‘Get out into the cacophony of nature’: an off-the-grid escape in the West of England | England Holidays
ADeviating from the beaten path comes with moments of uncertainty. Is this the correct dirt track? Will our progress be thwarted at any moment by an impenetrable forest, or worse yet by a stubborn landowner who will force us to retreat with an iron fist? As it turned out, we were only paused by two male peacocks dueling in the middle of the aisle in a kaleidoscopic blur of feathers and fury. We wait for them to retire to the edge of the grass and we keep bouncing down the path until we see a sign for our hut pointing to the left. This leads us deeper into a forest of oak, ash, birch and Douglas fir trees, until finally we see a brick and stone house standing in a clearing set back from the road.
From the outside, Van Cottage looks like a pioneer home, with a twisted stone chimney on one side and a metal-roofed porch on the other. Around the corner is a wood-fired hot tub, and beyond the garden hedge in a small woodland is a small brick patch. The house sits on a ridge, and the garden offers views over the crimson plowed fields and rolling woods of Herefordshire.
This pioneering spirit continues inside, where there is a kitchen with a wood-burning stove, and an oak-beamed living room with a wood-burning stove, a comfortable sofa and a collection of books. A wall of old oak paneling has preserved remnants of the previous occupants’ wallpaper, adding a touch of history. The original two-storey stone cottage dates from the 18th century and a brick extension was added in the mid-19th century. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, a shower room and a sink overlooked by a mirror covered with an old leather horse collar, in keeping with the farm worker origins of the country house. But a recent renovation has turned it into an off-grid haven powered by wood and solar power.
My own idea of an off-the-grid escape has fit roughly the same outline ever since I read a line in Albert Bigelow Payne’s “Tent Dwellers” many years ago: “Then away into the heart of the deep unknown, where the trout and the wild moose are. Where the fire burns bright, and the tents sparkle white, under the north star.”
In our current world of deep unknowns, catching a glimpse of a roe deer on my way into the outer woods will do the trick. But we keep the fires going in the stove and hot tub, then head around fields of buttercups and clover to a trout-filled lake in nearby Wheatfield. As I cast a line over the water, a red kite circles in the thermals above, and the chirp of a red start in an oak tree provides the melodic soundtrack. After squeezing water until dusk, I emerged empty-handed but satisfied.
Back at the hut, we stepped into the outdoor hot tub, which was at a tolerable temperature, and watched the stars twinkle white while a blanket of darkness shrouded the hut and a tawny owl hooted in the distance.
The next morning, the realization begins that Connie is off the grid. As I wait for the kettle to boil – a full 30 minutes while I neglected to keep the stove on all night – I step outside and immerse myself in a cacophony of nature. The My Bird app identifies wrens, great tits, blackcaps, blackbirds, nuthatches and woodpeckers. A terrified rabbit jumps out of the garden fence and a group of female pheasants wander around. The only thing missing from this Disney scene is a fleet of butterflies.
Waiting for the kettle to boil is because it forces you to slow down. So I occupy my time by reading cottage literature, as I discover that nearby, on the A465 road to Hereford, there is Lock garageis described as “one of the great frontier stores in the whole country.” The idea of setting up a frontier shop in the UK is new to me, but it fits perfectly with my romantic idea of backwoods living. The truth, when I got to Lock’s Garage later, was a bit more realistic. It is a petrol station with a storefront in London. But I soon discover that it is much more than that. Outside, fruit and vegetable racks display trays of giant papayas, aloe vera leaves, dragon fruit, lychees and nashi pears. Inside, the refrigerators are filled with grass-fed Hereford beef and rare pork, some from the owners’ own farm. There are cheeses from Hereford and Wales, and local beers and wines. We bring sausages and steaks to grill that evening.
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We spend the next few days pleasantly exploring – walking the dogs in the large woods surrounding the house, where there are signs of logging and squirrel traps on high platforms. One day, we walked to the village of Kilbeck, where curious medieval decorations guard the porch of the church of St Mary and St David, described by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as “one of the most perfect Norman churches in England”. We explore the ruins of the Norman motte and bailey castle overlooking the church, and the stunning scenery beyond the barns and grazing Hereford cows. We stop for lunch at Killbeck came downwhere we dine on sea bream with cauliflower, brown butter mash and local apple cider, before walking along the road. Herefordshire track.
On other days, we head to Hay-on-Wye to browse bookshops and wander the country lanes Skenfrith Castlejust across the border in Monmouthshire. But mostly we spend time sitting outside listening to the birdsong, pulling books off the shelves and deciding on our daily menu. Surprisingly, so little can occupy you without a TV to fill the gaps. Although the hut has broadband, our laptops remained on throughout the visit. We replace the death scroll by keeping the house fires burning in the range and hot tub. Every evening is spent strolling the lake in search of the elusive trout. And every evening I return to the hut with an empty net, but with the lightness of being after another day in “the heart of the deep unknown… and under the North Star.”
The trip is provided by Cottage Company. Van hut that sleeps four people Plus two dogshas three-night breaks from £475