Log Cabins to RentWith its wheatfields and woodlands, estuaries and very English seaside resorts such as Walton-on-the-Naze and Southend-on-sea, Essex is full of surprises. The wonderful Audley End House, Roman Colchester and Art Deco Frinton-on-sea. Superb for birdwatching.
Nestled in Essex’s glorious single-track country near the village of Great Easton, the magnificent 16th century gem Great Easton Manor House offers astonishingly characterful accommodation for up to eighteen guests. It is a period property with swagger and style where you can bring the generations together, party with friends or celebrate a special event. It is perfect for hen and stag parties, anniversaries and big birthdays. Not only will you relish in Great Easton Manor House’s beauty where there is charm and character in abundance, you will enjoy a long list of entertainment. This includes a leather seated cinema room with Sky, Netflix and Amazon Prime, a games room, a well-equipped gym, one and a quarter acres of gardens and a fantastic heated outdoor pool. All of this comes in a setting where birds sing, owls hoot and children happily play in a dreamy playground. You can even bring your four legged furry friend along to share your stay in this brilliant holiday home.
If you can bring yourselves to leave the charms of this magnificent property, there is plenty on offer nearby. You can get pampered at the The Retreat in Dunmow, tackle the sky ropes at Great Notley Country Park, enjoy a feeding frenzy at White Elm Petting Farm, shoot the clay pigeons at Fennes Shooting School, admire the snowdrops in the Gardens of Easton Lodge, pick fruit at Wash Farm, taste nectar at The Big Bear Cider Mill, hack across the hills with Maple Pollard Riding Centre or play a round at the pretty Bishop’s Stortford Golf Club.
Great Easton Manor House boasts sensational Tudor timbering in many spaces. It pairs perfectly with sumptuous modern furnishings, modern white walls, gorgeous hardwood flooring and the very best fittings and top-of-the-range technology. Four amazing reception rooms ensure that you can always find a quiet spot to enjoy some me time, a cup of tea and the Sunday newspapers. Great Easton Manor House offers over four thousand square feet of glorious and gracious living. The main living room is stunning with its characterful beams, its lavish corner sofa and its baby grand piano where you can magic up some Mozart. The wood burning stove offers a crackling atmosphere. The dining room is classy and cool with another wood burner if a rural chill descends. The games room offers a pool table and arcade games so you may lose your teenagers for the week. If they are not in the games room, they may be chilling with Netflix in the cinema room along with mood lighting, leather seating and a full Sky package. You can party hard in this Tudor beamed wonder but you can work hard too. The gym offers free weights, a treadmill and multigym and if you really need to catch up on emails, there is a study with a view of the gardens. The conservatory is a great place to relax with your holiday book and to sing along with Sonos. The chef’s dream of a kitchen is sensational with a pick of three ovens, an electric one, an Aga and another in the annex. The kitchen is an immensely sociable space with a central island and stools. There is a Nespresso coffee machine for your morning cups of coffee. You may also want to consider arranging a professional chef to prepare gourmet meals for your guests while you chill by the pool. You can dine inside or head out to the terrace to enjoy a meal with a soft breeze and sunshine. You may also want to get your barbecue masters busy!
You will enjoy the sleep of kings in seven gorgeous bedrooms. The main house sleeps ten in five bedrooms plus there are two bedrooms in the annexe. You can also pay a supplement to use comfortable sofa beds to add another four guests. On the first floor of the main house, you will discover a lavish bedroom with a super kingsize bed with an ensuite bathroom and giant Smart television. The second gorgeous bedroom offers a comfy double bed and a delightful garden view. The next is a twin, perfect for children, followed by another double and the last main house bedroom, a heavenly room with a super kingsize oak four-poster bed, an ensuite and another giant Smart television. The two bedrooms in the annexe are both beautiful double rooms. Several of the rooms enjoys characterful beams. There are four immaculate family bathrooms as well as the two ensuite bathrooms, two in the main house and two in the annexe. The sofa beds are located in the games room and the annexe.
