The Yard

Sleeps 4 Gloucestershire

The power of pure peace

The fields sweep away towards the Malvern Hills; the crops dance in the breeze. The leaves of the occasional ancient oak ripple gently. This is deepest Gloucestershire, an idyll so rural and so anciently Anglo Saxon that you expect to see roundheads and royalists doing battle across the lush landscapes.

You’ll find The Yard in Redmarley, a village dating back to the 7th century. But there’s nothing ancient history about the pristine wooden floors, the modern kitchen or the hot tub that sits on the terrace. On a summer’s evening, with the fields arcing away into the sunset and the stars twinkling in the canopy, all seems right with the world.

The Yard is a bolthole for cosy couples or small families. Sleeping four in bright, breezy seclusion, it comes with a small garden. But the real playground is the craggy uplands of the Malverns and the Forest of Dean. Walk or ride the hills bestrode by Mallory in preparation for Everest, fish the lakes, climb the rocks.

Return from the Cotswolds or Malverns to a haven so quiet that beating wings will seem like an intrusion. Flip open the French doors and let in the breeze as you cook up a storm or gather for a movie night. Open the bedroom windows at night to hear the sound of silence and discover the invigorating power of pure peace.

Living Spaces

Living spaces roll forever around the Forest of Dean and the Malverns. This is a land of boundless hectares and bucolic tranquility. But The Yard maintains that equilibrium. Inside, all is peace and calm. Kick off your shoes, enjoy the silence, feel at home.

There’s a flow here from the kitchen, through the dining area to the cosy lounge. The artwork depicts nature, the French doors sit ready to be flung open to invite the outside in, and the ambience is cool and clean. The curtains gently ripple in the breeze and the squishy sofa’s ready for duty as cinema seat or reading retreat.

The Yard is an ideal escape for couples or family of four. Dive into the DVDs, switch the kids onto the toys and games, kick back and chill out. It’s time to be a family once more.

Cooking and Dining

The modern kitchen’s spacious and sociable for chopping and chatting. Cook there yourself or let our chefs take over. We can provide everything from a one-off celebration to a fully catered break, and can even wave our wands over the washing-up, too.

There’s a nice flow from the dining room through to the lounge. You’ll linger over supper, talk over the day and make plans for tomorrow. Load the dishwasher, drift over to the sofa, loosen your belts and flop in front of a film.

Eating out? Head to The Swan at Staunton for cask ales, guest ales, local cider, mixed grills and beer-battered haddock. At The Inn at Welland, five talented chefs work from scratch with Aberdeen Angus fillet, Herefordshire ribeye, pan-seared sea trout and more.

For gastros, bistros and eateries of every kind, Cheltenham and Hereford aren’t far distant. For real fine dining, empty your credit card for The Butchers Arms in Eldersfield and Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham. Both glitter with Michelin stars. Bon appetit.

Bedrooms

The Yard is as family-friendly as it gets, with one king-size double and one twin, made for excited kids to burrow down with a torch and a book after-hours.

In the master bedroom, light, bright and modern, daylight floods in from the skylight and there’s space to sprawl, with a chair for reading or resting. Crisp cotton sheets and warm duvets make for revitalising nights.

Deep in the Forest of Dean, nothing stirs. Open your bedroom window and drift off with fresh air in your lungs and the distant sound of an owl in your ears.