GETAWAYS
Rural bliss , family values and a committed food ethos await at
THE FERRY HOUSE
THE FERRY HOUSE ’ S LOCATION IS ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE ‘ THE NEAREST FARAWAY PLACE TO LONDON ’, AND THEY ’ RE NOT WRONG . UNDER AN HOUR FROM THE CAPITAL AND ALMOST THE SAME FROM THE MAJOR KENTISH BOLTHOLES OF SITTINGBOURNE , FAVERSHAM , ROCHESTER , AND CANTERBURY , THE FERRY HOUSE IS LOCATED AT THE EASTERN TIP OF THE ISLE OF SHEPPEY . IT IS , SIMPLY , THE ACCESSIBLE RURAL BLISS YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED BUT WILL STRIVE TO FIND AGAIN AND AGAIN . BY SAMANTHA READY
My own journey to rural overnight escapism took me over the main bridge to the Isle , through Leysdown and then opened out to miles of beautifully bumpy , winding country lanes to Harty , the location of the Burden family ’ s farming land for generations and home to their rather unique inn offering , The Ferry House .
Set between two wetland bird reserves just a stone ’ s throw from the Swale estuary , an arrival wander along the waterside , through bridle paths and past wading birds , bats and crops , reinforced my first impressions : the setting is truly beautiful . The realisation of a rural bolthole was an obvious next step for a family with such knowledge , skill and passion for farming and produce .
The Ferry House is like that super talented , honourroll sibling . As if the vista were not enough , its offerings reads like a who ’ s who of Kentish acclaim ; beautiful barn and marquee wedding venue with estuary views - check . A restaurant that takes their own farmed produce from ‘ plot to plate , field to fork and grain to glass ’ as a shining example of food steps over food miles - check . A plethora of unique accommodation from the old 16th-century inn estuary-view rooms , newly built comfy-luxe havens in the coach house alongside self catering holiday cottages - check . Oh , and a range of delightful massage treatments to complete your away-from-itall-back-to-nature-bliss-out stay - check , check , check !
Coined by the owners as ‘ Home is where Harty is ’, the staff here really do make you feel like home , and the team is like an extended , supportive and equally passionate family .
Arriving early ( a rarity when having to negotiate an Operation Brock riddled cross-county journey ) my guest and I were enthusiastically greeted outside by therapist Katie who , in a slightly , TV-comedy-esque manner , proceeded to appear from numerous doorways , greeting us , checking us in , offering a welcome drink , and showing us to our room . When I say room , this once again ticks that rural bolthole , luxe haven box . There was a wonderful ( and super comfy ) four-poster bed , custom made wooden storage and the pièce de résistance , an enormous copper bathtub in the contemporary bathroom .
With a laughing promise that she wouldn ’ t be cooking dinner later , she did majestically reappear in her natural treatment room domain less than an hour later to conduct our blissfully relaxing , restoring and detoxifying full body hot stone massages , one of the six purposely chosen massage treatments on offer . Always a tell of a good treatment , Katie , who has over a decade of experience , began with a foot ritual , before moving through the carefully prescripted movement of hot stones and massage strokes , checking on temperature , pressure and alleviating tension with ease - what a way to start ( or end !) a stay !
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