It’s a patio garden here where once beer kegs no doubt stood. Yet it packs plenty of punch per inch, with a gas barbie, seating for plenty, and the seven-seat, fixed hot tub bubbling away beneath the night sky. Towel off, take a seat on the table and chairs and pour a Prosecco from the summerhouse, complete with fridge and flutes.
Pack your Prosecco to toast the spacious charisma of this former Cotswold pub. These are the spaces you need for a big family get-together, hen weekend or corporate team- builder. And don’t forget your dogs. It’s an enticing mix of period charm and modern convenience, where the oak-lintelled logburner shares the space with superfast Wi-Fi.
Bring your streaming logins for the 65” smart TV. Fill the optics at the oak bar and bring a keg along to oil the evening’s entertainment. Plunder the pub games. Play a little PlayStation before bedtime. With the cushions plumped and a choice of reception rooms, Hart of the Village is as sociable or solitary as you are.
There’s a delicious kitchen here, with three electric hide-and-glide ovens, a five-burner induction hob and a couple of dishwashers to dump your dishes while you continue the party at the bar. Stock up the larder fridge, fridge/freezer, under-counter freezer and drinks fridge from Waitrose, Vinotopia and Godsell Farm’s vending machine.
Show off your culinary skills, or don’t. Put it all in the capable hands of Birch Catering or William’s of Nailsworth, with chef-prepared meals for collection or delivery, such as fish pies, beef Wellington, sides of salmon and sharing platters. Eat in the kitchen or out on the patio in the sunshine with space for 24.
Take home takeaways from Fat Toni’s Pizzeria, Hotbox for slow-cooked smoked meats, or The Frying Machine for fish and chips. Enjoy freshly cooked fare in the big beer garden at The Frocester George, able to seat up to 20. Or tuck into crayfish, almond- crusted cod or gluten-free fish and chips at The Bell Inn.
Enjoy valley views from The Woolpack, plus spiced hogget pie or crispy pork belly. This pub’s where Laurie Lee wrote Cider with Rosie (and where Marie does her knitting). Or tuck into everything from a la carte dining to afternoon tea at Calcot Manor’s The Brasserie or try award-winning seafood at William’s of Nailsworth.
Amid stone cottages, lush countryside and the mildest of wildlife, you’ll remember how deep sleep feels. Choose from nine bedrooms sleeping 20, complete with hotel-quality linen, mattress toppers, Tencel duvets and Fogerty soft-touch pillows. Many rooms will take a travel cot.
‘John’ sleeps two on the ground floor in a superking or pair of singles. It comes with a TV and en-suite shower room. En-suite ‘Patrick’ has a superking and TV, ‘Elizabeth’ is a superking with TV and en-suite, and ‘Stanley’ offers a TV plus kingsize and single day bed. There’s a shared bathroom with walk-in shower, Jacuzzi bath and waterproof TV.
Stanley pairs with ‘Hilda’ as a twin or double, with Hilda offering a TV and superking or pair of singles. ‘Daphne’ provides a four-poster superking, TV and en-suite, while ‘Anthony’ comes with TV, three singles and a truckle bed. ‘David’ sleeps two in an en- suite double with telly and ‘June’ is an en-suite single with TV.
Urban kids love the prospect of a break from the city, meandering country lanes and the idea of crowing cocks and bleating sheep. All the better when there’s a big house to explore with space for 20 plus four dogs and the benefit of bringing most of the folk from home with you.
Explore the Cotswolds away from the main tourist spots: the houses here are just as honey-coloured, the villages just as sleepy, and the brooks just as gently babbling. Then come home to a former pub with nooks, crannies and endless eaves perfect for hide-and-seek.
Fire up the gas barbie out on the patio and eat out in the Cotswolds sunshine. Stay hydrated with drinks from the summerhouse fridge, with the grown-ups raiding the oak bar. Older kids can stay out late in the seven-seat hot tub while keeping an eye out for The Great Bear and The Plough.
Back inside, big spaces make for happy families. Eat around the 20-seat dining table with meals from our pro chefs, then stay together in the TV room to stream Netflix (bring your login) on the 65” smart TV over the superfast Gigaclear Wi-Fi or set up a PlayStation challenge. Sleep in hotel-quality beds, then rinse and repeat tomorrow.
