The Hay Stay
Grayswood, Surrey | Sleeps 2-4 | Bedrooms 1 | Parking: Yes | Pet friendly: Yes | Wi-Fi: Yes
From £180 (2 night minimum stay)
Description
The Hay Stay is a typical Surrey barn on the outside, converted with style and flair to be cool and contemporary on the inside.
The original barn doors hide floor to ceiling windows that allow light to flood into the living spaces. The sitting room also soars to double height, giving a gorgeous feeling of light and space – a modern woodburner means this space will always be cosy, but the exposed, beautifully preserved original beams that form the structure of the barn also give it a feeling of timelessness.
The kitchen juxtaposes the original structure and modern fittings with equal success; the sleek, glossy grey units hiding a whole host of useful mod cons, including a Nespresso machine for the perfect morning coffee. Oak is used throughout to lend warmth and texture.
Upstairs a cosy kingsize bedroom, nestled in the eaves of the old barn, provides a delightfully relaxing sanctuary, complete with a modern bathroom and luxurious bed linen and towels. A sofa bed downstairs, plus extra rollaway bed mean the Hay Stay can sleep four in comfort.
Outside the charming courtyard garden provides the perfect spot to soak up the sunshine, drink in hand, after a day’s exploring; books, DVD’s and board games provide for bad weather days – light the fire and settle in!
Features
Welcome basket: Port, brownies / sweet treat.
Pantry items: Teabags, coffee, nespresso pods, sugar.
Kitchen: Modern kitchen, nespresso coffee machine, gas hob, oven, fridge, dishwasher, microwave, washer dryer. Seating for 4 people.
Sitting room: Overlooking the courtyard garden. Comfortable sofa (which can be made into a double bed for additional guests) and armchair. Smart TV with Netflix, log burning stove.
Bedroom 1: King sized bed, high quality mattress, Feather duvet, Egyptian cotton bedlinen and towels.
Outside: There is an outdoor seating area with furniture for 4. Outdoor lights and chiminea. Gate to National trust woodland and meadow. Automatic electric gates and a security camera. Please note the courtyard is shared with another barn.
Parking: Off road parking available for up to 2 cars.
Dogs: Up to 2 well behaved, small dogs are allowed at The Hay Stay. They are to only go in the kitchen due to the interiors. There is a small charge of £20 per dog, per stay.
Children: Children of all ages are permitted.
Pricing: Pricing is based on 2 people in one bedroom. Please note there is a supplement of £10 per person, per night if the sofa bed is required. All bedding will be provided.
Longer stays: A discount will be given for longer stays. Please enquire.
Additional guests: There is a smaller barn next door that can accommodate an additional 4 people, 2 in the mezzanine and 2 on a sofa for larger groups. Please enquire.
Check in: 4pm
Check out: 11am
Location
The Hay Stay is in Grayswood, a charming village complete with cricket green, pub and church, and a very traditional village atmosphere. It sits near Surrey’s southerly border, close to both West Sussex and Hampshire. Grayswood is also conveniently located just five minutes drive from Haslemere, which offers a mainline train station (55 minutes to Waterloo), a Waitrose for your holiday essentials, and a host of independent shops and cafes.
This area offers acres of beautiful countryside, from the South Downs to the Surrey Hills, interspersed with some of the area’s great estates including those of Cowdray and Petworth House. It is also just a short hop to the coast. The Barn itself has a private, gated entrance and adjacent area of National Trust woodland. Wander to the village cricket green in summer, and while away some hours watching the most typically English of pursuits!
Food and Drink
The well-equipped kitchen at The Hay Stay provides plenty of incentive for some holiday cooking! Keen cooks will love West Street, in Haslemere, where Seabright’s Butchers (offering locally produced meat and fish from sustainable sources), sits next to Bread of Heaven (for delicious breads and cakes) and the Haslemere Cellar (which is renowned for a range of fine wines and even finer cheeses!). Everything you need to cook up a storm within one short stroll.
