Time to introduce you to the latest addition to our little green hut …….. The Deck, Gin Deck, The Platform, the Treehouse, we can’t quite decide on the name! But it’s tucked away not far from the shepherdshut, a wander through the field & allotment & now the loveliest addition for you to use & make memories together while you stay with us & enjoy your time away. Ofcourse, she has a story, of how she came to be… pop the kettle on, pull up a chair, & we shall begin...
Can you believe it all started with a throw away offer of a shed by our neighbours, which we thought we could use as a chicken coop. It turned out, the shed was far too good to use for hens, & to be honest, too big for four chucks, and, well, you know how it goes, before we knew where we were, it was full operation upgrade! We already had an old shed which was full of “stuff” but it was where we wanted our new shed to go. So (the Royal) we moved the old shed down into the field where the hens would go.
With the help of some burly boys (husband, sons, neighbours, friends & friends of friends) the old shed was lifted up in one piece, carried & put in position where the hens now live. It was a quite a sight, very Wizard of Oz like & beers were definitely earned. This left space for the new old shed to fit in perfectly next to the boys old tree house down in the allotment. The new old shed has plans, & hopefully, by Spring/Summer 2022 you will be able to use it along side the Deck. Our spare room is slowly filling up with "new old shed" items as I type, there's nothing like planning the finer details before completing the structural work is there? But, hey, spoiler alert..... it's going to be fab & will be a perfect partner to the Gin deck.
We spent many many lockdown evenings & weekends securing the fencing in the allotment for the arrival of four new hens! They are afterall, the most pampered poultry in the peaks. They have a very smart egloo house & 2 acres of land to potter around. But still they escape & end up in the village car park, hanging around any poor unsuspecting visitors & begging for crumbs! Atleast they provide us with some delicious eggs. When they are on top egg laying form, we have them available to buy from our hutty honesty stand. Eggs have never been more free range!
We spent so much time working there in the evenings & weekends due to lockdown, it meant the allotment then got reconfigured. Smaller more manageable beds, a dovecote made by some lovely hutty guests (now friends) was installed as a focal point & it all started to come together.
The last piece of “operation allotment” was to tidy up the tree house. It seemed a shame to waste the space & from up high, the views across the fields to the village below are beautiful. The boys treehouse really does have a tree growing through it & it's just the right height to use as a seat, just throw a rug or sheepskin over it. The boys used to scramble up there with a rope ladder. Now we know our guests are pretty adventurous, but swinging around trying to get your leg up in desperation for a gin didn't seem quite right, so we had some bespoke steps made locally by https://linktr.ee/Brindleytimberworks Sturdy & safe, they do the job perfectly. We fitted panels to the sides , added a shelf for your cuppas/gin & included a bistro set.
The Deck has proved really popular & has been a great addition to the hut, so far guests have loved it. Its private & peaceful. A great place to watch the owls searching for their tea, the hens (when they're not in the carpark), swallows swooping, watching the sunrise, enjoy an alfresco breakfast, morning coffee & most importantly your favorite tipple while the sun sets......
Cheers x