Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

Idyllic country cottage that comes with surprise accommodation in the garden

This pretty cottage near the coast is wrapped in a blanket of its own gorgeous five-acre garden that includes Welsh woodland and paddocks plus an attached two-bedroom holiday let next door that offers income as well as an idyllic new rural lifestyle. And nestled under that blanket is a most unusual holiday let; Dolly the circus wagon.

Staying with Dolly is staying at a location that offers you everything you could want from a stay away. One of the nearest towns is the historic market town of Llandysul, perched above the river Teifi in Ceredigion and opposite the county of Carmarthenshire that might tempt you to cross the historic stone bridge,

But don't cross that bridge as the sprawling and special county of Ceredigion offers you all you need for a perfect coast and country, village and town existence.

READ MORE: Inside Sir Tom Jones' party pad that has gone on sale looking just like it did in the swinging Sixties

Nearly six acres of garden that includes woodland (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
The main house nestles within glorious Welsh countryside (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

One of the nearest sandy shores is Penbryn beach, a stunning and unspoilt spot on the sweeping Cardigan Bay coast. This special spot on the coast is owned by the National Trust, has won a Seaside Award and is designated as a 'Dark Skies Discovery Site'.

There is a car park, toilets and a cafe so this mile long stretch of sand can accommodate visitors who require facilities, and if the sand gets too hot there are shaded woodland walks on offer away from the cliff-edge coastline. Other perfect coastal places to enjoy the Welsh sand and sea include nearby Llangrannog, Tresaith, and Aberporth.

Wander down the meandering driveway to the main house, flanked by trees and fields, and a tranquil future existence appears through the foliage. The main house is the type of symmetrical period property that so many children draw when dreaming of the perfect house, but this beauty is a reality.

Called Ffynnon Fendigaid the main cottage home is reported to date back to 1749 and is a three-bed country character cottage that has an attached two-bed cottage that offers options - use the adjoining door to the main house that already exists to make this property into a truly multi-generational site or use it as a holiday let for extra income.

But arguably the icing on this sweetest of country property cake is the final option to lay your head at this amazing property. Meet Dolly the circus wagon, a 1940s circus wagon that has been restored to be as authentic as possible to the touring circus vehicles of the time. Hidden within a private corner of the land with her own parking, private garden and newly added decked area from where the panoramic rural vistas can be enjoyed, day or night.

Meet Dolly the circus wagon (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Kitchen has charm but also modern appliances (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

Inside, the space has been designed to be compact and practical but also to ooze the charm of a wooden wagon from the era. The front door of the wagon opens straight into the kitchen area, which is surprisingly spacious for a compact and cute mobile cabin.

Modern additions not enjoyed by the occupants at the beginning of Dolly's life include a microwave, oven and hob, and fridge. The main living space is a delightful display of wood panel walls and built-in traditional furniture, including a writing bureau, drawers and even a glass display cabinet.

Log burner is the central feature (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Cosy bedroom at the end of the cabin (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

The room is centred around the wagon's original wood-burning stove, although as the whole wagon is teaming with wood, it's not in working order. The space is heated by a far less stylish but far safer modern heater.

Imagine settling down on the squishy sofa or curling up in the cosy armchair with a hot drink and getting a flavour of how a circus performer from over 60 years ago would have lived.

Through the living room and into the only bedroom. A double bed nestles into the space, cocooned by original wood walls and ceiling panelling, making this a cosy and romantic space.

But it's not all about the past, as Dolly is also kitted out with double glazing, a television, and there is a shepherd's hut adjoining the wagon that houses a shower room plus a newly built outside deck with fabulous views.

Don't panic - there modern facilities at the wagon, in the adjacent shepherd's hut which is fully equipped (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Dolly's deck is a delightful space for dining and admiring the view (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

Keep wandering around the garden and you come across the second of the surprise extra accommodation in the 5.75 acre garden - a garden lodge with its own veranda overlooking the acres of land stretching out in front of it.

