Fresh air, country views, bracing walks and a country-style inn are on the doorstep of the five shepherds’ huts at The Merry Harriers. Or perhaps that should be the other way around – with the shepherds’ huts on the doorstep of the pub. After all, this beamed inn was here first. It’s been serving thirsty customers since the 16th century, while the shepherd’s huts are a new addition. City slickers looking for a quick country getaway and glampers who prefer accommodation at the hotel-end of the spectrum will be happy here. At just 40 minutes from Waterloo station, Londoners don’t even need to wait for the weekend – a mid-week, overnight stay is a tempting possibility.
Each shepherd’s hut is set up for two with bedding, towels and toiletries provided. There’ll be a bottle of rosé chilling in the hut’s wine fridge and a few nibbles for you to enjoy with the view from your sun lounger. Inside, expect hotel-style facilities, which means a heated towel rack in the en suite bathroom, a comfy bed and underfloor heating. It also means that a kettle and a coffee machine are as far as cooking facilities go. It’s been designed as a place to relax where someone else is in the kitchen. Breakfast is included and the pub’s lunches and dinners, made using ingredients sourced from a 15-mile radius, are the obvious option.
The shepherd’s huts are situated around a pond in their own private area of the pub back garden, which also features a children’s play area, a garden bowls green and views of The Merry Harriers’ herd of llamas. It’s another of the ways the pub has branched out. For some people feeding and watching the llamas will be an added bonus of a stay here, for others the opportunity to join a llama walk will be a reason to come.
Whether it’s with llamas or not; this is a great place to walk. Hambledown, where The Merry Harriers is situated, is in that finger of green, the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which seems to beckon Londoners towards the South Downs National Park. Walkers and cyclists love it here. The shepherds’ huts are a base from which to explore, as well as a stopping-off point for those on longer tours, including the long-distance footpath, the Greensand Way, which passes the pub’s front door. This is a well-to-do part of the world and if you fancy exploring further, it’s not far to Farnham, Guildford or Goodwood. There’s also the polo club at Cowdray Park, the gardens at RHS Wisley and a couple of National Trust sites too. Outings that are not just merry like the harriers but jolly good too.