Great Easton Manor House is enveloped by a gorgeous landscaped garden with its fabulous 32 foot swimming pool which is heated to twenty nine degrees from April to October and enjoys its own handy pool house. Your mixologists can prepare cocktails or offer a cold one from the poolside bar while the young ones head off to the trampoline and playground area. The gardens are beautiful and come complete with a pond. You can dine alfresco using the barbecue by the summer kitchen and laze around watching the night stars. The one and a quarter acres of gardens were once part of the Earl of Warwick’s estate.
This brilliant property supplies luxury and entertainment in bucket loads. Great Easton Manor House has been sensationally renovated and is the perfect venue for special celebrations. With all of its special treats, happy hens and stags are very welcome. As well as the treats within the house, there are pampering packages available at The Retreat, indoor and outdoor archery, watersports with Curve Watersports and amazing restaurants on the door step. You can also get special celebration meals catered for you at Great Easton Manor House.
Great Easton Manor House enjoys a wonderful location in the Essex countryside. It sits in the tranquil village of Great Easton, close to Great Dunmow. There are many attractions close by if you can possibly leave this heavenly retreat.
Great Dunmow is an ancient small market town which boasts one of the few remaining High Streets in the country to only have independent retailers. It is very pretty and steeped in history, dating back to the Roman times. It is famous for its ‘Flitch Trials’ which take place every leap year. As mentioned in Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’, couples must convince six local bachelors and six maidens that they have never wished themselves un-wed for a year and a day. If successful, the couple receive a flitch of bacon as a prize. Every third Saturday in September, the town hosts a family carnival, one of the largest rural carnivals in the UK. The Great Dunmow Maltings is an award winning restoration of a Grade II listed building. The town offers great restaurants, boutique shopping, charming pubs and a spa where you can head for some pampering.
There are lots of beautiful walking trails locally or you can head to The Gardens of Easton Lodge, an idyllic haven in a Gothic-style stately home. The gardens have been partially restored to their former glory by a team of dedicated volunteers and the owners of Warwick House. Their Snowdrop Days are lovely with carpets of the beautiful plants to admire. The gardens showcase Harold Peto’s grand garden designs. The Italian garden is always colourful and the walled kitchen garden well-stocked with fruit and vegetables. In 1086 there was a Roman fort on the site and the settlement of Little Easton was documented in the Domesday Book as Estaines Parva. In 1590, Elizabeth I granted the 10,000 acre Manor of Estaines to Henry Maynard as a reward for his duties as Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor and Treasurer to the Queen. Later his daughter inherited Easton Lodge and the estate and married Lord Brooke, heir to the Warwick title and estate. In 1901 The Countess of Warwick commissioned Harold Peto to redesign the gardens for her. Following her death, the War Office requisitioned Easton Lodge for use and thousands of trees were felled to create Great Dunmow Airfield on the estate. The estate was returned to her son in 1950. Later the west wing was sold, restored and renamed Warwick House. Their gardens were opened in 1985 and ten years later they got permission to restore the Gardens of Easton Lodge. The work was taken over by a trust who to this day are restoring the beauty that was created all those years ago.
The Big Bear Cider Mill was formed in 2015 with a mission to turn a passion for apples into quality hand crafted cider. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Essex orchards were ripped up to make way for gravel pits, with the gravel being known as Essex gold. They purchased a disused pit and regenerated it to a thriving orchard with over twenty varieties of apple and three thousand trees. They harvest the apples in the autumn and ferment them. It is a popular stop. You can also pick fruit at the local Wash Farm or book a day of brewing experience at Bishop Nick.
There are some great sports opportunities available such as hacking across the hills with Maple Pollar Riding Centre in Bishop’s Stortford or clay pigeon shooting in one hundred acres of north Essex countryside and woodland at the Fennes Shooting School with trap towers up to 120 ft. Visitors can pay and play on Monday to Fridays at the Bishop’s Stortford Golf Club.
