The Cotswolds probably form the loveliest garden of all, but Firefly Barn has claimed a couple of acres of it. It’s just enough to keep adventurous dogs happy with a walk in the woods and a roll on the lawn.
Meanwhile, you’ll be immersed in the six-seat hot tub, entranced by dinner and cocktails in the sunshine, and enchanted by toasted marshmallows around the firepit.
The snug here’s no small space. In fact, it’s a cinema room, packed with bean bags and comfy sofas and ready to screen movies of your choice on the humungous 77” telly. Stream your Netflix and Amazon Prime Video accounts over the hyperfast Gigaclear broadband.
Add a twist of lemon to your drinks in The Granary bar, complete with ancient farming tools for décor, then twist those wrists on the table football. Bring out the board games or make it a late one on the PlayStation.
The Cotswolds is a foodie paradise and nowhere more so than Daylesford Organic. Stock up on chicken, eggs and juice shots or get down to Marks and Spencer in Chipping Norton or Waitrose at Witney to fill the fridges and freezer. Top up the wine chiller with fizz from Majestic in Stow.
The kitchen’s as glitzy as it gets but we understand if you prefer to simmer in the hot tub. Put your feet up. We have pro chefs more than happy to stir the pot while you marinate. Book a one-off celebration or fully catered break. Or call out for takeaways from New Dragon House, Bilash or Express Pizza.
Put local pubs to the test with slow-cooked lamb-shoulder pie from The Hare, or rabbit, bacon and prune pie from The Lamb Inn, where the ‘Shoot’ menu also features venison pie. Head to The Wychwood Inn for pan-fried sea trout or calves’ liver or find out why The Feathered Nest proudly holds 3 AA Rosettes.
Biryani and tandoori await at The Spice Lounge, while The Bull in Burford is a honeyed heaven where they cook locally sourced meats, seafood and vegetables from The Priory Garden on an open grill. Or go all out at foodie meccas The Kingham Plough and The Wild Rabbit.
It’s quiet here in the valley with the Evenlode river rolling by and with two acres of woodland and lawn between you and the wider world. Choose from seven bedrooms sleeping up to 12 adults and two children.
Bedroom one, Soissons, is a superking with rolltop en-suite and TV, while en-suite bedroom two, Moulin, provides a kingsize with TV. Bedroom three, Hobbit, offers two singles and comes with a bath en-suite. Bedroom four, Hereward, is a kingsize en-suite at the top of a spiral staircase.
Bedroom five, Solstice, provides a superking with TV, balcony and en-suite. Bedroom six, Cadenza, gives you a superking or two singles, a TV and a private bathroom, while bedroom seven, Firefly, has a superking bed, TV and en-suite.
