This quaint cottage offers a peaceful Cotswolds retreat in Chipping Norton, featuring two serene bedrooms and a peaceful garden, ideal for couples or friends seeking relaxation and countryside charm.
Sage Cottage is a charming Cotswold retreat in the vibrant town of Chipping Norton. Blending classic features with modern comforts, it offers two stylish bedrooms, a cosy living space with a wood-burning stove and a peaceful garden. Ideally located for exploring local attractions, including the renowned Soho Farmhouse and Diddly Squat Farm Shop, it’s perfect for those seeking a relaxing escape surrounded by rolling countryside, market towns and scenic walking trails.
The ground floor has been thoughtfully designed to create a seamless blend of comfort, character and style. The bright kitchen, framed by classic cottage windows, showcases sleek worktops, premium appliances and everything needed for effortless self-catering. Adjacent, the welcoming living area radiates rustic charm, where an exposed stone fireplace and crackling wood-burning stove provide an inviting centrepiece for cosy evenings in.
Upstairs, the spacious master bedroom offers a soothing sanctuary, where muted tones, natural textures, and soft daylight combine to create a haven of understated luxury. The plush bed, dressed in crisp white linens, ensures restful nights after days exploring the surrounding market towns and idyllic countryside.
Venture to the top floor to find the second bedroom, a charming retreat tucked beneath the eaves, offering calming treetop views, an idyllic space for reading, relaxing or simply unwinding.
Both bedrooms benefit from a beautifully appointed bathroom on the top floor, complete with elegant brass fixtures and a luxurious walk-in rainfall shower, adding a refined, boutique feel.
Outside, the enclosed rear garden offers a tranquil escape, featuring a rustic bench, fragrant herbs, and the timeless charm of the cottage’s whitewashed walls, perfect for enjoying morning coffee or alfresco meals.
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.
