The Nest

Nestled in Danehill, on the borders of East and West Sussex, The Nest is a lofty, light-filled woodland hideaway, yet only a three-minute stroll to the award-winning Coach and Horses freehouse pub and restaurant. Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and on the edge of the Ashdown Forest, famously home to Winne-the-Pooh and his friends, this wonderful cottage is highly rated by guests, with over 80 five-star reviews across various platforms. A stay here includes everything you might need for a couple’s romantic retreat, a small family getaway, or a few days of creative working. Not only that, The Nest is super luxurious and top quality, too.

The treehouse-style first-floor entrance opens into a spacious, beautifully designed studio with a living room and dining/work area. You'll find ample sleeping space for four guests, with a sumptuous four-poster bed and a comfy double sofa bed with Egyptian cotton bed linen. There's a marble-tiled bathroom with a double-ended bath and rainwater shower with waterfall taps, and guests are treated to fluffy towels and bath robes. Downstairs, there's a fully-equipped kitchen that includes a cooker, fridge, Nespresso coffee machine, washer/dryer, plus a stock of tea, coffee, milk, biscuits, and other basics. Enjoy the views of the woods while sitting at the breakfast bar.

The cottage has everything you need, host Serena has made sure of that, kitting out this purpose-built guest accommodation to a high standard. Fast full fibre Wi-Fi and a Smart flat-screen TV make sure you can stay connected. The Nest sits within the grounds of Serena’s house, yet it’s totally private – you even have a little garden space to yourselves with seating in the dappled shade of an old pear tree.

When you’re comfortably cocooned in this timber-clad cottage, looking out on the leafy canopy of the surrounding woodland, it’s easy to see why it was christened The Nest. Throw open the French windows and the sound of birdsong from neighbouring trees is interrupted only by the occasional peal of bells from Danehill church or, once in a while, by the whistle of steam trains on the Bluebell Railway as they chug past nearby.

This is life in Sussex at its tranquil best; ideal for a long weekend or even a week away exploring the many attractions nearby including Wakehurst Botanical Gardens, the Bluebell Railway and Sheffield Park National Trust Gardens or head to The South Downs National Park or the South Coast and Brighton Marina – all within a 45 mins drive. Alternatively, you can walk to Ashdown Forest or the bluebell woods over the babbling brook bridge, before eating dinner at the cosy local pub – without needing to get in the car.

You may not have heard of the charming village of Danehill, but it’s very conveniently located for public transport and easily reached from London, whose southern outskirts are only 30 miles away. The Ashdown Forest is an ancient place of heath and woodland and is also the largest area of open-access land in the southeast and well worth a visit – much like The Nest itself.