Tonight I shall be sleeping in a railway carriage.....or more precisely, in a converted goods wagon. There wasn't room in the original railway carriage to house the bedroom and bathroom, so a separate wagon was added onto the end, with just a few steps in between. 

The last time I saw this wagon it had just been delivered from the salvagers and was in it's raw untouched state, albeit remarkably well preserved. My friends Chris and Annie Stanford have just spent the last year turning this relic from the past into the most romantic and cosy holiday retreat. 

And now it is my privilege to spend the next three nights in this home-from-home, and I hope you will read along as I share with you my experience!

Annie is a botanical artist but also loves to work with fabrics, as is evident in these lovely stitched pictures and all the carefully chosen soft furnishings. 

 Chris and Annie live in the tiny village of Cucklington, Somerset, just at the point where the three counties of Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset meet. Their garden looks down over the Blackmore Vale; a more bucolic vision of England's glorious landscape is hard to imagine!

From the bedroom double doors open out onto a patio and a beautifully maintained terraced garden, entirely private and not overlooked.

Annie has such an eye for detail and makes each guest who comes to stay feel especially welcome with a basket full of local Somerset cider, bread, cheese, eggs, cream, jam and her own homemade scones..... there were four scones originally, but I'm afraid one of them has already been scoffed!

Another instalment shall follow tomorrow!

xxx