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29th May 2019

Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts hotel review

Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts hotel review: be surrounded by the Kent countryside at its finest at this family-run retreat Leave your tiny idyll and you’ll find a wealth of great food and brilliant pubs and restaurants

Written by Rebecca Armstrong at inews Why? Family-run Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts are gearing up for their first summer, so now is the perfect time to visit to be surrounded by the Kent countryside at its finest. From 4 July there’s also the 10-day Jam on the Marsh arts festival featuring concerts, exhibitions, theatre shows, children’s events, poetry recitals and tours of local churches. For information and tickets, visit jamconcert.org. Location Covering around 100 miles in Kent and East Sussex, Romney Marsh is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Nearby is the ludicrously picturesque Rye, as well as other historic Cinque Port towns including Hythe, New Romney and Hastings, and it is but a short hop to the salt-blasted and shingle-steeped hamlet of Dungeness – Britain’s only desert, so low is its rainfall, and home to the late Derek Jarman’s eerily beautiful seaside home and garden. Ambience It’s incredible – the huts are set in a sea of green fields, with nothing but sky and sheep to look at. Watching dawn break pink over the landscape is worth setting an alarm for, and stargazing next to the firepit will make you put off bedtime. Accommodation There are two shepherds huts – The Lookerer (a “looker” was another name for a shepherd) and Rumwold’s Hut – and anyone who so much as steps inside one will immediately hanker after a hut of their own, they’re so perfectly put together and so satisfyingly laid out. A tiny hob, fridge, kettle and fold-out table share the space with a comfortable double bed. There’s a wood-burning stove and – I couldn’t believe my eyes – a compact loo and shower. I could have spent my entire time sitting inside, marvelling at the dolls’ house perfection. Food and drink While the huts contain welcome packs of local milk, bread, butter, eggs, bacon and wine, leave your tiny idyll and you’ll find a wealth of great food and brilliant pubs and restaurants. A visit to nearby Gusbourne vineyard is educational and delicious – its French-style wines are world-beating. The Woolpack Inn in Warehorne combines country pub, hearty food and eccentric but beautiful rooms. Try the fish platter for two (£15.50) for lunch or the Kentish pig platter (£38) for dinner. What to do Walk across the marshes with the wind in your hair or visit Port Lympne Wildlife Park to see the zebras. Alpaca Annie offers group hour-long alpaca walks (£25) – my alpaca, Splodge, was a great companion – or climb Rye’s cobbled Mermaid Street and pick up a bun at the long-running Simon the Pieman. As well as the peacefulness of being surrounded by beautiful landscape, Enjoy the products that owners Kristina and her husband Paul sell under their Romney Marsh Wools label. Blankets, sheepskins, soaps and skincare, which are all made from the farm’s flock. You’ll get a sneak preview inside your hut, as both are kitted out with the line. To book Rushfield, Gigger’s Green Road, Aldington, Ashford, Kent TN25 7BT (01233 721 800, romneymarshshepherdshuts.co.uk). From £140, including breakfast hamper.

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