and four rustic luxurious barns offering idyllic escapes for those ultimate getaway goals. These luxury holiday rentals are each named after a farmer who have tended the fields, a nod to the heritage of the West family, whose farming roots date back to 1643. We checked into to the beautiful Whistlecraft Barn for a three night stay that was everything we could hope for.

Getting to Whistlecraft Barn takes just under takes around an hour and a half with trains leaving every 30 minutes from Liverpool Street station. From there it’s a short taxi ride, passing rapeseed fields before hitting the gravel driveway leading to the beautifully-preserved mid-16th-century timber-framed barn. Whistlecraft sleeps 12 and has 6 en-suite bedrooms to boot. The entrance hall leads you into the main living space that is just incredible; with exposed beams and brickwork, an open fire and a higher-than-high ceiling, the space is nothing short of wow. It is huge, contemporary in decor and the light flooding the main living space is so impressive, leading the eye to the back to the garden where there’s an enormous outdoor table and chairs. Alfresco wins.

Bedrooms are spread out over the property, with two located on the ground floor, one of which has a huge tub to take advantage of, and another over a suspended bridge above the entrance hall and glass-sided galleried landing. With super king beds made up in luxury bedding and 36-inch smart TVs inside, they’re not short on comfort either. The light in the morning makes it impossible not to be excited about spending time here. Come winter, things can get ultra cosy with underfloor heating.

The open plan kitchen with large island, American style fridge freezer, Rangemaster cooker, integrated dishwasher and plenty of storage space means that prepping food is like being on set at Saturday Kitchen. Or better still, you could take that whole responsibility off your hands and get private chefs and caterers in. Whistlecraft Barn has a list of local recs to make this happen, including a pizza truck that will rock up and dish out freshly cooked pizza for you.

Besides the beauty of the space, there is plenty to keep things fun no matter what the occasion, with a small pool table in the games room, an outdoor gas BBQa, a cosy library to zone out in, and if you want to splash out for extras, the hot tub proved to be quite the hit and is pretty reasonable in terms of costs.

There are also bikes to hire and explore the surrounds with – you can even cycle to Ampersand Brew Co, a small modern brewery that produces high quality small batch beer, in less than 20 minutes. There are plenty of walks to get lost on (literally) too, plus the small town of Diss with pubs, cafes and restaurants and a lovely place called The Oaksmere, where we booked in for Sunday lunch.

Whistlecraft Barn is incredible. Perfect for groups looking to spend quality time together in an exceptional property, we can’t wait to go back. Better get booking as this will fill up quick. Rates start from £1000 per night.

wildandwest.co.uk

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