Ruby Farmhouse Cottages

Our home for the week's holiday in Cornwall was at the dinky Dingley Cottage situated in the tiny village of Porkellis,  near Helston. After several hours on the road we squealed with delight, when we pulled up the narrow, treelined lane leading up to the houses revealing a picture postcard perfect Cornish farmhouse. Ruby Farmhouse cottages are made up of three holiday cottages and the main farmhouse, where the owners Arran and Graham live with their daughter and two dogs.

This was the entrance through a side path to our cute cottage.

The houses are surrounded by fields, in which their two horses live as well as a wonderful play area with extraordinary views. Matilda adored the climbing structure but loved running up and down the hill with her daddy even more. I get the feeling we didn't even see the half of the land. They moved to Cornwall about seven years ago and the farm restoration, as well as their boat has been a labour of love!

Our cottage was the smallest of the three, it's a higgledy piggledy granite building with bags of character. It isn't the epitome of luxury or style but what it lacks in this department it makes up in coziness. The kitchen is one of the best equipped I've seen in a holiday cottage boasting a dishwasher as well as a washing machine, so no washing up for us!

You are also set up with a few basics like milk, tea bags, instant coffee, loo roll and the most delicious cream tea upon arrival! A magazine and a local newspaper left on the kitchen table are also very nice touches. Those little thoughts are what make up a good stay in a cottage. Nothing seemed too much trouble for this family including daily advice on where to go and what to do. I understand that during our stay a new page has been added to the website giving you ample choice of courses and days out including wild food foraging and jewellery making. These guys think of everything.

 A word of warning the cottage isn't really suitable for anyone other than for a couple with a child as the only toilet/shower room is part of the double room so unless you don't mind a friend coming into your room in the middle of the night to use the loo, I'd stick to a small family or couple with a dog. Arran was very honest about the layout and dangers of the cottage before we clicked on the hire button, clearly she doesn't like people to have misconceptions before they arrive. The stairs leading up to the single bedroom are steep, narrow and there's no hand rail and the floor in the kitchen is a beautiful grey slate. Lovely but a little hazardous for new walkers, but with a bit of attention and explanation Matilda was absolutely fine and never attempted to climb the stairs alone. She slept in the cotbed provided and the stairgate gave us peace of mind that she wouldn't come down by herself.

There is plenty of information available in the cottage, on the surrounding areas with helpful leaflets and suggestions. Ruby Farmhouse Cottages are perfectly situated, allowing guests to explore both the North and South coasts, as well as all the main attractions.

After long days on the beach, building sandcastles, rock pooling and walking along the cliffs it was a god send to return back to this little haven, fire up the barbecue and sip a few glasses of cold wine in the small secret garden.

Arran tells me there are still a couple of weeks up for grabs in August so please do check out their website and give them a call. http://www.holidaycornishcottages.co.uk/