Hello, I'm Vacation.
HOUSE-SIT We live in a historic farmhouse, situated in The Chiltern Hills, officially classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The farm dates back to the 17th century and is surrounded by unspoilt countryside which includes an extensive network of footpaths and cycle ways through beautiful beech woods and ancient pathways. Each season brings its own beauty: in Spring the beechwoods are carpeted with bluebells and the fields flooded with buttercups. Summer is the time for haymaking and brings the Red Kites and Buzzards wheeling overhead in search of prey. By Autumn the beech woods have turned a glorious gold, followed by Winter with it own spectacular sunsets and snowy landscapes. Badgers, foxes and deer are often seen at dusk, while bats and glis glis frequent the farm outbuildings by night. The owners sold their stock and retired from farming three years ago and now the 65 acres of grazing is rented to a local farmer who is responsible for all the maintenance and repairs on the pasture. There is no agricultural involvement necessary for house sitters. THE PROPERTY The farmhouse is fully centrally heated and consists of a lounge with inglenook fireplace, a large farmhouse kitchen, utility room, dining room, study, conservatory and cloakroom. Upstairs there are four double bedrooms and one single bedroom, two shower rooms, a bathroom and another office. The property has wifi internet and all the usual entertainment facilities and modern conveniences: washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, deep freeze etc. The house is set back from the road and stands in its own grounds, it is surrounded by well maintained gardens and a small lake. There are two patios, a barbecue and garden furniture. RESPONSIBILITIES In terms of maintenance: a lawn mowing contractor attends to the grass on a weekly basis, a professional gardener tends the garden fortnightly and a professional cleaner cares for the farmhouse for up to 8 hours a week (or as necessary). PET CARE The owners have one young dog called Dylan, he's a friendly Corgi who loves walks and company. ALSO ON THE PROPERTY There are two self-catering holiday rentals at the farm: The Barn and The Dairy, both of which are self-contained and detached from the farmhouse, also a cottage situated close by in the village. An accommodation manager maintains the properties and prepares them for incoming guests. The house-sitters involvement is minimal: responding to telephone enquiries on a designated landline and passing on the information by e-mail to the owners who, in turn, deal with any reservations. The vast majority of enquiries, five or six per week, come via the internet and are handled directly by the owners. The owners can usually be contacted daily by e-mail. In terms of location, the farm is situated close to The Lee village which has a couple of pub/restaurants and a village shop within easy walking distance, a nearby golf course and is only three miles from Gt Missenden village and railways station (The Chiltern Line) which offers a half-hourly, direct, service to London which takes approximately forty minutes. Please get in touch