This unique and beautiful, bright retreat overlooks the Indian River and the magical D&H rail trail. Hike, bike and ski through meadows, wetlands and woods for nine delirious miles. Sip coffee in the morning light on the balcony or share a meal with friends while the sets behind the bridge. Warm up by the fire pit along the river on a cold, clear night. High-speed fiber-optic wifi and workspaces throughout make working remotely in this quiet, peaceful space a joy.

The apartment is on the second floor of the historic West Pawlet post office building. High ceilings and nine huge windows make the space feel expansive and almost loft-like while the refinished original fir and maple floors, and lath and plaster walls imbue the space with history, character and warmth. Photos can't capture the magic.

The building is on a slope, so the western-facing kitchen and balcony rise up high over the garden, river, and trail. The views are breathtaking. Sunlight pours into the kitchen and onto the balcony throughout the afternoon on clear days.

Inside:
-2 bedrooms, each with super clean and comfy queen beds.
-The bathroom has a small but pretty shower and a beautiful floor of blue-green slate from a local quarry.
-The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you'll need for
a great meal. It has a large fridge, a spacious walk-in pantry, and a reverse osmosis water filter.
-Many workspace options.
-Flexible dining arrangements. All the furniture legs have felt to protect the floors and make everything easy to move around. The little tables throughout, including one on the wall in the toy room, can be moved around as needed to accommodate friends.
-The bedroom adjacent to kitchen has a round wooden table that can double as a workspace or dining table. Overhead, antique cabinet doors swing open to create a pass-through for food as well as extra natural light and breeze for a bright and airy workspace.
-The toy room is filled with games and toys for all ages.

Outside:
-The balcony! Yay. Step right out of the pantry onto the soaring balcony to sip coffee in the quiet morning light while looking out over the garden, river and trail. Later in the day, work in the sunny afternoon breeze. At dusk, after a long walk or a dip in the river, sit on the balcony and share local hard cider and artisanal cheese with friends as the sun sets over the trail bridge.
-The rail trail! 100 feet or so to the left as you walk out the front door. Walk over the bridge into the woods and past some old farm buildings and suddenly the trail will open wide up into a dream about meadows, wetlands, woods, mountain silhouettes, a big sky, and wildlife everywhere. It is truly magical all year round. In any weather, you might meet a friendly neighbor or a visitor who has come to bike, hike, ski and even horseback-ride on that glorious trail.
-The back garden is by the river bank. It is so pretty and has been an absolute joy to work on and spend time in.
-The river bank has a slate platform where you can hang out, fish, embark on a river walk, and dunk into the water. Bring down the fire pit on a crisp night as long as you have experience with fire protocol.

The community:
-West Pawlet is a small, economically and politically diverse rural village. Its not a town where all the houses are white with green shutters. The whole gamut is here: Masons, relocated retirees, artists, contractors, writers, lawyers, cheesemakers, electricians, gardeners, a set designer, firefighters, corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, plumbers, musicians, professors, families, social workers, interior designers, digital nomads, retail store clerks, farm workers, empty-nest moms harnessing independence to the max, retired nurses, restaurant owners, and some who are really down on their luck.

The retail activity in West Pawlet is the iconic post office. For anything other than mailing a letter or picking up a package, the beautiful country roads will take you to Pawlet, Dorset, and Manchester (7, 10 and 16 miles respectively), as well as Rupert, Salem, Wells, Poultney, and Middletown Springs, all lovely places with something or another that will make you really happy, where you will find gourmet comfort food and groceries, bakeries, local artisanal cheeses, meats and fresh produce, farmer’s markets and farmstands, festivals, concerts, art museums and exhibitions, crafts, boutique home good stores and apothecaries, community theater and more. Granville is 3 miles down the road for the essentials: groceries, pharmacy, gas, diner, hardware, ice cream stand, and the Slate Town Brewery which brews up some pretty exotic ales, stouts and ciders and makes great pizzas, salads, and burgers. Farther out in the Granville countryside is Hicks Orchard which cultivates and grows best apples and berry varieties I've ever tasted. They also produce cider, artisanal hard cider, and fresh hot donuts. Saratoga, Middlebury, Glens Falls, and Burlington have a plethora of great restaurants, boutiques, really cool museums, food coops and great grocery stores.

There are several ski resorts within an hour of West Pawlet. Bromley is right on the outskirts of Manchester.

NYC and Boston are each around a 4 hour drive. You will definitely need a car here and experience driving in snow, but you can catch a train in Fort Edward if you are commuting regularly to NYC and need a break from driving.

About This Lister

I love designing, growing, and making things and figuring everything out. Having the freedom at this point in my life to work on exactly what I want to work on has turned me into a very happy introvert who is constantly laughing and wants nothing more than to be left alone to work on her projects while listening to music and podcasts. Most of these projects feed directly into my commitment to be the best landlord on the planet.

Buying the PO building and bringing it back to life making beautiful spaces for people to work or live in has been, hands down, the best experience of my life (sorry, my young adult children who I love so much). To sit in a chair in the garden at twilight after a day of hard work listening to the river while the sun sets in pinks and purples behind the bridge, I can't even believe it. I visit my kids and friends in Boston and NYC for a day or two every now and then for city time and then I come back and sitting on my porch in the twilight I listen to the river and then water my garden.