Oxney Organic Estate: Holiday Accomodation & Vineyard

February 24, 2018

Odiam Barn Holiday Cottages

Sleeps: The Little Barn & The Long Barn sleep 4, The Old Barn sleeps 6

Price: From £550 / week

Location: Stone Cum Ebony, Tenterden, Kent

Odiam Barns are a set of three beautifully renovated holiday cottages located on a working farm in the rural village of Stone Cum Ebony near Tenterden in Kent. The barns are part of Oxney Organic Estate which includes an award winning vineyard complete with a pair of pretty shepherd huts also available as holiday accommodation.

The setting of the farm is idyllic, tucked away down winding country lanes where life seems to slow down. Views stretch for miles over rolling farmland with a dose of birdsong and sheep bleats thrown in for good measure. Located just south of Ashford and within a 20 minute drive of the coast the cottages are both easily accessible from the M20 and the perfect base for exploring the Sussex Coast.

Oxney Organic Estate is managed by owners Kristin and Paul who share a passion for creating a sustainable and natural approach to running their business. The estate creates heat from coppiced wood chip, adopts a natural approach to disease control in the vineyard, uses locally sourced food produce…and even sheep power mows the lawn! Every effort is made to run on sustainable and natural resources where possible.

We stayed in Long Barn, a pretty Grade II listed farm building which sleeps up to four people. Inside the barn felt cosy yet modern. Decor has a Scandinavian hygge feel with cushions, log burner and clean white and grey colour scheme. We were greeted by Brownies and apple juice, both homemade and delicious making our arrival all the more welcoming.

The living space is open plan comprising of a kitchen, dining area and lounge. The kitchen is well equipped with all the utensils you might require for a short stay. Essentials such as coffee, tea and cleaning products are also helpfully provided…as well as jar of corn kernels for making popcorn! Cooking was made all the more pleasurable by being able to take in views of the farm whilst concocting the evening meal.

The living area offers the perfect place to unwind after a day exploring. The log burner is stocked with fire lighters and sufficient wood to keep the whole barn toasty warm. The ideal spot to snuggle up with a book or enjoy a movie on the flat screen TV.

There are two bedrooms in Long Barn. The main bedroom is bright and airy with a kingsize bed. Light pours in through the floor to ceiling windows and expose the surrounding views and landscape. Again the decor is clean and modern with rustic touches such as the handmade wooden headboard behind the bed. There is also a smart en suite bathroom with walk in shower.

Equally as stylish the twin bedroom offers a great space for children to sleep and play. A family bathroom is adjacent to the second bedroom with a large bath to soak in after a long day exploring.

A visit to Oxney Organic Vineyard is a must whilst staying on the farm. Just a 15 minute drive from the barns, the estate is proud to be one of only a handful of vineyards in the UK to produce their wine organically.

My daughter and I really enjoyed meeting Ben, the wine maker who walked us through the vineyard explaining parts of the organic processes they use to cultivate the soil. Tours of vineyard are available to book at a cost of £15 / head including a guided tasting of the wines. It’s clear from talking to Ben that the wine produced here is a result of a lot of hard work, passion and dedication. Of course..it would be rude not to have a little taster of the wine after hearing how much effort has gone into creating each and every bottle…and rest assured it did not disappoint!

The Hunt Shepherd Huts

Sleeps: 2 people

Price: From £75 / night midweek minimum stay 2 nights

Location: Beckley, Rye, East Sussex

An exciting addition to the vineyard for the 2018 Summer season are a pair of pretty Shepherd Huts set right amongst the vines. The beautifully decorated huts sleep two people and include a small kitchen, bathroom and outdoor seating area. Handmade by a local carpenter using a mixture of oak weatherboarding and reclaimed corrugated metal to clad the hut they look just picture perfect. To top things off guests are also treated to a bottle of sparkling English wine made from the very grapes they are surrounded by to enjoy during their stay. Now that’s local produce!

The barns and the shepherd huts are just a short drive from the Sussex coastline meaning the choice for places to explore during your stay are extensive. Here are just a few places we managed to explore during our stay to give you a little inspiration:

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve: Walk, scoot or cycle along the nature trail. A gentle, seaside walk that even little ones can enjoy. You’ll be able to enjoy spotting the bird life in the salt-marsh and watching the fishing boats as they chug out to sea.

