TOWN STREET BARN: BRASSINGTON

21-22/05/18

By Beth

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:

To stay in a picturesque village
For the stylish interiors
Enjoy your own private cinema room
The perfect base for exploring Derbyshire

DESTINATION:

Living on the outskirts of Manchester, we are pretty close to nearby Derbyshire and it's the perfect nearby spot for a few days away. Town Street Barn is located in the quaint village of Brassington, close to the towns of Ashbourne and Matlock and the village of Tissington, which are ideal spots for days out. Brassington itself doesn't have a lot there, other than a couple of pubs, but it's a very pretty village and the stone of the buildings really reminded me of The Cotswolds.

During our two days, we visited all of the above, along with Buxton on our journey over from Manchester, and we particularly loved Tissington. Whilst there isn't a lot there, it's such a picturesque and peaceful place and the tea rooms are a great spot to relax over a cuppa and a slab of cake. There is also an old fashioned sweet shop which is a must visit for your childhood sweet fix!

We also visited Carsington Water, which is only a few minutes from the barn, and it's a really gorgeous spot on a sunny day for a walk, cycle or boat trip.

DECOR:

One of the first things that attracted me to Town Street Barn was the decor, as it's designed and furnished extremely stylishly. I've mentioned this before on the blog in my post about 15 of the UK's most stylish holiday homes (where I actually featured Town Street Barn), but it's so hard to find holiday cottages that have great interiors.

The lovely owners of Town Street Barn have converted this barn superbly and made great use of space to create a cosy and cool one bedroom rental. They live next door and we were greeted by owner Hannah on arrival who made us feel welcome and it was useful knowing they weren't far away if we needed anything or there were any issues.

I loved all of the little touches in the barn, such as the retro/vintage decor finds and fresh flowers, and it was really clean and tidy with everything we could need for a couple of days away.

Not only does the barn have a large and bright open plan kitchen/dining/living space, but there is also a cinema room for ultimate chill out time. The cinema room is such a good idea and I'd be lying if I said we didn't leave wanting to create our own cinema room at home! There is a big TV on the wall, mood lighting, blankets and even popcorn and maltesers to make sure you fully enjoy the space. The only slight let down was that the sofa was a tad uncomfortable by the end of a film and I'd have liked my own big comfy chair instead I think.

We enjoyed two good night's sleep at the barn and I have to say, the freestanding bath in the bedroom has to be the best bath I think I've ever had. So much so that I even asked the owner where she bought it from!

DINING:

We didn't try either of the local pubs for food but we did did visit Ye Olde Gate Inn for drinks and loved spending an early summer evening sat in the beer garden with a crisp glass of white and a cold pint of beer. We saw people eating there and the food looked good and the menu offered home cooked pub grub but with a few more inventive dishes.

Since we wanted to make the most of having a cinema room for two days, we decided to eat in both nights. On the first night we cooked Crab Linguine and then enjoyed cheese, meats, bread and nibbles in front of a film on the second evening.

You are left a welcome hamper on arrival in the barn including crumpets, butter, jams, cereal, milk, tea and coffee and there are the usual larder items such as oil, salt and pepper available also.

DEBRIEF:

We enjoyed a lovely two nights at Town Street Barn and it was a great spot for exploring Derbyshire. It's the perfect spot for couples to enjoy some time out and relax.