Our family have owned Humperdink, our cottage, since 1964. It is a few miles from the village of St Osyth adjacent to the nature reserve of Lee Over Sands, with a mainly shingle and sand beach, depending on the tide, river and marshes.
We brought our cottage into the 21st century in 2015, retaining its charm and character while adding some new creature comforts and mod cons, including gas central heating with radiators and running hot water (which was a first for us, never having this luxury at our cottage before when we were children or with our children!) to make any stay a memorable and pleasurable whatever the weather, or time of year.
We have no hidden extras with our home, bed linen, towels, and tea towel are all included in the price. All pillows and mattresses have protector covers and are non allergic.
Check in is 4 pm and check out is 11 am.
The surrounding area is fields, however the creek, sea and beach are just over the sea wall, where you can walk, enjoy the views, swim in the water, kyake or paddle board or you can just stay at our cottage, sit in the front garden or sit on the patio at the back of the property and listen to the wildlife right on your doorstep, away from the hustle and bustle of reality. Deer have been seen near our cottage as well as hares, foxes as well lots of owls and multiple birds. Books for identifying the birds are available, should you need.
Your dog is very welcome, please just notify us about this when you book. We only allow 2 dogs per booking and there is a charge of £25 per dog per stay. We ask that you clean up after your dog and also that you don’t allow your dog to sleep on the beds please. Please also be aware the garden is not fenced in.
The cottage has two bedrooms upstairs, the front bedroom that has views to the sea and has a wooden Shaker Kingsize bed and a second bedroom at the back with a wooden double bed, as well as a single pine bed, so this room can actually sleep three. This room has spectacular views across the fields and also to the sea, where you can see the Wind Turbines near Clacton, quite lovely at night with all the twinkly lights. You also see the sunrise from the back of the property, which is superb as well as the sunset from the front of the cottage.
There is a room downstairs, at the back of the property, that can either be a bedroom or a playroom. It has a very comfortable double sized sofa bed from Ikea. This room has french doors which open out onto a decking area, complete with chairs and a dining table during the summer and a picnic bench during the winter months, all ready for you to enjoy your meal at any time of the day or drink a la fresco. In the summer you wake on a lovely sunny morning with the sun streaming in, encouraging you to open the french doors and take in the peace and solitude of the area.
We have provided an extra fridge in the garage for your bottles that can be turned on when you need it There is also a smaller fridge/freezer for your food which is left on all the time. The tumble dryer in the garage, next to the fridges is NOT TO BE USED by guests please, it is only to be used by our cleaner.
Our cottage has a delightful open and sociable living space where you can cook, eat and socialize. There is a fitted, fully equipped kitchen, with a washing machine, electric oven and gas hob, slow cooker, air fryer, George Foreman Grill, microwave, kettle, toaster and dolce gusto coffee machine.
In the living space there is a SMART TV/DVD player/ radio in the comfy sitting area and a dining room table with 7 chairs, should they be needed. The bathroom has a shower over the bath. This runs off the hot water, provided by the combi boiler. The heating is also a smart system, called NEST and can easily be adjusted with the thermostat controller on the table under the lamp in the sitting room.
We now have superfast fibre broadband. This is left plugged into the same plug as the toaster / microwave and the router is on the shelf above the microwave. You will be given the password at the cottage and in your welcome email which also gives you the keysafe code.
The unique location on the Essex coast, which incidentally is one of the driest places in the UK, is adjacent to the Essex Wildlife Trust EWT (www.essexwt.org.uk) reserve on Colne Point. This bird reserve has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) affording habitat for many different birds both resident and migratory. As a guest you are allowed access to the beaches and wildlife reserve, which could be described a very exclusive experience as only members and residents are usually are able to go on this reserve.
Over the sea wall is the creek which is obviously tidal and the sea which lend themselves to some kayaking or paddle boarding which is a lot of fun and often you are on your own on the water.
London is only 2 hours away by car and there is a main train station at Colchester which is approximately 25 mins away from Humperdink. However, there are smaller train stations at Gt Bentley (only 10 - 15 mins away from cottage) and Clacton.
The nearest village is St Osyth and it's only 10 minutes by car and this has all been described in the location part of these details. There is the Curve Wave Park in St Osyth where you can have some fun on their paddle boards and an inflatable ride for anyone over 8. You can also learn to water ski.
We feel that our cottage offers rather a unique experience and one that we never tire of, several of our guests have returned for a visit, which is rather lovely. There is something for everyone, of all ages, to enjoy even if it is just sitting enjoying the english weather and scenery.
The sea air will also help you to have a really good night's sleep and should you be lucky you will see the most beautiful sunrise and sunset.
Don't forget your wellies or old pair trainers we have some binoculars in one of the bedrooms upstairs for you to enjoy. Crab lines, buckets and nets are all provided in the garage! There is a Wendy house and a Cozy coupe as well as other toys. There is also a BBQ in the garage but we do not provide the coals for the BBQ or the bait for the crab lines.
As mentioned before we will send you an email with the keysafe code, more information about our cottage and the area and some also some fun things to do should you want to do them.
However, the beach is nearly always deserted and this may be just what you are after.
