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Xidong Cottage and Squire Cottage, Squire Farm, Bucknell Shropshire, England At the trough of Caer Caradoc hill fort, not too far from Offa’s Dyke, is a slice of Japan. The cottage, once a cowshed, has an eastern elegance, with low level furniture hand-crafted from oak and a room open to the eaves. It is perfect for two. You’re free to throw off coats and muddy boots in the lean-to, then relish the warmth of underfloor heating and tatami rush matting. Floor cushions and beanbags await tired souls, large enough to disappear into. Triple doors slide open to your private oriental garden finished with fishpond, hot tub and Shropshire stone terraces. Beyond is Squire Farm with chickens, cats and dogs; venture out on bike or foot to absorb woodland by the river Redlake and behold the herons wading. At bedtime you’ll find yourself climbing the stairwell to a mezzanine bedroom for sweet dreams under sloped ceilings amid freshly laundered linen. Awake to eggs, bread, milk, butter, fruit and coffee in the galley kitchen; serve it all up for breakfast on new white crockery. To cleanse: simply step behind the quirky serpentine glass of the wet room wall and let the water do the rest. The ‘Rising Sun’ (the translation of ‘Xidong’) is a haven of serenity.
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Squire Cottage
Xidong Cottage interior
Bedroom in Xidong Cottage
View from the hot tub in Xidong
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