THE ALLURE of a spring time multi-generational family escape to the 16,000-acre Cowdray Estate in the South Downs National Park was too strong to resist, especially when we discovered that there are a collection of luxuriously appointed cottages to rent, and the largest would be able to accommodated our extended family of eight adults, two infants and two furry friends.
Renowned for the Cowdray Polo Club, the estate has been home to the British Open Polo Championships for the Cowdray Gold Cup since 1956, hosting hundreds of matches each year from April through September. The grand Cowdray House itself serves as a magnificent venue for weddings, retreats, and celebrations, with views over the historic Cowdray Ruins and Cowdray’s polo Lawns.
Cowdray House
Challens Yarde is a double-fronted Grade ll listed cottage which was a wheelwright’s shop in its former life. It has recently been tastefully renovated and transformed into a luxury four double bedroom property, with three bedrooms having en-suite bathrooms, while the fourth bedroom has a separate bathroom. The bedrooms also have space for babies in cots or blow-up beds. The beautiful garden boats perfect views and includes a sizeable hot tub for all-year enjoyment.
Challens Yarde
Kitchen at Challens Yarde
Our complimentary welcome hamper including freshly baked sourdough, eggs and butter was displayed in the well-appointed kitchen, adjacent to the morning room with sofas, a large wall-mounted tv and an array of board games.
On the opposite side of the house is a lounge and a separate double-aspect dining room which has access onto the garden terrace. There is also an open fireplace for cosy chilly nights during the winter. With enough seating around the dining table for up to ten people, it is where we seemed to spend most of our time.
Dining room at Challens Yarde
Bedroom at Challens Yarde
The cottage leads down a stoney path to never-ending green fields, where the grazing cattle happily approach from behind a gate as we set out on a long walk across the downs in the sunshine. Challens Yarde is a stroll away from The Cowdray award-winning Farm shop, cafe, and lifestyle store, and a five-minute drive from the quaint market town of Midhurst.
Hot tub at Challens Yarde
Shooting at Hownhall ©Ben Wright
There are a plethora of activities to select during our weekend stay, including clay-pigeon shooting at Hownhall, where our instructor provided us novices with practical guidance that ensured we enjoyed the best morning entertainment. Other activity options include a fly-fishing excursion on the River Rother which runs through the heart of the Cowdray Estate, and of course, some simply come here for the polo lessons.
by Amanda Bernstein