Set amongst acres of glorious rolling countryside, the farm on which the shepherd s hut is located offers activities such as complementary therapies and classes on the doorstep. Those wishing to explore scenic footpaths or cycle tracks can head to the local woods. A little further afield, take a short drive to Mersea Island (13 miles) with locally caught seafood, beaches and sailing, or take a boat charter from Maldon (9 miles). Colchester, widely regarded as Britain s oldest town, is just 10 miles away, with quaint cobbled streets and a host of independent shops as well as the famous Colchester Zoo. The train station at Kelvedon (2.5 miles away) gives you direct access to London for a day's sightseeing. As you arrive at the owner s property, park up and you will then be guided to your shepherd s hut, where can t help but take in the tranquil and picturesque surroundings which you are free to explore. When you arrive at your hut, you will instantly see the amazing craftsmanship that has gone into constructing this modern style, eco friendly accommodation. Heading, inside you have a fully functioning kitchen with a gas oven and an integrated hob and microwave, along with a three day cooling box; if you need further chilled storage space or indeed need a freezer, then the owner has provided one close to their property which guests are more than welcome to use. You have a slide out double bed that has plenty of storage space underneath for any personal items, a wall mounted TV and there is a shower along with a waterless WC. Outside, you have garden furniture for you to relax on whilst you take in the fresh air, perhaps with a tea, coffee or maybe a glass of something chilled in hand. Of course, with the fully functioning kitchen, if you decide to prepare a hearty meal then you can even dine alfresco and be at one with nature. A BBQ is also provided. There is parking for two cars in the car park at the entrance and next to the owner s property. Cars are not allowed beyond the farmyard gates and there are luggage trolleys provided for the short, scenic walk to the site.
Nestled in a sensational rural spot in the Essex countryside, Tudor Hall is a magnificent, atmospheric, historic home sleeping up to twenty-two guests. It is a true Tudor gem boasting three acres of stunning Italianate landscaped grounds, a fabulous heated swimming pool, an all-weather tennis court, hot tub, inglenooks, ancient beams, a wonderful kitchen with an Aga, splendid entertainment spaces and sumptuous furnishings throughout. This exceptional gem is located in the sleepy village of Hempstead, close to the buzzy market town of Saffron Walden and the birthplace of Dick Turpin and surrounded by rolling hills.Though you may feel inclined to stay put at Tudor Hall with its magical treats, there is much to discover close by for adults and children. You may be golf fans, you may enjoy punting on the River Cam in Cambridge, visiting the impressive Imperial War Museum at Duxford, steaming along the Colne Valley Railway, discovering the Dick Turpin Trail, meeting the lions and snow leopards at Linton Zoo or sampling gastronomic wonders in the fantastic array of renowned restaurants and pubs.
Tudor Hall is a fantastic venue for family and friends celebrations or corporate events. It’s six beautifully finished bedrooms sleep fourteen guests comfortably, though there are some extra beds that can be used increasing the numbers to eighteen. An extra four guests can make use of the additional two bedroom coach house, raising maximum capacity to twenty-two. Guests cannot fail to relax, recuperate and enjoy time with others at this splendid countryside retreat where the owners have thought of everything to take your stay complete. You can enjoy some competitive fun playing pool, dive into the huge heated pool, spend the afternoon on the tennis court, disappear quietly to the library or the grand living room with the Sunday newspapers, enjoy a glass of fizz while relaxing in the bubbling inflatable hot tub, wander around the stunning topiary, box hedges and vibrant flower beds, take drinks on the terrace or dine alfresco using the three barbecues! Such bliss!
Brimming with antique furnishings, ornate mirrors, a piano and nods from the past, Tudor Lodge is both homely and luxurious. This is a house that makes you feel special. The kitchen diner is beautiful with a modern country kitchen complete with Aga, two fridges, a Nespresso coffee machine and breakfast bar and an excellent 16-seater dining table. Guests can keep the chefs company with an ice-cold glass of wine while they cook up a storm in this wonderful space. The cream tones of the dining area blend perfectly and create an atmosphere of elegance and calm. For a more refined dinner, you can head to the atmospheric formal Tudor dining room, full of traditional charm with its ancient beams and its beautiful furnishings from time gone by. On cooler evenings, you may wish to relax on the sumptuous sofas in front of the roaring inglenook fireplace in the living room, enjoying family board games or watching a film on the huge television. There is a great choice of DVD’s plus Netflix and Sky TV or you can listen to your favourite tracks through the Sonos sound system.
