The Red Barn

A backwater idyll on the north Cornwall-Devon border, this cosy, bijou barn conversion (sleeps 2-4) is heaven for rural romantics, country bumpkins and free-range kids

This really is the sticks, the middle of nowhere – all tractors, sheep and cock-a-doodle-doo. The last leg of the journey takes you down grassy lanes so narrow you can almost pick the hedgerows as you brush past. And just smell the air: essence of farmyard with an ocean tang, a hint of wild garlic. But location aside, the Red Barn is no country hick. The look is cottage-contemporary: white walls, white tiles, rugs on wood floors, a bit of Orla Kiely. An upside-down space, it has two bedrooms below deck and, above, a light, loft-like living room which opens onto a private garden. The under-floor heating is powered by a ground-source heat pump. And there’s WiFi, too.

This nifty little barn conversion is the work of Conrad and Karen Allen, a pair of down-from-London good-lifers who combine fashion industry careers with raising a family and running Venn Farm, their own 7-acre smallholding. As their guests, you are free to explore its wildflower meadow, tramp across the stream and, in a clearing beyond a little patch of woodland, meet the chickens. On days out, head for the seaside. The dramatic cliffs and surfy beaches of the north Cornish coast are barely 5 miles away.

Highs

• The garden: a quarter of an acre of the great outdoors, it’s a meadow of lawn hedged with whispering beech trees
• Breakfast on the terrace on a warm, summer’s morning
• Woodland, walks and wildlife all within a stone’s throw of the back door
• Bright, clean décor with a refreshing zing of colour
• Deep in the heart of the country – but so close to the coast (Bude is just 6 miles west)

Lows

• The space is, shall we say, compact – and the double bed is standard UK size (4'6 wide)
• It’s a bit out of the way – no pubs or shops within walking distance – and you will need a car to get around
• The bedrooms lack privacy – particularly the master bedroom which faces the farmhouse (thankfully there is a blind at the window)