Merrydale Valley leads down to Slaithwaite village. There are 3 properties within Merrydale hamlet. Ours (Tyas House), our holiday let (Tyas Cottage) and our neighbours' house and barn which adjoins Tyas Cottage. Although the houses are fairly close together, they all have complete privacy. We are retired, so are usually at home.
With underfloor heating, massive insulation, solar panels and an electric vehicle charging point, Tyas Cottage is particularly eco-friendly
Much commented on is our steep, narrow, cobbled access lane. We are happy to ferry guests up and down the hill when there might be snow or ice on the road, but even large ambulances are able to get up and down in normal weather.
The cottage is furnished with very special antique furniture, much of it brought over from South Africa. This includes a hand-carved Georgian mahogany 4 poster bed.
The gardens contain several sculptural features. The metal pods that hang from a tree next to the millpond are very well used and children love the long swing next to the river.
Our guests seem to particularly enjoy the quiet, secluded, rural location. They often walk up through the woods on the ancient packhorse route that leads to the Rose and Crown with its delicious local beer (the steep walk is not suitable for the old and infirm. They would need to drive or be driven to the pub around the top of the valley).
Slaithwaite is a vibrant village and definitely "on the up". It is a lovely walk down Merrydale to Slaithwaite (about 25 minutes). The topography of this district can be very steep with its tight little valleys in between vast heather-clad moorland. There are loads of varied and interesting walks in the area. Tunnel End could be a destination if one were to walk along the canal from Slaithwaite to Marsden. The Pennine Way is quite near to Tyas Cottage.
We are a ten minute drive from Slaithwaite station which has free parking and gives easy access to York, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Manchester. Shibden Hall, is the nearest Elizabethan House (about a 20 minutes car journey away). Anne Lister, of the TV series "Gentleman Jack" fame lived there in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
