A couple of weeks ago, my mam’s family from Canada came over to England to visit after thirteen years since the last time we all met. During their stay, our little family of ten, including my parent’s ’sh*t ginger dog’, visited Staithes for a long weekend (my mam also has family here). We all crammed into this idyllic, secluded cottage – well, kind of, me and my partner had to pitch a tent in the garden!
Despite having family there, until a couple of weeks ago I had not stepped foot in Staithes. Throughout my childhood I had classically stereotyped the place as being ‘boring’ (as you do). Well, there was no Topshop or H&M, but boring??? I couldn’t have been more wrong!!!
After the oh-so-horrendous drive up and down the winding roads of the Moors (my brother thought it would be funny to test my driving skills by directing me on the scenic route!) and a near-death experience almost dunking my car in the sea when driving through Staithes itself, I could not believe I had never visited this beautiful place before. As the weekend progressed, I really didn’t want to leave!
The cottage we stayed in was called “The Garth”, and was privately tucked away up an incredibly steep bank – it took my fitness levels until the final day to be able to cope with walking up in one go and not having to stop to catch my breath two or three times on the way! As we entered the garden leading up to the cottage, the first thing to capture my attention was the contemporary extension on the side of the building. Me and my partner both turned to each other, simultaneously saying ”That’s some grand designs sh*t that is!”. It was stunning – windows were all around pretty much two full walls of the extension, giving us access to the spectacular view ahead of us. Inside lay a lovely pine dining table and reupholstered dining chairs - it definitely beat having breakfast staring at my kitchen wall!
There was a mix of contemporary and traditional features throughout the rest of the cottage, which was over three floors.
In addition to the stunning dining room extension, the ground floor was home to a modern IKEA kitchen and a traditionally cosy cottage living room – complete with a log burning stove. Okay, so the sofa’s and accessories were what I would consider a little outdated, but the living room did have a really snug family feel to it and was instantly welcoming. The spiraling staircase took you up to the first floor, on which there was a large family bathroom with a modern white bathroom suite, and the master bedroom. The bedroom was neutrally decorated and gave off a warm, yellow glow. The original beams were visible although they had been painted white. Again, another instantly inviting room. Up another spiraling staircase to the second floor lie a further two bedrooms. Painted magnolia, the first of the two bedrooms was home to twin beds and boasted the same magnificent view as the dining room did. One of the beds had another bed underneath it which pulled out – my 6ft 4 brother ended up sleeping in this whilst my niece had great amusement in telling us all her Dad was sleeping in a drawer! The final bedroom felt the most cottage-like to me; it’s sloping ceiling, window shutters and wooden beams created a cosy, homely atmosphere. These traditional features were balanced with more modern ones, such as the beautiful chandelier which hung from the ceiling. Not so sure on the lack of matching bedside lamps though!!!
All in all, the cottage was fantastic and situated amongst wonderful surroundings. We loved it so much that there’s already been talk of another stay there. I’m visiting for the day this weekend with my mam, as they have an arts & crafts weekend on whereby many of the residents open up their houses to the public for a nose around – a great opportunity to take photos for my degree course!
Further photographs of the cottage can be viewed here.
Further photographs of the cottage can be viewed here.
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