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You are here: Home / Travel / The River Cottage

September 12, 2022

The River Cottage

My friend Ellen and I spent two nights at a river cottage in North, Virginia. Here’s the recap of our peaceful stay!

The River Cottage airbnb this !

Cottage By The River

My friend Ellen booked this super charming Airbnb in Eastern Virginia for four nights. She invited me to join for as many as I could get away, so I spent last Thursday and Friday with her enjoying the peaceful quiet by the water. 

The River Cottage airbnb Eastern Virginia

The house is located in North, Virginia roughly 15 minutes from the town of Mathews and 20 minutes from Gloucester. It was second back from the water with access to a nice dock. 

dock by the water

The house was SO CUTE!

I took so many mental notes about the cute decor. 

The River Cottage Airbnb review

And well appointed with kayaks, bikes, an outdoor shower, a hammock, adirondack chairs, an outdoor table, and more. 

inside a cottage by the river

inside a cottage airbnb by the river inside a cottage airbnb by the river in Virginia

It had 2 bedrooms, side by side, and one bath. Perfect for two friends or a small family! 

The River Cottage 2 bedrooms

The duvet cover was sooooo soft AND it had a zip closure, which is my new requirement for duvets because of the cleaner line it makes. I checked the tag and the duvet was by Kotten Cuture and 100% Egyptian cotton. A great price too! I think I’m getting one…

Virginia airbnb bed

The view:

Virginia airbnb view

Chef Salads

For lunch we had chef salads. Delicious! 

Chef Salads for lunch

Paddleboarding and Kayaks

Ellen loves all outdoorsy stuff and she brought her stand-up paddleboard. I gave it a test run with wobbly legs. I have the worst balance. 

Paddleboarding and Kayaks woman kayaking

We also went kayaking. The kayaks had quite a few spider webs on them, and I was unsure if we should go. My fear was that a spider would crawl out while I was on the water and I would be trapped! 

kayaking in Virginia

IT HAPPENED! AHHHH. Here we are full of adrenaline. I almost jumped in the river!  

two women kayaking

Dinner At The White Dog Bistro

We took showers and dressed up for a nice dinner in downtown Mathews at The White Dog Bistro.

Dinner At The White Dog Bistro

The restaurant has won many awards, and I can vouch that all of them were well deserved. We had an incredible meal! 

The White Dog Bistro exterior The White Dog Bistro outdoor seating

Amuse-buche: watermelon and feta

watermelon and feta

Amazing crab and crawfish hushpuppies

crab and crawfish hushpuppies

a warm bacon and maple salad with herby goat cheese and candied pecans

bacon and maple salad

Pineapple scallops in a vanilla bean beurre blanc for me

Pineapple scallops in a vanilla bean beurre blanc

Surf + Turf for Ellen

Surf + Turf

Pecan Pie with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce

Pecan Pie with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce

Tidal Flooding

When we returned, we realized the water level had come up quite a bit! Apparently they have tidal flooding. It was creepy to see where we had stood earlier was covered in water. 

Tidal Flooding

We watched the movie “This Is 40” to unwind. Very appropriate! 

Friday

On Friday morning we had leisurely coffee and breakfast – bagels from home and the best cantaloupe ever. 

coffee and breakfast breakfast bagels

Bike Paths

The neighborhood had lots of sandy bike baths to explore. We went on a 45 minute ride all around. 

bike baths

Power Walk 

Then I went on a power walk and Ellen when kayaking! (I was still recovering from the spider incident so I stayed on dry land). 

view of the dock | The River Cottage Ellen kayaking selfie | The River Cottage Ellen kayaking | The River Cottage

Chef Salads Round 2

This time we added a half glass of wine……and then more!!

Chef Salads bowl

Afternoon Chill Time

Reading + great views by the water. The weather was absolutely perfect!

Reading + great views by the water

Dinner at Hole In The Wall

For dinner we drove to Gwynn Island to eat at Hole In The Wall.

Dinner at Hole In The Wall

It was on the casual side, and we got the first spot at a picnic table on the deck. 

Hole In The Wall view Hole In The Wall view

Oysters on the Half Shell!

Oysters for dinner platter of oysters Kath holding oyster

Hushpuppies

Hushpuppies dish | The River Cottage

Blackened Flounder, Brussels, Cottage Potatoes

The potatoes were out of this world – pimento cheese style! We loved the food. Ellen had blackened flounder tacos.  

Blackened Flounder, Brussels, Cottage Potatoes

Sunset

Our cottage faces due east, so we made a point to get home early enough to enjoy it on the dock. 

The River Cottage sunset

The end!

The River Cottage sunset view

Filed Under: Travel

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Comments

  1. Denise says

    September 12, 2022 at 9:21 am

    My bestie has a house in Mathews and I’ve been twice. I love the area, and Hole in the Wall!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      September 12, 2022 at 9:25 am

      Small world!!

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    September 13, 2022 at 7:44 am

    This looks so fun! What a unique setting for a getaway. Thanks for sharing-now I’m dreaming a bit!!!

    Reply
  3. Danielle says

    September 13, 2022 at 4:45 pm

    Looks like a great spot! Slightly unrelated: have you ever been to Colonial Beach? Looking for beachy spots near Richmond. Just wondering what it’s like before driving out there.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      September 14, 2022 at 7:17 am

      I haven’t been or even heard of it! But we need beaches closer to Cville.

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    September 16, 2022 at 7:17 am

    Wow, it looks absolutely stunning!

    Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

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