Cottage of the Week – The Meads, Edale
It’s like Christmas morning in the cottages4you office every time we find a new addition to our portfolio that impresses us as much as The Meads & Garden Wing in Edale, the Peak District. Not just blessed with an incredible location at the foot of the Kinder Scout Mountain Range, these properties (The Meads and the equally lovely ‘Garden Wing’, ref: REES) were built within the idyllic Arts and Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th century and boast absolutely wonderful interiors.
How wonderful? Well, just take a look at the photos. The Meads boasts stunning ‘wrap-around’, encaustic-tiled, Shaker-panelled verandahs and was built in the Great War as a shooting lodge to the adjacent moors. In the winter months, come and sit by blazing log fires, or in the summer take a glass of wine and explore the 4 acres of fantastic woodland gardens, with a large expanse of heart-shaped lawn, imaginatively laid out as parkland for guest to enjoy.
Since it’s located in such a lovely outdoor area it’s perhaps not surprising to find the outside of the property works so synonymously with the surrounding area. The gardens are designed to lead visitors along meandering, stepping stone pathways from ‘room to room’, over rustic bridges, through picnic areas, barbecue areas, campfire site and topiary rooms with lots of swing seats and outside ‘Chesterfields’ with cushions to sit on, catch the sun and view the mountains. Or best of all, in the evening, take a lantern and sit on the rustic benches by the campfire to a backdrop of stars.
What’s more you’ll find the gardens are a perfect introduction to the beauty of the surrounding area. The Penine Way, the start of the longest footpath in England, is located on your doorstep in the village of Edale. The village also boasts stunning cycle routes, packhorse bridges, stiles, footbridges, rivers, gorges and streams into woodland, mountains, moors and famous landmarks. Head further afield to Chatsworth, Haddon, Hardwick Halls, Buxton with its opera house, Bakewell with markets, Castleton with jewellery shops, the Blue John Caves, and Hathersage with its outdoor pool.
The Meads is also beautifully furnished and decorated in a great mixture of contemporary, colourful, cosy, country house style with hand-dragged, Shaker-painted panelling, solid oak floors and encaustic tiles. You will also enjoy huge, blazing indigo blue Austrian wood-burning stoves in the kitchen, dining hall and living room, generously stocked gourmet kitchens, Aga ranges and American fridge/freezers as well as Belfast sinks and underfloor heating.
A wealth of relaxing leisure options also awaits. Bedrooms have panoramic views into the gardens and mountains, sleigh beds, fur throws and modern bathrooms with double-seated steam shower rooms. Guests can enjoy Sky TV with sport and three Freeview TVs. There is an indoor games room with computer, X-box, jigsaws, board games, DVDs and CDs. Outside is a small, well-equipped gym, as well as laundry and drying rooms for wet gear, areas for a BBQ (gas supplied for each property) and an outdoor summerhouse with outdoor games, croquet and cricket.
If you’d like to find out more or make a booking at this truly lovely property, or its smaller sibling, please visit the listing on our website. Make sure you let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. You can find more stunning cottages in our Luxury Collection.