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Nutley Edge Holiday Cottages and Farm: Accessible holidays in the heart of the Ashdown Forest

November 25, 2018

Sleeps: The Cottages sleep 4

Price: From £474 / week based on a stay in Cherry Cottage

Location: Nutley, East Sussex

Nutley Edge is a beautiful, traditional farm over looking the Ashdown Forest in the heart of East Sussex. Originally a working farm Nutley Edge now offers a wide range of holiday accommodation including accessible cottages, traditional cottages and the old farmhouse itself. Living locally I’ve driven past the ‘Nutley Edge’ sign on the A22 many times but had no idea what hid behind their gates.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting for the night with my daughter, niece and sister-in-law…and I can now tell you that behind those gates lies an oasis of rural escapism! From the moment we entered the main site we were greeted with with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside and a warm welcome from the farmyard animals. Despite being just a short drive away…entering Nutley Edge felt a million miles from home!

On entering the farm guests are greeted by the main house, beyond which lies a series of converted farm buildings…now used as a total of 12 holiday cottages. The cottages all face out across a small valley enjoying views of the farmland and the forest. There is a clear parking area keeping vehicles a short distance from the holiday cottages.

Opposite the farm house there is an area for outdoor activities including a barbecue, fire pit, outdoor games and seating…all of which create a laid back camp site feel. There are clear footpaths and trail maps around the site ensuring guests to feel welcome to explore the grounds which include a forest play area and pretty Pooh Sticks style bridge.

Nutley Edge offers a fantastic range of self-catering accommodation making it an ideal getaway for individual family breaks or a multi-generational get together. The twelve cottages all offer spacious, open-plan accommodation that sleep up to 4 people. The owners are passionate about ensuring their holidays are inclusive with two of the cottages offering fully wheelchair accessible accommodation. In addition to the cottages guests can also choose to stay in the stunning 17th century Old Farmhouse sleeping up to eight.

We stayed in Cherry Cottage, a timber clad, two storey traditional cottage at the far end of the farm. Perched overlooking the surrounding farmland the cottage felt incredibly cosy and snug…almost like a ski chalet. The downstairs offers a large, open plan living space with a fully fitted kitchen, dining area, lounge and downstairs bathroom. One of the best features of the living space are the incredible views from the lounge area…it an absolute joy to sit and watch the wildlife and landscape change as the day progressed.

The open plan layout worked really well for us as a family sized group. The girls sat at the breakfast bar drawing and getting stuck into craft activities whilst we were able to prepare meals and chat at the same time. The space is sociable, practical and spacious.

Upstairs a small landing area leads to two bedrooms. The double room is again spacious and comfortable with a dormer style sloping roof and further views across the forest. The twin offers a similar space with plenty of storage, fresh linen and soft white towels. Cherry cottage also comes with it’s own private terrace area where guests can dine alfresco or take in the view.

The girls loved exploring the grounds at the farm. Nutley Edge business manager, Michelle kindly left some food scraps so we could feed the friendly goats; Popcorn and George. As the farm is enclosed in a fenced off area with large security gates I felt happy to allow the girls some independence in their adventures.

They loved the forest area where they found tyre swings, climbing apparatus and balance beams. The footpath offered an ideal post-breakfast activity to burn off excess energy which we enjoyed as a family in the late morning sunshine.

As well as providing high-quality accommodation and hosting functions and events, Nutley Edge has a strong charitable ethos. The farm is owned by Outward, a London based charity who support people with learning disabilities and Autism. Nutley Edge run a fantastic programme of fully inclusive Activity Breaks for adults with a range of Autism related needs offering a wide range of activists based around themes such as food, outdoor pursuits and arts & crafts. If you’d like to find out about the range of activity breaks on offer please find further information here.

Nutley Edge is the perfect base for exploring the Ashdown Forest and wider East Sussex. They provide a great range of accommodation suiting individual family breaks through to multi generational get togethers. The accessible cottages means that this works as a practical holiday destination for all ages and physical abilities. The grounds offer a natural playground for children that is stimulating and exciting for children. And the view….I simply could have sat and watched the world go by all day. A comfortable, relaxing getaway with all the creature comforts in a simply stunning rural location.

We received a complementary one night stay at Nutley Edge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are my own.

1 Comments

  • Katy Stern

    December 6, 2018 at 8:01 am

    What an absolutely lovely place. We are always on the look out for places to visit with my husband’s family and this looks perfect. Gorgeous photos as always and my kids would love those goats!!! THanks for linking up to #Monday escapes 🙂

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