The Garden Room is a private and cosy apartment that is perfect for couples in search of a quiet break or visitors looking to explore the area. It has basic cooking facilities along with a king size bed, a wood burning stove and a piping hot shower. We have reliable wifi, no tv and a poor mobile signal. Lovely up here this time of year and plenty of wildlife to be seen - huge whirling clouds of starlings, nesting curlews calling as they circuit the house and everything coming into bud. The accommodation is annexed to the Victorian part of Thresholds, an old, off-grid hunting lodge with a barn and outbuildings situated in an elevated position just off the Shropshire Way between Church Stretton and the Stiperstones. It's an isolated location with easy access about two miles up the hill from Picklescott, a tiny Shropshire village with a pub and a letter box. You have your own front door and off-road parking on the verge immediately adjacent to the property. A cobbled driveway and uneven brick path lead to stone steps running down to the porch. Inside, the Garden Room feels like a small cottage. As you walk in there’s a compact hand-built kitchen with slate worktops, an under-counter fridge, breakfast bar and butler sink. It’s a light and reasonably well-equipped space but doesn’t have an oven or microwave, just a double hob. The breakfast bar can easily double up as a work station; as well as 25mbps wi-fi there are two double sockets and a 5v usb charging port plus a distracting view over the garden to the woods beyond. The lounge area is large enough to comfortably accommodate the firm, king-size bed, comfy seating, a wardrobe and an excellent wood burning stove with kindling and plenty of dry logs. There’s no tv and the mobile signal is pretty poor but the wi-fi is reliable and there’s also a Harmon Kardon Soundstick audio system with a mini jack auxiliary lead. Double doors open out onto a private, glazed verandah that catches the early morning sun or, on less clement days, provides outdoor shelter from the rain. Guests are welcome to have a dip in our natural, spring-fed pool, it's not that big or deep but the water is clear and thoroughly refreshing. The ensuite shower room feels light and airy with a large walk-in shower, plenty of hot water, a toilet with a hand-held spray hose and a washbasin. Although the Garden Room is private and secure the grounds are potentially hazardous. Young babies that aren't walking or actively mobile are welcome and we can provide a baby bath, fireguard and high chair but you'll have to bring your own cot. I'm sorry but the place really isn't suitable for toddlers or older children. Thresholds is an ongoing project with extensive works in progress and at present we're developing the cottage garden around the Garden Room and adjacent pond. Apart from a telephone line we’re completely off-grid, we rely on water from our two springs and solar panels for electricity, although we do have a generator for spells of super cloudy weather. For heat we have wood burning stoves and oil-fuelled central heating - we’re fed up with running it, however, until we come up with something better there's a large radiator in the lounge and the heated towel rail in the shower room that will come on for an hour or so - twice a day during the summer months and for longer during winter. In the grounds we’re developing productive vegetable gardens that provide us with chemical-free food most of the year round as we continue with our ambitious plans for renovating the buildings and creating a supportive environment for low impact living. At over 1350 feet above sea level there’s a spectacular 360° view from the Iron Age tumulus on the top of Cothercott Hill just above our place. From the same vantage point you can see how well the buildings are snuggled into the landscape and just how secluded we are, with our nearest neighbours just under a mile away. There’s minimal light pollution up here and on clear nights the big sky affords a brilliant view of the planets, stars and Milky Way. The Garden Room is within the Shropshire Hills AONB and so, as you can imagine, there are loads of good walks and cycle trails to be had straight from the door as well as two good pubs within a couple of miles walking distance, the “Bridges” at Ratlinghope to the south and the “Bottle and Glass” in Picklescott to the east. There’s also a local shop under ten minutes drive away. We have a couple of very friendly and curious pets who may feel inclined to visit you if you leave the door open, Little Trev, the adventurous cat and his attentive pal, Stan the collie. We’ve also got a few colonies of bees that are generally benign and keep themselves to themselves but you may get glimpses of more feral wildlife including curlews, kites and other raptors, otters, deer and badgers. In the summer last year we had a couple of sightings of a pine marten and there are plenty of other small mammals including shrews, weasels and moles along with newts, frogs and toads around the garden, the occasional lizard and a healthy insect population. At night bats wing it around the house and owls can often be heard in the woods just across the garden from your verandah.