2011 was a very good year for occupancy in the Barn and we hope 2012 will be even better – we should have some great new upgrades for the Barn during 2012 and all will be revealed here in due course.

The week starting 9th December 2011 is available for £481 or for a long weekend (Friday to Monday) for £373.

Why not get away for a last blast of fresh country air and stunningly quiet walks before Christmas?

Give us a call on 01298 687006 to book.

The Gala is a great opportunity for the village to get together and there are always lots of stalls, games, music and much jollity!

The event usually kicks off with a parade of floats and the crowning of the new Gala Queen at around 1pm.

Warslow Silver Band always play a rousing selection of tunes and this year, a professional children’s entertainer will be on hand to paint faces, blow up balloons and put on a magic show.

Local food producers will have stalls selling cakes, jams, chutneys, etc. and there’s a fully licensed bar in the village hall to wash it all down with!

If you’re in the area on Saturday the 6th August, why not stop by and have some fun.

We had always intended that this room would be reserved for children, but over time, we’ve seen an increase in groups of 6 adults  booking the Barn for walking holidays in the Peak District.

We’d recently bought a memory foam mattress for our rapidly growing son and having tried it myself, thought a pair of these would do well in the Barn.

We are so delighted with these mattresses (as are our guests since) that I thought I’d highlight them here.

The mattresses are made in Italy by Perdormire and called the Duet 500 and we got ours from a superb bed shop in Leek called Bedz, Bedzz & Bedrooms.

They arrive rolled up very tightly and vacuum packed for ease of transport, but once unwrapped, expand to produce wonderfully comfortable memory foam mattresses.

I’ve read that some people find memory foam mattresses a bit hot in summer, but there is no doubting the orthopaedic benefits of having your weight evenly distributed over the mattress.

I’d welcome your views on the Perdormire Duet 500 memory foam mattress if you own one, or indeed your thoughts on memory foam mattresses in general.

A few drifting clouds added to the atmosphere and it was actually warm enough to be able to stay outdoors for more than a few minutes!

The first floor living room in the Barn is always swathed in light as the sun rises over Ecton but this moon rise was something else – it was a pity there were no guests this week to enjoy it.

We are blessed with very low light pollution here in our part of the Peak District, so any of you who are astronomy fans would be well advised to bring your telescope with you – the Milky Way is always bright here on a clear night.

Unique Holiday Cottages is a collection of independently owned self catering cottages, each with a certain something, making it unique and interesting.

The website is really easy to use with good pictures, detailed descriptions and lots of information about local sights, events and things to do.

Each property has an availability calendar and you can read testimonials from previous guests.

We wish Anna the best of luck with her endeavour in what is a fiercely competitive market.

We get so many days like this in winter (and sadly for much of the rest of year too!).

Blustery with stiff winds zooming in through the valleys from the West, drizzle in the air, the sun occasionally peeking past leaden, grey clouds.

It can look dramatic in pictures but you need to be a hardy soul to brave it in person.

Luckily, we have a large number of keen walkers and cyclists visiting our Peak District cottage and for them, this is what being in the countryside is all about.

We still have some availability in March, so if you’re after a week of bracing walks and communing with nature, March is a great time to come.

Unfortunately, our insurance only covers us for a maximum of 6 people but all is not lost!

Lower Damgate Farm Holiday Cottages near Ilam, offer 4 star self catering for up to 29 people in a range of beautiful courtyard barn conversions.

They offer accommodation for weddings, team building events and parties in a wonderful spot surrounded by over 20 acres of farmland.

Check out their website and give Carolyn a call on 01335 310367.

It’s nice 40 minute circular walk from the Barn and is great for letting Molly stretch her legs off the lead.

For directions, a map and some pictures of the walk see our Warslow Brook Loop page.

We’re planning to document a few of the walks you can do straight from the front door, so be sure to check our walks page.

We’ve changed the website recently to make it load faster and get you the information you need faster too, but if you find any glitches, please let us know.

If the site doesn’t work in Internet Explorer 6, it serves you right you know what to do!

So…

If you would like to book the Barn for a long weekend this autumn or winter, arriving on a Friday and leaving on Sunday, check out our availabilty calendar and give us a call.

We can offer really good discounts for couples and pensioners!