Garden & grounds
There’s more than a heady aroma of the Mediterranean about the outdoor dining area under the pergola here. Dip your bread in olive oil, pass the wine around, sear your steaks and sausages from Rumwell Farm Shop on the coal barbie. That’s after you’ve worked up an appetite on the all-weather tennis court with views over the Blackdown Hills, of course.
Walk the 100 acres with your dogs, spot grouse and rare butterflies, forage for mushrooms and wild garlic, play al-fresco table tennis in the south-west sunshine. Stare at the scenery by day, gather around the firepit at night.
Indoor pool and living spaces
Restored, revived and carefully curated by a leading light on the London restaurant scene, eclectic Boho Barnhouse mixes old beams from the old cider press with vaulted ceilings, squashy sofas and boho interiors. Get a fire going in the cinema and games room and relax over snooker, table tennis and a full Sky package over the projector.
Life here revolves around the courtyard, off of which you’ll also find the pool. Heated to a comfortable 32 degrees, it gives you 15 metres by five of swimming space, water polo, inflatable fun or just bobbing away an afternoon. Towel off and drift out to the terrace firepit. Post to Insta and blast Bluetooth over the Starlink internet.
Cooking & dining
If you like your kitchens on the enormous, sociable side, Boho Barnhouse’s 25-metre specimen should suit you nicely. It’s a fully equipped, professional affair, as you’d expect from a former London restaurateur. Dibble, dabble, dive right in, or admit defeat and call in the pros for drop-off meals, a celebratory feast or a fully catered break.
Shop at the Appley village store, take deliveries from Ocado and Waitrose, rummage around the Rumwell Farm Shop, and stock up the wine fridge from Majestic in Taunton. Dine all together on the humungous table with views over the hills or out in the courtyard under the pergola, like the Italians do.
Treat yourselves to takeaways from Tamarind Bay (Indian) and New Canton (Chinese). Pub it at The White Hart in Wiveliscombe for cakes and cream tea or mains that include roasted Pecorino gnocchi and Sri Lankan-style aubergine curry. Try venison or pork belly from The Cotley Inn or wonky-horn beefburger from The Bittescombe Inn.
Head to The Lost Kitchen, a wood-fired wonder with good celiac, vegan and vegetarian options and brunch, small plates or pizzas. Feel the wholesome, seasonal vibe of the White Post Nursery, serving trout bagel and goat-cheese salad. Or sample the wild sea bass or ribeye steak at Woods in Dulverton.
Bedrooms
Buried in 100 acres of glorious rolling countryside and offering elevated views of the Blackdown Hills, Boho Barnhouse delivers a great night’s sleep amid 600-thread-count sheets, sleep toppers, and hypoallergenic bed linen, mattresses and pillows. Boho Barnhouse sleeps 20 in ten artfully decorated bedrooms.
Bedroom one is a superking or twin that shares a bathroom with bedroom two, also a superking or twin. Bedrooms three and four also share a bathroom and are superkings or twins, while bedroom five also offers a superking or twin and an en-suite shower room.
Bedrooms six and seven are en-suites that provide superking or twins, while bedroom eight offers a superking or twin and shares a bathroom with bedroom nine, another superking or twin. Bedroom ten, accessed with its own staircase, gives you a superking or twin plus private en-suite wet room.
Children welcome
A bewildering choice of ten bedrooms is just the start for happy kids who pass through the chunky front door. This is the childhood of days gone by, where happy afternoons get whiled away chasing butterflies, watching the grouse, learning to forage and exploring 100 acres of rolling Somerset beauty, family dog faithfully at heel.
So far, so Enid Blyton. But Boho Barnhouse comes with an array of contemporary pleasures, too. Not least the 15-metre by five indoor swimming pool, heated to a very pleasant 32 degrees and waiting for young dive-bombers and inflatable fun. Once you’ve towelled off, a glass of lemonade through the terrace double doors sounds perfect.
Of course, you’ve more energy to burn and the astroturf tennis court is here to oblige. Sweat it out for a set or two, then it’s off for some al-fresco table tennis in the sunshine or a spell in the games and cinema room. Smack a 147 on the snooker table and get everyone together over a movie on the massive projector screen.
Eat with the whole family around the gigantic dining table or out in the courtyard under the pergola with burgers from the coal barbecue. While they sizzle, kick a ball around the gardens or learn the fine art of croquet. Head back inside to raid the bookcase, blast the Bluetooth and keep envious friends in the loop over the Starlink broadband.
What people say
Safari, surf and stargazing
Walk the gardens at Knightshayes and eat at The Lost Kitchen or Ranscombe Great Wood with its barbecue tables. Take a brewery tour at Cotleigh or a Red Stag Safari over Exmoor. Brave the chaotic surf of Saunton Sands, stargaze at Wimbleball Lake, and pick from 60 rides at Crealy Adventure Park.
