BABY-FREE NIGHT AT THE PIGSTY AT PITT

We were invited to stay at the newly opened Pigsty. Views are all my own… But in summary, book it, tell your friends, then book it again! It was our first night away together without the baby so it had to meet a high standard and it absolutely did!

Ten minutes from Winchester. An hour from London. Fifteen minutes from our home. An excellent location to find oneself in by any account. Even more so when the accommodation is unique, one of a kind, and housed in a luxurious pigsty, hidden in a woodland. Thankfully The pigsty has never housed any pigs, if it did they’d be pig royalty! The Pigsty looks out over peaceful, arable farm and countryside and feels a million miles from anywhere.

I recommend you hop on over to AirBnB now and book your stay. This gorgeous, adults only bolthole is surely going to be fully booked now it’s launched and taking bookings! In fact we have friends that have already booked!

Min and Sam have built this excellent retreat on their farm land as an entirely new venture. We met them first in a tractor – it’s a real arable farm, with crops such as barley, maize, oil seed, white poppies and sage – and they are charming! You’re in safe hands. They’ve not stayed here themselves yet, they need to soon or there won’t be availability!

On arrival you drive off across the farm for maybe a mile and when you’re truly in the middle of nowhere The Pigsty appears hidden in the trees! It is totally quiet, apart from pheasant and grouse and the wind in the trees. And it is a one off, there’s no others and no other people, just you and it! We live rurally and it is even quieter than what we are used to! The closest landmark is the Clarendon Way footpath, so bring your walking gear as there’s plenty of good pubs a healthy walk away!

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The Pigsty is a self contained ‘cottage’ that sleeps two people. I thought it might be tiny, that perhaps the gorgeous website photos were cleverly taken… But there’s plenty of space and it’s used so cleverly. We were just here for a night but it would be perfect for a long weekend, come rain/shine/summer/winter! There is such attention to detail and the quality is top notch. The hand basin is in the style you might see on a farm. There’s USB charging plugs by the bed and the bedside lamp cords are perfectly led so you can reach them. Everything is high spec and fits the space. And as many things as possible are sourced from the farm itself.

The deck out front is the perfect place for a sundowner, there are chairs, cushions, a table and even a gas BBQ. Blankets are left indoors if you do want to enjoy the evening for longer and I saw a deck chair for sunnier weather.

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When you do pull yourself away from the view, head inside straight to the back of the pigsty and enjoy the view from there too. I love how the layout has been arranged so that from the bath you can appreciate the view and the domed wooden structure! The roof is pretty spectacular, no art needed. It has a really cosy look and feel!

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There is light at both ends of the pigsty, so there’s no gloom despite all the wood. There’s also a view out of the back of the pigsty – I’d assume it was a mirror, but it’s even better than that! And a lovely breeze can blow through on a hot day. It smells really nice – whether it’s the wood, the flowers, the smellies with ingredients from the farm, or something else I’m not sure, but it was fresh and relaxing! Being able to throw open the big double doors and sit in bed and watch the countryside go by was really rather relaxing.

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You’ll find a corner kitchen with everything you need, including honey and coffee that’s made on the farm. The honey was divine, I could eat it with a spoon! There’s an oven, fridge, sink and a counter and stools. Plenty of space for a bit of cooking. Min leaves milk, juice, croissants, muesli and other essentials to get you started for breakfast too! For our supper, Mr P popped out quickly to Winchester to collect us a curry, a real treat! We enjoyed it at sunset on the deck, making the most of a break in the clouds!

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Just inside the door, there’s a cute little snug area to curl up with a book, right next to a radiator – perfect for a winter night. The tone of the lights is warm and I can confirm when it’s stormy outside it feels and looks cosy inside. The king size bed is also perfect for curling up on, plenty of cushions and pillows. In fact, as soon as it was an acceptable time to go to bed we were away with the fairies, making the most of being able to catch up on a years worth of uninterupted parent-sleep!

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The bath is a central feature to the space and it’s the perfect location for a roll-top bath. It totally fits the setting! I don’t remember the last time I’d had the chance to soak in the bath so while Mr P prowled around outside taking twilight shots of the pigsty, I relaxed with my wine! There’s also a very smart shower and a toilet hidden away at the end of the pigsty in two separate cubicles.

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Mr P had to scoot into London quite early on departure day, but I languished in bed with tea and juice and enjoyed watching pheasant and grouse potter past the front door in no rush to be anywhere! Very relaxing indeed!

We loved our stay in this woodland hideaway. The hotel-quality of the accommodation, the peaceful location and the uniqueness of the property had us at hello. For us, being able to scoot away for the night and feel like we’d truly gone on holiday was essential. It was the perfect retreat for us on our first night away without our baby, close enough to home yet far enough away and most importantly relaxing and unpressured. When you can luxuriously stay somewhere so peaceful like this yet be so close to the city without realising, why would you ever stay in a hotel!!

Check out The Pigsty’s own website or if you want to book straight away then you can do so directly on AirBnb.

This review was an invite in return for our review and also insight given our love of a quiet night away somewhere special and unique. Views are always my own, although the pictures speak for themselves! We’d stay again spending our own money without hesitation.