An attractive cottage with a boutique hotel-style interior set in the heart of a bustling Cotswolds village with shops, restaurants and countryside trails just a few minutes’ walk from your door.
Bay Tree Cottage offers you the best of both worlds during your holiday in The Cotswolds. It’s conveniently located near the centre of one of The Cotswolds’ most popular villages with shops and cafes a few minutes on foot, yet is set on a quiet road just far enough away from the crowds to enjoy sanctuary. It’s also a great choice for a family, a small group of close friends or two couples, especially if some of you like to do your own thing every now and again. The cottage is handy for individuals to come and go for an hour or so as they please, whether that’s teenagers wanting to escape their parents and explore on their own, or the shopaholic amongst you that can’t get enough of the charming shops. Very homely and finished to a high standard, this detached cottage is perfect for a leisurely long weekend or an active week of exploring.
Bay Tree Cottage has plenty of curb appeal with its double-fronted, creamy-coloured Cotswolds stone facade and delightfully-scented lavender plants and bay trees either side of the doorway.
Step inside and you’ll find a luxurious lounge with two comfy leather sofas, tasteful feature lamps and a limestone fireplace with an electric stove-style fire that gives a cosy glow on a chilly evening. When you return from a day out or dinner in the village, it’s the perfect place to retire to, have a chat and settle down to watch a film on the 32-inch television, which has Freeview channels and Netflix.
The kitchen/diner is light and bright, and has everything you will need to prepare meals ‘at home’ and self-cater with ease, including an oven and hob, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and washing machine. There is also a compact dining table and chairs that seats four guests.
Being of a dormer bungalow style, the cottage’s first bedroom is on the ground floor and features a king-size sleigh bed, a 32-inch television and French doors that lead into the small garden. The bedroom also has an en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower, a heated towel rail and a demisting, illuminated mirror.
Upstairs is the second bedroom which has a zip-link bed, meaning that it can be set up as either a king-size or two singles for you. The bedroom also has a 24-inch television and an en-suite bathroom with a large roll top bath, a heated towel rail and a demisting, illuminated mirror.
Outside there is a courtyard garden with a patio area furnished with a bistro table and chairs. It’s a lovely spot to sip your morning tea or coffee in peace, or fire-up the BBQ for a delicious lunch of local meats and grilled veggies. There is also driveway parking.
The Cotswolds is a richly rural area with more than 3,000 footpaths and trails running through farmland and wildflower meadows, as well as ancient woodlands to explore.
For woodland birds, Box Wood tucked away in a valley near Minchinhampton is well worth a visit. Comprised mainly of beech, with some limestone streams running through it, in summer it becomes alive with birds. Listen out for great-spotted woodpeckers and tawny owls, and keep your eyes peeled for treecreepers and nuthatches as they run up and down the trees.
More woods can be found on Crickley Hill jointly managed by the National Trust and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Located just south of Cheltenham its habitats also include grassland, scrub, and limestone rock exposures. Mixed flocks of tits and finches are common in the woods, while kestrels can often be seen hovering above as they hunt for prey. In summer, the site is also a haven for wildflowers and butterflies.
Cotswold Water Park which straddles the Gloucestershire and Wiltshire border is a vast marl lake system spread over 42 miles. Cleveland Lakes Reserve is made up of two of the largest lakes and is an important site for both wintering and breeding birds including coots, great crested grebes, and little egrets. For bitterns, reed buntings, water rails, and snipes, head to Shorncote Reedbed which also has two bird hides so you can view the wildlife close up.
If you want to see some exotic and rare birds, Birdland in Bourton-on-the-water has a variety of attractions set in nine acres of gardens and woodland. Some of the highlights include the Parliament of Owls, home to eight species of owl, the Pandemonium of Parrots, where you can learn about the 16 species of parrot housed there, and Penguin Shore which has daily feeding displays. There are plenty of spots to have a picnic, as well as a children’s play area, and a gift shop.
Nearby Greystones Farm nature reserve is home to wildflower meadows, Iron Age ramparts, a replica Iron Age roundhouse, a working organic farm, and an interactive discovery barn. The old farm buildings are used by swallows and house martins for nesting and there are plenty of birds of prey to be spotted gliding overhead. There is also the opportunity to view a live camera feed of a barn owl box, and watch the birds as they bring up their chicks.
Farmland birds can be found all over the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. Look out for corn buntings, grey partridges, turtle doves, and yellow wagtails.
