WITH the temperatures dropping, the thought of being cosy couldn’t be more appealing – and there’s an English holiday cottage that’s the ideal place for just that.
Located in Weston-under-Lizard in Shropshire, you will find a little cottage called Hansa.
Looking as if it has been ripped from the pages of Hansel and Gretel, the cottage sits off-grid within 200 acres of Shropshire woodland.
This Victorian gothic lodge was built to originally host lunches for the Earl of Bradford, but now is somewhere you can stay.
And according to Unique Stays, it has a ” fairytale otherworldliness”.
It is surrounded by woodland with lots of wildlife and views over a vast lake.
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Guests enter the lodge through a small porch with benches and twisting tree branches.
On the inside, the original dark wood panels from 1856 cover the walls and above you rests a chandelier covered in metal ivy.
There are then two green velvet chairs and a plush double bed complete with a green throw.
The green colour palette is continued in the small kitchen with a four-ring hob, gas oven, fridge, small freezer and a Nespresso machine and there is a sleek, paler green tiled bathroom with a walk-in rainfall shower as well.
Inside the main bedroom area, there is also a table and chairs, a desk and a woodburner.
Guests can park on a gravel drive and then the cottage can be reached via a woodland track.
In addition, guests get a welcome hamper full of local treats to enjoy during their stay.
And you will also get marshmallows for the fire, logs and kindling, a BBQ Grill Egg with a pizza stone, smart TV, Bluetooth speaker, Wi-Fi, iPad, two vintage-style bicycles, his and her Hunter wellies and a rowing boat to use during your stay.
Just outside of the lodge, there is another table and chairs for outdoor dining and a woodfired hot tub.
Babes in arms are welcome with cots available on request, as are up to two dogs which will be charged at £60 each, per week.
The cottage sleeps up to two people and costs from £1,450 per week or £1,095 per short break.
One recent visitor said: “Hansa was a brilliant home to stay in and I can’t sing the owner’s praises enough.
“The cupboards were stocked with everything you could possibly need, there were fresh eggs, milk, bread and even a hamper of goodies from both sweet treats to a full on cheese board with something bubbly to wash it down with.
“They really thought of everything!”
Another visitor said: “Hansa is a special place, we couldn’t have chosen a better calming little house to chill.
“Thank you for letting us stay in this fairy-style house, where it was warm, cosy, we had everything we needed.”
For things to do nearby, the cottage sits in a sprawling 26-acre estate that has seen battles of the 1642 civil war and even former King Charles II shelter in The Royal Oak of Boscobel House parkland after he fled the Roundheads.
In Weston-under-Lizard itself, guests will find Weston House – a 17th century manor house with a vast art collection and restaurant.
The site also hosts a number of events throughout the year.
Tickets to the house cost £11 per person.
Just a 30 minute drive away you could head to Dudmaston Estate in Quatt – a 17th century National Trust house with a Modern Art collection, pretty gardens, play areas and a second-hand bookshop.
Alternatively, also 30 minutes away, is The Bear Inn, in Hodnet, located inside a former 16th century coaching inn.
The friendly pub serves comfort dishes such as monkfish with mushroom, chicken wing, leek and madeira for £28, rose veal, ox cheek tart with carrot, ale and jus for £29 and goats cheese gnocchi with beetroot, chestnut and broccoli for £22.
It takes just an hour to drive from Birmingham to Hansa lodge.
For more holiday cottage and lodge inspo, here is the secluded English cottage where your garden is the beach and people say it ‘doesn’t even look real’.
Plus, stunning cottage is crowned ‘Best for Beaches’ in UK and you can book for £27 per person, per night.
