South Downs bed and breakfast nr Winchester, England

Planet

We recognise that we are privileged to live in an area of outstanding beauty and therefore make every effort to ensure that it remains as unspoilt and vibrant for future generations. One of the first things we did when we moved into Complyns over 20 years ago was to completely renovate the rear garden, making it more family friendly whilst ensuring that it was sympathetically planted with indigenous species to match the surrounding countryside. We have adopted organic gardening practices in our garden & orchard and the apples and plums certainly benefit from regular helpings of composted waste!! We actively encourage birds and wildlife into the garden and are lucky enough to be visited by many different species including fieldfare, buzzards, owl, red kites, deer, foxes & much more. We have a number of books available to help guests identify our little visitors. As well as birds and mammals we are visited by many butterflies including the Brown Argus and Chalkhill Blue, one of the benefits of being adjacent to the Magdalen Hill National Butterfly Reserve.

As with many parts of the countryside, litter can be a problem. We strongly encourage guests to avoid littering, providing packed lunches in reusable packaging, and can provide bags for guests to collect their rubbish and deposit in our bins. We would rather the rubbish was in our bins than floating around the countryside!

People

We have been part of the local community in Chilcomb for over 40 years and therefore have an intimate understanding of both it and those of adjacent areas. The majority of the produce we source is from the local businesses in the area including meat from local butchers and fruit & vegetables from local growers. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday in the month, one of the largest Farmers Markets takes place in Winchester where one can purchase both local produce as well as other exotics from further afield.

Over the years we have built up a wide network of contacts including the local pubs & restaurants and can provide our guests with the best recommendations to suit their requirements. We can also recommend alternate accommodation should we be fully booked!

On a more personal front, your hostess, Mo Moffatt, is a long standing WRVS volunteer at Winchester hospital, spending one day a week helping visitors and patients in the coffee bar, the hospital shop and providing general information and assistance. A further half a day is spent with Meals on Wheels, delivering much needed food to the less able in the community.

The residents in Chilcomb take a pride in the hamlet and its surroundings. Come and take a stroll and chat with some of the locals – you will be made to feel welcome and can see for yourselves.