A country pub should feature in any trip to Surrey & Sussex, and you’ll be spoilt for choice here. The Duke of Cumberland, tucked out of site in nearby Henley, offers a stunning setting with ‘out of this world’ views, and a very traditional pub dining experience with delicious roasts and other pub favourites. The Noah’s Ark, in the picturesque village of Lurgashall, offers a traditional pub ambience but a more modern British menu. While the White Hart, in Witley specialises in low and slow smoked pork, short-ribs and flat iron chicken, cooked on a fire that uses sustainable charcoal and English Oak. The Kings Arms in Fernhurst is also home to the Banyan, a stunning Indian restaurant and takeaway, housed in a converted barn.
An excursion to the Sussex coast wouldn’t be complete without some seafood by the sea. The East Beach Café, in Littlehampton, is right on the shore and has won architectural awards for its’ unique, driftwood inspired building, designed by Thomas Heatherwick. Billy’s on the Beach, at Bracklesham offers fun, surf-inspired breakfasts and lunch, while the Crown & Anchor at Dell Quay, near Chichester, is also right on the water and has a stunning terrace.
Walkers will be in heaven here, and spoilt for choice – with easy access to the South Downs Way as well as numerous local walks; make the drive up nearby ‘Blackdown’, the highest point in Sussex, for easy but rewarding walks at the top, with stunning views across miles and miles of the surrounding countryside. This area of heathland is also rich in nature & history.
Ambitious cyclists may want to test their legs around the Surrey Hills, which shot to fame as a cycling mecca after it hosted cycling events in the 2012 Olympics. Road and mountain bikers will find plenty of routes to try.
Haslemere is particularly well furnished with small, independent shops, and if antiquing is your thing, make a pilgrimage to beautiful Petworth, which apparently has an antique shop for every day of the year! Both have lovely independent coffee shops to take a break in, too.
Things to do
Grayshott Pottery is one of the few remaining working potteries in the south of England, and right on the doorstep. They offer workshops on pottery throwing and painting, as well as pottery and studio tours, and have a café and shop. Maybe it’s time to learn a new skill? The Haslemere Educational Museum has some rather stunning exhibits, considering its size, including a giant spider crab and an Egyptian mummy! A brilliant place to visit with children too.
Slightly further afield, but still within easy reach, is the Goodwood Estate for racing, motorsport and more, and the beautiful Cathedral town of Chichester, with a museum celebrating its Roman history, the Pallant House Gallery with a superb collection of modern art, and the world-renowned Festival Theatre.
Browse the Gallery
Gallery
Reviews
We can’t recommend The Hay Stay highly enough – such a stylish space and perfect little hideaway in an absolutely great location. The barn has been converted to an impressive specification and has everything you could wish for and need for a relaxing getaway. Hannah is an excellent and very welcoming host, the perfect mix of being on hand if anything is needed whilst allowing her guests all the space needed to completely get away from it all. We will definitely be back!
What a superb stay we had at Hannah’s beautiful Hay Barn in Grayswood last week.
It was so welcoming, cosy and a perfect home from home for the two of us and our dog.
We had everything we could need and Hannah’s delicious homemade treats were a lovely touch.
We made the most of our National Trust membership and visited a few local spots and popped the West Witterings beach and Cowdray Ruins too.
Hannah was very kind with her recommendations before our stay too – the Banyan takeaway ahead of restaurants reopening was a treat! Thank you Hannah.
We cannot wait to return. Highly recommend it.
The Hay Stay does not fail to deliver. It’s a homely and welcoming place that offers the perfect escape from the stresses of life. The kitchen is a wonderful space and the living room, with its log burner, is the perfect place to relax and unwind. I would highly recommend.
Delightful cottage has exceeded our expectations, very clean and comfortable. There are some really nice touches such as bathrobes etc. The location is perfect for National trust sites. There are some lovely gastro pubs nearby.
The barn was just what we were looking for – everything about the stay was perfect! Highly recommend if you are visiting this area and it is very well situated for beautiful hikes around Surrey.
The barn was stylish, cosy and comfortable. There’s plenty to do in the surrounding area, we enjoyed walks at the Devil’s Punchbowl. Very comfortable bed and great wood burning fire. Would recommend a stay here for a weekend getaway.
Beautiful little hideaway. Immaculately kept. Hannah responded really quickly to messages and the communication was great. We didn’t need for anything – everything was brilliantly and accurately described in the welcome email and book. Highly recommended for people wanting a little oasis from it all….with the lovely background noise of a game of cricket and church chimes. Fabulous