Embers Barn and The Grinding Barn at The Old Farmyard are set amidst spectacular Oxfordshire countryside and offer luxury large group accommodation for 12-26 people. These big and beautiful holiday homes both have ample landscaped grounds with lawns and a terrace where there’s a barbecue and outdoor furniture, and a private cedar clad hot tub.
EMBERS BARN: Embers Barn sleeps 12 in 6 en suite bedrooms and has a supersize open plan living space with heaps of wow factor; chunky timbers soar to the vaulted roof, there’s a quirky raised fireplace with an open fire and hearthside seating, natural light pours in through the huge full height doors and windows. To one end is the well equipped kitchen and walk-in pantry, in the middle there’s a long refectory style table, and to the other end, plenty of comfy seating. Interiors are super stylish, professionally designed with a gorgeous boutiquey country feel where classic and contemporary blend to perfection; the ambience is gentle and inviting, it’s the perfect place to unwind.
A corridor leads off the kitchen to the en suite bedrooms, each with zip and link beds that you can have set up as a super king or twins (see Rooms). Down the end are Bedrooms 1 and 2, both with an en suite bathroom that has a free standing bath and overhead shower. Then there’s a walk-in cloakroom and next to it, Bedroom 3 which also has an en suite bathroom with a roll top bath and overhead shower, and then Bedroom 4 which has its own shower room. Across the corridor there’s a WC, Bedroom 5 which has an en suite wet room, and Bedroom 6 with an en suite shower room. Bedrooms are restful, bathrooms are crisp and snazzy with underfloor heating – all have been individually designed.
French doors open from the living space onto the terrace at the back of the house; get together out there on warmer days for barbecues, play croquet on the lawn, and when evening comes take a soak in the hot tub under a star-studded sky. The younger folk will have plenty of room to run around, and there’s even a ground level trampoline for them to play on.
THE GRINDING BARN: The Grinding Barn has 7 bedrooms to sleep 14 guests and like Embers Barn has a vast open plan living space with a well designed kitchen to one end, a huge dining table in the centre, and to the other end, chairs and sofas where you can curl up in comfort by the open fire. The room is flooded with daylight via floor to ceiling windows, there’s an impressive vaulted ceiling supported by sturdy timbers, and a stone fireplace with hearthside seating. A soft ambience pervades and fills the entire space, the elegant interiors have a contemporary edge that makes it all so welcoming; wow factor seeps from every corner.
What’s great is that if you all want to dine together you can opt for another table to be set up so that there’s enough seating for 28 – perfect for those happy celebration feasts. Hire tried and tested professional caterers (see Extras) to come in and cook for you, make it an occasion to remember.
Bedrooms 1-3 are on the ground floor, off the wide entrance hallway; a lobby opens onto Bedrooms 1 and 2 and a shared shower room, so this makes a really good suite for a family, with parents in one room and children in the other. Bedroom 3 has an en suite bathroom with a free standing bath and overhead shower. Also off the hall are a WC and right next to the kitchen, a big walk-in pantry with laundry facilities.
Bedrooms 4 to 7 are on the first floor; Bedroom 4 is a large room that has an en suite bathroom with a roll top bath and overhead shower, Bedroom 5 has an en suite shower room, and Bedrooms 6 and 7 share a bathroom with a free standing bath and overhead shower. All of the beds at The Grinding Barn are zip and link so they can be arranged as super kings or twins. Like the bedrooms, bathrooms are individually designed, with colourful tiles adding a snazzy accent, and all have underfloor heating to keep your toes cosy in the winter.
Spend warmer days and evenings sitting on the terrace at the back of the house; fire up the barbecue and get the sausages sizzling, gather round and tuck in while the sun starts to set; round off your night with a starlit soak in the hot tub. Children will have hours of fun running around in the landscaped gardens, doing handstands on the lawn, playing games of make believe.
SHARED: At the front of Embers Barn and The Grinding Barn there’s a large courtyard and terrace where you can all meet in the mornings for coffee or for a game of boules and afternoon tea. To the side there’s a covered games area where you can while away the hours having family fun with giant Jenga and Connect 4 or raising the challenge of a pool or table football contest. There are so many happy memories to be made when you come to The Old Farmyard for a large family holiday or special celebration, memories you’ll treasure for years to come.