The Apartment, Bridge House

The Apartment is one of three separate holiday lets inside Bridge House, a white-rendered property standing on Mill Road in the wooded floor of the Laxey valley. It is a flat where the windows do most of the work.

You come down to the house through trees, with old stone arches rising behind it and a slate nameplate marking the door. The flat has its own private entrance rather than a shared hall, though the greenery around the building belongs to all three units.

Behind the tall windows

The living room is long and pale, lit by tall multi-paned windows that give onto stonework and leaves. There is a deep teal sofa, a wall-mounted television and a round glass dining table. The kitchen sits at the far end behind a dark stone counter: light wood units, oven and stovetop, microwave, dishwasher, toaster and kettle, with a washing machine and tumble dryer built in. Kitchenware and a proper dining table mean you can cook rather than reheat.

The bedroom and the fold-out sofa

One bedroom, with a double bed, a wardrobe and linen provided, and electric blankets for colder months. The sofa in the living room folds out, so the flat sleeps up to four. The bathroom is white and modern, with a bath as well as a shower, towels, toiletries and bathrobes laid on. Worth knowing before you book: the apartment is on an upper floor and reached by stairs only.

Along Mill Road

Mill Road runs through the middle of Laxey, the village that grew around its mines and is still known for the Great Laxey Wheel. The Manx Electric Railway passes through, the mountain line climbs away from the same station, and the harbour and Laxey Beach sit at the foot of the valley.

Who the flat is for

Couples after somewhere quiet and green, or a family of four content with one bedroom and a sofa bed. Walkers get the glen paths more or less on the doorstep.