Upstairs guests can luxuriate in fantastic dreamy sleeping spaces and exquisite bathrooms with wet room showers and free-standing baths. The stunning master bedroom enjoys a comfy super-king bed, another guest bed, beautiful beams and windows and a stunning Jack-and-Jill shower room. The second master bedroom is a mirror image with spectacular garden views. Bedrooms three and four are gorgeous, enjoying double beds adorned with luxury linens. They share a bathroom and shower. Bedrooms five and six offer three single beds in each with the possibility of a guest bed in each. These heavenly, beautifully finished spaces share the master bathroom.
Outside, guests will unwind in countryside bliss. The outdoor swimming pool is heated to 28 degrees from May until September and is surrounded by a wonderful pool deck where you can enjoy the sunshine and your holiday read. There is a good range of sun loungers and oversized beanies. To cool off you can head to the pool house for a friendly game of pool. There are three barbecues for alfresco dining, two coal and one gas. The huge outdoor dining table will seat all of your guests. Pre-dinner drinks can be taken on the terrace and later you can finish with a nightcap under the stars. If it is chilly you can enjoy the chiminea and the luxury blankets provided.
Surrounded by rolling countryside, pretty villages and market towns, Tudor Hall is an idyllic dreamy retreat, just perfect for large groups wanting to get together.
* Please note that if you wish to have access to all of the 8 bedrooms across both the main house and additional coach house, you will need to select 22 guests when booking. Those in groups of less than 18 will only have access to the 6 bedroom accommodation in the main house.
Tudor Hall and its 3 acres of beautiful, landscaped gardens lies quietly in rural countryside close to the wonderful medieval market town of Saffron Walden. With independent shops, lovely delicatessens, inviting cafes and wonderful amenities, it is the perfect place to pick up supplies for the house. There are some amazing historic buildings and fabulous attractions including Saffron Hall, the Saffron Walden Museum, St Mary the Virgin Parish Church and the Saffron Screen. It also boasts the excellent Saffron Walden Golf Club. Close by are Saffron Grange Vineyard, Bridge End Garden, the Fry Art Gallery, Finchingfield Guildhall, the Audley End Miniature Railway and Audley End House and Garden. Audley End House and Gardens is a wonderful outing with ‘Capability’ Brown parkland. It is also the venue for some fabulous live music concerts so you should check if there is anything on when you are visiting.
There are some wonderful villages surrounding Tudor Hall, some enjoying fantastic reputations for their restaurants and pubs. You can dine at The Three Hills at Barton with its Two Star AA Rosette and Michelin Plate awards, The Plough at Radwinter or The Dog and Duck in Linton, amongst others. You can also hire bikes from Newdales to explore the area.
Cambridge is within easy reach where you can enjoying punting on the River Cam, climbing the tower at St. Mary’s, wandering around admiring the university buildings or enjoying the fabulous shops. Cambridge is a compact city with a seven-days-a-week market and a Saturday All Saint’s Garden Art and Craft market. There are a choice of galleries showcasing contemporary and classic art, a buzzing theatre, live music, a famous Folk Festival, an ever-popular Beer Festival and the family-friendly Big Weekend. Visitors can enjoy walking tours of the city or you can sightsee by bike. There is an excellent network of cycle paths in and around the city. The King’s College Chapel is famous for its choral services broadcast live by the BBC. You will surely be enchanted should you have chance to hear the sublime choir and Choral Evensong. The Fitzwilliam Museum is home to world-class collections of art and antiquities and Kettle’s Yard is one of the finest galleries.
Childford Hall Vineyard is another excellent place to visit. You can take a tour and sample some of the award-winning wines or enjoy a quintessentially English afternoon tea. You can buy some of their red, white, rose and sparkling wines in the shop.
The Imperial War Museum at Duxford is Europe’s largest air museum. You can walk through the same hangars and buildings as those who served at RAF Duxford and see aircraft take to the skies from the airfield where Spitfires first flew. Visitors will be close to over a century of aviation. The museum also offers thrilling air shows and a series of flying days.
Get a lakeside seat to starry nights and swan-filled waters with this fantastic log cabin in the heart of Essex. A short drive from Colchester this gloriously secluded cabin is delightfully perched over a stunning lake and offers 3 deluxe bedrooms, a hot tub, fishing, privacy and everything you need for a tranquil escape.
