We love our road trips to deliver our huts, and we get the chance to see some truly glorious locations and wonderful people.
This is The Glorious Guernsey Hut, as we call it….
John and Alison (a retired Marine Engineer from Guernsey, and a retired UK lawyer respectively) are 2nd-time round-ers with six adult children between them. They have spent the last few years renovating their old Guernsey farmhouse and celebrated the end of the project by getting married at the end of September 2017. Only one of their children lives on the island, so they often have the others visiting – which is why at a time when most couples are thinking of downsizing, they have up-sized, and this is why having a Blackdown Shepherd’s Hut is very, very handy as a retreat-come-sanctuary!
‘Our Hut 109 is a 14-foot Retreat wooden hut with double French doors. We have lovely views from several points on our fields out over the sea but are very exposed to the prevailing sometimes gale force winds off the sea. We wanted somewhere solid and stormproof, warm enough to sit in during the colder shoulder seasons and watch the weather howl in.
‘We both liked the notion of a well-insulated shepherd’s hut, did a bit of research online and liked the look and ethos of Blackdown so we flew over to Somerset on a recce. We found the quality, flexibility and attention to detail just as we hoped.
‘The hut does not have sleeping facilities but it does have a small galley kitchen with hob, sink and fridge and a woodburning stove. It is used solely for sitting in and reading or watching the weather over the sea whilst drinking tea or gin.
‘We didn’t need to decorate it, other than to put up pictures and a plate rack, as Blackdown understood exactly what we were looking for and built and painted it accordingly!
‘We love its solidity and durability in foul weather yet its lightness and airiness when the sun finally shines. There’s also the delicious knowledge that we could actually move it from one part of our land to another if we want to. And the wood smells lovely.
‘The whole thing was a glorious drama – far from being just a necessary trial to go through before we could have a hut, the initial visit to Ilminster was part of the fun: the whole visit was friendly and informal yet still businesslike and efficient. The arrival in Guernsey was off a freight ferry at 3am on the morning the Referendum result was coming out and the load required a police outrider escort round our narrow lanes to the house. It was installed as the rest of the country was waking up and then Will, Emma and the helpers disappeared for the ferry home. Slightly surreal.
‘Our hut suits us. Others may want a different size and configuration, and can be pretty certain that Blackdown could give them what they want.’
A perfect addition, to be sure!