River cottage, 15 miles to Hay on Wye, Views to River,

Thank you for your lovely note, and so glad you had a nice time. The attic bedroom has actually been a part of the house since the time it was built in the 1880's and was designed to be a bedroom for the railway crossing keeper's children (and grandchildren!). It features in the book 'The Mysteries of Glass', by Sue Gee, where a little girl watches the trains go by from the attic windows - this being before the railway was decommissioned in the 1960's with the Beeching closures. From the other end, the children would have watched the river gurgling by, beyond the apple trees, and spied for fish rising and for kingfishers flying past. The house is on a split level, so although the kitchen is on the level of the lower garden, the bedrooms, bathroom and sitting room are all on the ground floor, which is the level of the upper garden and the lane. This can be helpful for those who can't manage stairs to get to the bedroom or bathroom (which are usually on the first floor of a house), and who are fortunate enough to have others in their party bring up tea to enjoy by the fire, or at the table in the sitting room window with views to the river and ancient woodland beyond. WIFI is on the mend again as we are switching away from Talk Talk to a better provider, which will be effective at the end of this week! But as you say, we hope guests will find our cottage to be a retreat from the pressures and the crispness of modern life for those who chose to seek it. Thank you again for coming to stay.

Good morning - thank you very much for your lovely note - it was lovely to realise you had been several times before and I am very glad that your family had a very nice time. We are delighted to have welcomed you! With best wishes.

Thank you for your lovely note - we were delighted to welcome you and are so glad to learn that you enjoyed the cosiness and magic of the cottage and also enjoyed its beautiful setting and wildlife. Hearing the sound of the river in the morning and at night, when you go to sleep, is something very special, and we are delighted that you enjoyed it too. It is wonderful in the summer as well and we would pleased to welcome you back.

Thank you for your lovely note - we are thrilled that you enjoyed your holiday with us - and what a lot of nice things you did during your stay! You have really captured the essence of a family holiday in our quiet countryside setting - reading the note of all the things you enjoyed is a great inspiration - thank you!