Mother Nature’s soporific soundtrack
“I go to bed and look out of the windows at the moon and stars, falling asleep as I listen to the owls hooting.” There are worse ways to drift off. But that’s not the only thing that Plankbridge customer Kate Sheppard adores about her nocturnal retreat.“I love the feeling of cosiness and calm. It’s an extra bonus if there’s gentle rain falling on the roof.”
For Kate, being a little closer to nature provides the perfect paean to a peaceful night.Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. In numerous studies the sounds of nature have been proven to decrease cortisol levels. And it’s not just at bedtime thatMother Nature provides a pleasing soundtrack. Just ask Kate: “I wake up to the sound of the dawn chorus and the sunrise. Fabulous.”
“I love walking across my garden to go to bed”
Kate’s story with Plankbridge started on a stormy day in 2017. “At Dorchester Show 2017, it was absolutely pouring with rain and freezing cold. l took refuge in a Plankbridge hut that was there on display, warming up in front of the roaring wood burner.”
From that moment, Kate was convinced she would become a shepherd’s hut owner – and hasn’t looked back since her hut was installed in October 2018. “l knew Plankbridge were the best so I didn’t even consider any other inferior makes. I have slept in my hut every single night since lockdown March 2020. I love walking across my garden in the dark to go to bed.”
And Kate isn’t the only one…
“At one with the rhythm of the day”
“Sleeping in there feels peaceful,” explains Plankbridge customer Sue Leach. “As if you are at one with the rhythm of the day.”
Three years ago, Sue took on the project of creating a dream outdoor bedroom for her husband Bill. “Bill made a very brave decision to radically simplify his place on the planet. Our original plan was to build something small, architecturally significant and carbon neutral – but our proposals were repeatedly rejected byYorkshire Dales Planning Authority.”
With master craftsmanship, a focus on local, sustainable materials and the ability to circumvent planning permission, Plankbridge enabled Sue and Bill to bring their ambitions to life. “Our hut arrived on a rainy October day in 2019 – sited in our redesigned cottage garden. It’s everything we had been looking for.”
Not just for catching Zs – but for living life
With supremely comfortable Italian Orthosoft mattresses fitted as standard, a Plankbridge hut sends you on an eminently cosy journey to the land of nod. But Plankbridge shepherd’s huts don’t just give you a sleep sanctuary, but a multifunctional space for living life your way – complete with ensuite baths, log burners and/or kitchen facilities.
“Bill lives in the hut – surrounded by his most treasured possessions: paintings, books and music that reflect his life journey”, explains Sue. “He loves the privacy afforded by the garden; the immediacy of his beloved outdoors. We often cooked supper in the hut last winter while the snow was swirling outside andArsenal were on the TV. With the wood burner lit, we were as snug as snug things. Seasons are hard here under Shap Fell, but the hut copes perfectly.”
Kate too uses her hut for far more than catching Zs. “I’m a caterer and I sit in my hut to plan menus. Friends also love to come in for a coffee or a glass of wine and a chat. We had twelve people drinking champagne in there for my recent birthday – a delightfully cosy squash!”
Not just an addition to your home, the fulfilment of a dream
Just a short hop from your back door, but a world away from daytime stresses. A Plankbridge shepherd’s hut gives you a space that’s cosy, peaceful and completely yours.For some people, that’s nothing short of a dream come true.
“Our hut is now part of the village,” concludes Sue. “A landmark noticed and admired by friends and strangers alike. We constantly celebrate the choice we made and the discovery of Plankbridge, who have enabled the fulfilment of our dream.”
A place for treasured memories
Come and find out why hunkering down in a shepherd’s hut bed is the perfect paean to a peaceful night – and could just transform your life below the covers.
