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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

The pretty country cottage that comes with a former owner buried in the garden

If a remote rural retreat sounds like an idyllic future for your dream lifestyle and home, this gorgeous country cottage with a substantial outbuilding is a tempting property proposition that might get you racing to make an offer and pack your bags.

Nestled within the rolling countryside in the heart of beautiful Powys there's a perfect pocket of land that is home to a pretty cottage where the views are panoramic and the lifestyle offered is picturesque paradise. From this island of tranquillity, in every direction, turning 360 degrees, there is a mesmerising rural vista to take your breath away.

The garden that surrounds the stone cottage and its outbuilding seamlessly flows into the undulating fields, hedgerows and woodland beyond and towards the hills that hug the horizon. This is a picture perfect site to call a country home, so of course there's a babbling brook meandering past.

READ MORE: The stunning Gothic 8-bed mansion hiding near Cardiff that's on the market

The farmstead has its own private track, the only way to access the site (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Duo of delights onsite (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

Located in the heart of the countryside between Rhayader and Llandrindod Wells, the nearest facilities are far enough away for this cottage, accessed only by its own private country track, to be called remote but with civilisation close enough to call on when needed.

The estate agent selling this peaceful property proposition is super keen, stating that this property that awaits you is "an unspoilt house in an unspoilt location, a real gem of a property" - and it would be very hard indeed to disagree.

Called Nantyrhaidd the main house of this traditional Welsh farmstead has been lovingly and painstakingly restored by the current owners to create a classic country cottage that is everything you would hope and expect to see if chasing a traditional escape to the country.

There's the robust inglenook fireplace housing a log burner, white-washed stone walls, wooden floors, quarry floor tiles, exposed ceiling beams and period internal latch doors still boasting their original door furniture.

Whichever room you are having a peak at, it can disarm you with the glorious country view frame perfectly by a characterful cottage window that demands you wander over and immerse yourself in the special location this rural smallholding enjoys.

In the cottage, every window lures you over with the reward of an exceptional rural view (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Of course this country cottage has an inglenook fireplace (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
The fireplace is a beauty (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The cottage has one large reception room that spans the width of the property and can offer a lucky new owner a cosy lounge area clustered around the inglenook, and a dining area opposite that has sacrificed some of its space for the addition of a spacious bathroom.

The bathroom is a cottagecore delight, from the tactile, rugged stone wall with window sporting a stripped wooden lintel above, to the two shades of quarry tile on the floor, via the wonderful and truly classic roll-top, period bath.

Open-plan to the dining area (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Each area of the cottage is full of character (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Downstairs bathroom is a charmer for cottage features (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The kitchen is at the rear of the cottage and in here the ceiling height extends up to and into the sloping, single-storey roof. It can boast its own chunky, exposed section of the roof structure in the centre of the space that really adds extra charm to the room.

The four walls of stone, painted a fresh white, add a lower layer of character that extends down to the quarry tiled floor; every area of this room adds to its charm, from the top to bottom via the chunky stone walls.

The Shaker-style of the bespoke kitchen units is a classic, chosen in a light wood no doubt to reflect the countryside setting of the home.

Kitchen can boast a fabulous, exposed roof structure (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Stone walls and quarry tiled floor adds tactile surfaces to the kitchen (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

There's a character, wood panelled door at the end of the kitchen for direct access to the garden and surrounding land, and a window at the opposite end ensuring that the views and the outdoors are never far away from you in this cottage.

Up the stairs to a landing that is so large the it could be made into extra accommodation (if required and planning is granted), but if not then the space is a perfect place for a home office and reading nook, or an extra lounge area to relax away from the more social spaces below.

Huge landing on the first floor could maybe be extra accommodation, subject to planning and building control (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Or the landing could be the perfect place for a home office and relaxing reading nook (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

Up here there are two double bedrooms and both can fight it out for the best rural view from the property from their elevated first floor position, and it would be an absolute dog fight to the death because both vistas are simply stunning.

The country cottage itself is enough to have you falling head over welly-wearing heels in love with this property but there's a lot more to explore at this site, and maybe the most obvious one is the barn and pigsty next to the house that actually looks bigger in size than the house itself.

Choice of two double bedrooms accessed from the large landing (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Pillow to window to outstanding view (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
No chance of light pollution here if you want to star gaze from your bed (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The agent states that this fabulous bonus building is a L-shaped barn which has been used as a workshop and storage in recent years, but prior to that has been stables, pig and sheep pens.

One delightful and quirky find are the original walls of the pig pens that are still intact outside the walls of the barns.

The main enclosure of the barn measures around 12.94m by 8.87m at its maximum and again has been restored during the current owner's tenure, mainly being re-roofed and rooflights installed over the past 30 years.

The barn obviously oozes renovation project potential that could range from a home for the animals to a dream home for the humans, either as one outstanding abode or maybe a few units so all the extended family can add an escape to the country to their future plans - all subject to planning approval.

Bonus barn in the garden (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Lots of character to incorporate into a conversion, if you can get planning (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Lots of space to create either one incredible dream home or a few units to house all the family (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The agent suggests the barns could be further restored to be put back to their original uses, with original floors and separations still being intact, but if you could get planning consent this beautiful stone and wood building would make a truly gorgeous additional home on the site.

So get the wellies or the hiking boots on, depending on the weather, and get ready for some action because if you're exploring the land it's going to take you a while - how long to get lost and fall in love with around 55 acres of the most exquisite and unspoilt countryside Wales can offer?

From immediate garden to a large slice of Welsh countryside that demands to be explored (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
Site includes pretty stone walls at the forefront of exceptional countryside views (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
The land includes a babbling brook meandering through the fields and woodland (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The single country track gets you to the front garden with a gate and fence, a spacious lawn that's perfect place to park a bench - plus there's the barn's courtyard beyond.

Then the land then sweeps away from the property, through clusters of mature trees, down hidden dells, along the route of a brook, over hedgerows and across sprawling fields some of which have been grazed by a local farmer's stock over recent years. Within the far south west corner of this vast area of the land is the final surprise.

The 55 acres around the house belong to you (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)
It's understandable why someone would never want to leave this place (James Dean estate agents, Builth Wells / rightmove)

The estate agent states that here there is a licensed grave of a former owner, but as this property and land is truly an idyllic slice of Wales to call your special home, maybe finding out someone in the past wanted a remote spot here to be their final resting place is not such a surprise. More details about the grave, the property and the 18 Single Farm Payment (SFP) Entitlements that were purchased in 2008 and come with the sale are available from the estate agent.

The rare to find remote home and smallholding in the heart of Wales is on the market for £795,000 with estate agent James Dean, call their Builth Wells branch on 01982 552537 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.

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