With their flagstone floors, latch doors and open fires, an English country cottage is as charming as it gets. For many of us, living in a country cottage is nothing but a dream, or if we’re lucky, a holiday experience. But that doesn’t stop us obsessing over them. Every winter, we pin photos of country cottages to our Pinterest boards, basking in the romanticism and nostalgia of such quaint properties. Here are five reasons we can’t get enough of English country cottages.
They’re cosy and welcoming
With a wood fire crackling in the living room and an Aga radiating heat in the kitchen, a cottage just begs to be enjoyed. There’s no need for pretence, and there’s certainly no need to worry about making a mess: cottages are lived-in and well-worn spaces.
They hark back to a by-gone era
Us Brits are strangely nostalgic about the countryside, dreaming of the day we can pack up our jobs and retreat to open fields with a pair of wellies by the back door. After all, how else would TV shows like ‘Escape to the Country’ fare so well?
As a nation, we revere those exposed-stone walls, thatched roofs and little windows of English country cottages: they transport us back in time and remind us to slow down and appreciate buildings that have stood for longer than any of us have been alive.
We love their original features and little quirks
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to explore a country cottage, you’ll know that each one is harbouring little secrets and unexpected surprises. Be it a creaky floorboard, a layer of antique wallpaper or a quirky little door (skip to image twelve), it’s those little peculiarities that make them all the more appealing.
Muddy paws, skulking cats and a chicken or two look right at home
A country cottage wouldn’t be complete without a muddy dog lying in the kitchen, or a farm cat scaling a stable door. In fact, it’s not unusual for some country cottages to have unexpected guests such as a farmer’s chickens traipsing through the property! Yet, it’s this proximity to the great outdoors, and a happy companionship between humans and animals, that makes a country cottage so charming.
They’re the perfect place for a bit of escapism
If you’re lucky enough to live in a country cottage that’s nestled in a valley, tucked behind woodland or keeping watch across a fell, you’ll know just how good an English country cottage is for the soul. Sara Tasker (an Instagram coach and photographer) posts photographs from her Yorkshire cottage to more than 140,000 followers, and has even given interviews on why she prefers living in a country cottage to her previous home in an urban area.
If you’re not as lucky as Sarah, there’s still a way to enjoy a bit of escapism, and that’s by renting a cottage for a staycation. There are many holiday cottages up and down the UK, with particularly beautiful cottages in the south-west corner of the country. Furthermore, people love the idea of a cottage getaway, making them perfect properties to buy and then let out for holidaymakers and couples looking for a little retreat. If this is something that interests you, make sure to learn how a holiday let mortgage works so that you let out your cottage properly, legally and up to the standards demanded by the average British holidaymaker.
At this time of year, a country cottage makes for the perfect retreat if you fancy taking a break from work. Light an open fire and curl up with a book if you want to escape the rat race, enjoying all these things we so love about country cottages!