House of the Month

Foxcote Grange, Sleeps 12, Cotswolds

There’s croquet on the lawn. Grazing horses to gaze at beyond the fence. The newts in the stream are rare. And the lapping water of the outdoor pool, the hearty thwock of ball on racket and gently fizzing gin on the terrace are the only sounds to pierce the silence on a summer’s day. Foxcote Grange is where the countryside goes to relax.

The River Coln splits this Cotswold community, but it’s otherwise united, with point-to-point meets, Sunday cricket, pig roasts and cask ale in the honeystoned Royal Oak. This is Andoversford – Cotswolds Central – with hills that roll forever and ancient oaks that spread their boughs against timeless Turner skies.

Live the country life with family and friends, with game from the Aga, dinner by the pool beneath the parasol, and board games, books and pool in the games room. Warm the evenings with the logs in the hearth, catch a family film, wind the day up together with dinner and wine in the panelled dining room.

There’s room for 12 here of all generations to forget the traps of modern life, yet still enjoy the trappings: the superfast wifi, the Sky TV and the iPod dock. Walk the hills (don’t forget your dog), pop to the pub, lie back in the garden and listen to the birds, watch out for wildlife, lap up the constellations after dark. Live your best life.

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