Upper Barn

If you're looking for a eco-friendly self-catering holiday property in the South Downs National Park, then read on – we think we may have found just the place. Situated in a uniquely beautiful position a few miles north of Arundel, west Sussex, with splendid views over the Arun Valley and bang on the long-distance South Downs Way, Upper Barn is a glorious rural bolthole for two that can also sleep up to four people in comfort. It's also one of the most eco-friendly properties you could find, a rustic lodging that has been sensitively converted from its original purpose as a 'sheepfold' and is now almost entirely self-sustainable, with solar panels for lighting and hot water, a Biomass boiler for heat and its own on-site sewerage system. Not only that – the nearby village of Amberley has its own train station, just a ten-minute walk away, making it one of very truly rural escapes that you can reach without a car.

With much of the original structure retained to give the overall setting a rustic feel, Upper Barn is almost literally rooted in the landscape if the South Downs, located right next to disused chalk quarry that nowadays hosts the Amberley Working Museum (the entrance is a 10-minute walk away). The barn has one spacious double bedroom, a main living area with two single sofa beds, a well-equipped kitchen and a family bathroom with a walk-in shower. It's very secluded, with a private walled garden to enjoy that includes a rustic shepherds hut that's used as a summer house and a firepit for cosy evenings and al fresco cook-outs; there's also a wash-down and storage area for bikes. 

There's a decent 4G signal but no wifi, making it a place for those who really want to get away from it all while minimising the impact of their stay on the environment, with no reason at all to get in a car. Pets are welcome, which is just as well – you could set off in more or less any direction and find a walk to suit you: The South Downs Way is on your doorstep, and the ultra-long Monarch’s Way – which runs from Shoreham right up to the Midlands – passes close by, as do numerous other shorter footpaths and cycle routes.  Birdwatchers will be happy, with kestrels, buzzards and red kites often hovering in the skies above, and you can explore the Arun river by boat from Amberley (where you can also hire bikes). Amberley itself is a lovely, historic Sussex village, and has a shop that can provide most of the supplies you might need, plus there are several pubs both in the village itself and around – all within walking distance.

As for further-afield attractions, you are close to the nearby RSPB reserves at Amberley Wildbrooks and Pulborough Brooks, the pleasant town of Arundel with its superb castle, and the Goodwood Estate and Tudor Parham House and Gardens. With so much accessible on foot, though, you may choose not to stray far – and we wouldn't blame you if you didn't!