Reading Evening Post

We are not keen walkers unless you count the miles that we walk wandering round towns sightseeing. Our break in late winter was not meant for walking – we needed a well earned rest. Downe Cottages provide a level of luxurious comfort and tranquillity that even the glossy brochure couldn’t do justice to.

The phrase “self-catering cottage” can conjure up ideas of quaint, chintzy comfort, which are dashed by the reality of threadbare cast out fur-niture, musty smells, gruesome DIY decoration, lumpy beds, hard pillows and eccentric cookers.

Nothing could be further from the truth at Downe Cottages. The converted stable block is so well appointed and so beautifully decorated with a state-of-the-art self cleaning cooker, dishwasher, television and video that it was like a home from home only a lot smarter.

We found great restaurants, interesting places to visit, good shopping and spent a wonderful afternoon at Rosemoor, the Royal Horticultural Society Garden near Torrington, which was full of flowers in February and provided endless food for thought for gardening at home.