Hendred Farm Huts

Enjoy a taste of life in a rural Oxfordshire village with a stay at Hendred Farm Huts. These little hideaways on a country estate give you the chance to unwind surrounded by wildlife and farmers’ fields, with a lovely gastro pub a short wander away. Longer wanders are also recommended around here as East Hendred, where the huts are situated, is in the Vale of the White Horse. It’s a lovely part of the North Wessex Downs that’s criss-crossed by ancient trackways and peppered by historic earthworks that add interest to any days out.

There are three huts on site, quaintly named Dorothy, Agatha and Martha. They look totally at home in the countryside setting and the interior reflects that too: a stable door, whitewashed timber-clad walls, a butler sink and a log burner. The huts are off grid but have solar panels to power a fridge, a Roberts radio and lights. It’s all rather nostalgic and well connected to the outdoors where you can cook on a campfire that’s sheltered and protected by a woven hazel fence. That provides a little separation from the neighbours – though the huts are well spread out in this tree-lined parkland meadow anyway and the grass is allowed to grow long in between.

Each hut sleeps two and dogs are welcome. It’s a good place for them – and anyone who likes a walk. The obvious place for that is The Ridgeway, the national trail that runs along the North Wessex Downs, not far from here. Another good place is to set off on a route around the 3,000-year-old Uffington White Horse that gives the area its name. Newbury and Oxford are both within half an hour’s drive, the market towns of Wantage and Didcot much closer than that. All are options for days out, if you don’t mind getting in the car. But, actually, you don’t have to have a car to come here. Didcot train station is just five miles away and host, Alexandra, is willing to pick you up (if arranged in advance). From London, the journey can be less than 40 minutes making this an excellent place for a car-free escape to the country.