Dungeness: Strangely beautiful Dungeness is a joy to explore. As the country’s only desert this part of the coast feels more like the Wild West than the British seaside. You are guaranteed to discover something interesting around every corner whether it be an artists studio, miniature railway or fish smokery Dungeness will not fail to surprise. Make sure you try the fish n chips at the Pilot Inn whilst you’re there!

Camber Sands: Miles of sandy beaches, an expanse of sand dunes for the children to explore and shallow waters when the tide is low. Camber Sands is the perfect beach day, just wrap up warm and prepare for some wind at this time of year!

Dymchurch: A typical British bucket and spade seaside town. More long sandy beaches with the added bonus of a miniature steam train and fair ground!

We received a complementary stay at Oxney Organic Estate in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Kristin and Paul for inviting us to stay and making us feel so welcome. 

If this has whetted your appetite for local wine, do check out Wine Cellar Door who have a great directory and interactive map of visitor-friendly vineyards in England and Wales.

15 Comments

  • Carly | Fearless Female Travels

    February 24, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    I love the idea of an organic guesthouse stay! It looks so charming and peaceful!

  • Coombe Mill

    February 26, 2018 at 11:25 am

    What a wonderful place to stay as a family, it’s great that it’s so open and spacious for all of you. The fact that you can explore the vineyards whilst your staying is lovely, the wide open fields must have been really relaxing and enjoyable for the kids. It’s great that you were by the seaside too, beaches are always a fab addition to a holiday.

    Thanks for sharing with me on #CountryKids.

  • Bella at Dear Mummy Blog

    February 26, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    What an idyllic location and great for exploring camber sands and surrounding countryside. Love the interior of the accommodation and the amazing Belfast sink! #CountryKids

  • Sarah Stockley

    February 27, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    Great pictures as always Zoe. The barn and the shepherd’s huts look cosy and gorgeous. Lovely area to explore too. Sarah #ExplorerKids

  • Merlinda Little

    February 27, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    The place looks amazing! So many areas to explore and the facilities of the accommodation you stayed at is so lovely. The interiors so clean and crisp! =) #countrykids

  • Tash

    February 28, 2018 at 5:29 am

    Oh I feel like The Long Barn is calling my name. I looks so inviting and perfect for our little family… Your post has given me itchy feet! #ExplorerKids

  • Shiju Sugunan

    February 28, 2018 at 8:17 am

    The place looks amazing and the pictures are fab!

  • Annabel

    February 28, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    Looks lovely! You visited all the places we didn’t have a chance to explore! I’ll have to write a review of where we went to, quite a contrast! I can’t wait to return to this part of the world. Lovely photos. #ExplorerKids

  • Mother of 3

    March 1, 2018 at 12:53 am

    That looks amazing and oh so cozy! #ExplorerKids

  • Su {Ethan & Evelyn}

    March 1, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    I love your video. Oxney Organic Estate looks like such a lovely place to visit. I really like the The Hunt Shepherd Huts – looks very inviting. I’ve been to Dungeness before when I was at Uni. Such a strange but beautiful place. I love your photos. They are beautifully captured and it feels like spending time at Oxney Organic Estate will give you such a great memory making weekend/ week. 🙂 x

    Thank you very much for linking up with us on #ExplorerKids

  • Malin – Sensational Learning with Penguin

    March 2, 2018 at 1:46 am

    Beautiful photos! And we too love Dungeness, Camber Sands, Rye Harbour and Dymchurch ??x
    #CountryKids

  • Sim @ Travel Guide Blog

    March 3, 2018 at 12:04 pm

    The holiday cottages look amazing and perfectly set up – what an amazing area though, so close to everything and the gorgeous photos show you certainly had a fab time! 🙂 Sim x #TotsTravel

  • Malin – Sensational Learning with Penguin

    March 5, 2018 at 2:39 am

    Popping back for #ExplorerKids ?x

  • Karen

    March 13, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    Its wonderful that the little extras like cleaning products (and especially popcorn) were included in the stay. The whole area looks beautiful. #MondayEscapes

  • Katy Stern

    March 14, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    Zoe I absolutely love your photographs they are always so beautiful. This looks such a gorgeous place to stay and the Sussex coastline looks gorgeous. Somewhere we have not ventured and I am definitely adding it to our list for this year!

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