This bonus cabin has a spacious lounge complete with working wood burner plus reclaimed wood flooring, a double bedroom, a kitchen and a shower room. The garden cabin and Dolly are both tucked away from the main house, within the extensive grounds in private locations, and currently used as holiday lets.

Bonus feature number one: the garden cabin (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Spacious and comfortable inside (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Incredible view from the deck outside (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

This hefty property bundle also includes various other outbuildings including a former lambing shed which is now used as a workshop, as well as a studio, which the agent selling this slice of idyllic yet productive country life says could be an ideal home office or hobby room.

But this property package isn't all about the unique places for guests and visitors to lay their sleepy heads, there are two cottages for the owner and their extended family too, a three-bed cottage with stylish interiors and a charming adjoining two-bed cottage that could also be a holiday let.

Inside, the pretty stone three-bed cottage delivers pretty interiors too. With all walls gone at the front, an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room spans the whole of the width of the house, with the central staircase doing a grand job of providing a visual way of designating the two zones within this delightful open space.

The room is full of lovely country views and multiple methods for light to enter and provide the oodles of illumination this fabulous space deserves.

Kitchen is bathed in light as well as tasteful interior design (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Great view from the island unit (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

The kitchen on one side of the centre stairs is a classic Shaker-style but joined with a fresh and modern blue accent colour on the far wall.

This shade is repeated within the opposite lounge area at the other end of the space, visually connecting and harmonising both spaces The use of the same beautiful wood flooring throughout helps to provide extra visual flow and connection too.

The dining and lounge area on the other side of the stairs continues the tasteful and country-inspired interior design with the addition of rich tones of pink that are picked up again on the utility room door.

Whole of the front of the ground floor is open-plan (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Using the same colour for a feature wall in both areas connects the spaces at each end of the open-plan room (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

The places that are calling out for you to stop and linger are the armchairs nestled around the log burner and the traditional country farmhouse dining table and chairs, depending on whether you're due to be eating or lounging.

There's a cosy snug reception room behind this dining room, with its own log burner and triple aspect views to the garden, as well as more squishy, impossibly comfortable seating drenched in tactile fabrics and cushions; once you're snuggled in there the chances are you won't be shifting yourself for a while.

Cosy snug with layers of light and layers of tactile, snuggly fabrics too (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Three bedrooms upstairs in the main house (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Pretty country-style interiors continue upstairs (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

Behind the kitchen is the engine of the house - the utility room, the kitchen pantry, storage room and a handy bonus shower room. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one of them with an ensuite, plus a family bathroom and a landing large enough to be used comfortably as a home office.

Attached to the main house is the pretty primrose coloured cottage that has its own front door found in the connecting hall that has been constructed between the two cottages and where you will also find the door into the main house if you need it.

Bonus primrose painted cottage that joins the main house (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
The first floor of the bonus cottage is open-plan (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Exposed stone wall and log burner add visual warmth and actual warmth to the cottage's open-plan reception room (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

This bonus yellow cottage is also something special and whoever occupies it - granny, guests or grumpy teenagers - will surely be instantly captivated by its charming design and interior design.

It's an upside down cottage which means the sleeping happens on the ground floor leaving the first floor open-plan for all eating, socialising and cooking. This first floor accommodation is double-height with the roof structure and beams the most breath-taking original feature.

Upside down cottage accommodation means the amazing roof structure can be enjoyed by the living space on the first floor (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)
Cottage bedrooms are on the ground floor and boast a patchwork pattern of exposed beams (JJ Morris Cardigan / rightmove)

Add to that a broken plan layout between kitchen and dining area, the log burner in the lounge area, white-washed stone walls, exposed stone walls and multiple windows in walls and roof, and this room is a charming space to want to spend as much time in as possible. But the outside is calling, so it's time to answer it.

Dolly and her property partners nestled within this blissful slice of Ceredigion countryside is on the market for £850,000 with estate agent JJ Morris, call their Cardigan branch on 01239 612343 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter which is sent to your inbox twice a week.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.