The ten-acre mature garden offers a mix of formal and informal features, but you can be as informal as you like. Play croquet on the lawn, let the kids loose on the play area, trampoline and treehouse, kick a ball around, say hi to next door’s horse.
Cook on the gas barbie, eat out on the terrace, hit a few balls on the all-weather tennis court, dive into the heated pool off the south-facing terrace. Walk the walled garden, enjoy the uninterrupted views offered by the ha-ha over to the orchard and rolling woodland. Listen to the skylarks, lose yourself in the serenity, live the country life.
Live like a Lord or Lady in a refurbished Edwardian manor house. Robin’s End is Grade II-listed, Georgian and grand as they come, yet it’s also a cosy home. Make yourself comfortable in a world of limestone floors, carved wood, sash windows, wall-panelling and marble fire surrounds.
There are rooms here you never knew you needed. Ever wanted a gun room? Here’s your chance. But maybe the sitting room, morning room, drawing room and games room will be enough. There’s space and spaces here to party or to be apart. There’s even a gym, so you can burn off calories before adding them from the Aga.
As you’d expect of a Georgian gem, everything is grand. From the welcoming reception hall with its limestone-style floor, life flows into the wood-panelled morning room and on to the drawing room, with its range fire with carved wooden surround. Follow the panelled archway to the sitting room. Get a fire roaring beneath the marble surround.
Tradition is everywhere, yet modern entertainment’s on tap. There’s BT wifi throughout and your choice of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Freeview. Dive into the DVD collection. Plink the piano. Get up to the games room for air hockey. Bag a book from the shelf and a spot by the fire. Or dock your iPod and dance till dawn.
Up for some country cooking? The Aga should inspire greatness. That and the local fruit farms, gin distilleries and farmers’ markets. But of course, you’re feeding a small army, so there’s an electric oven and two hobs as well. Make it a team effort, then get round the 20-seat table to break bread and pour wine, overseen by the suit of armour.
Prefer eating under the stars or the blue skies? Stock up on sausages and steaks and get out to the gas barbie and the terrace table and chairs. When you’re done, pile the pots into the dishwashers and pour yourself a coffee. Or make it a G&T with extra chill added from the ice machine.
If you fancy a night off, take a trip down to the Crown Inn in Hallow for big local flavours like maple and gin-cured salmon or pan-seared wood pigeon. Head to the Baiting House, home of 2 AA Rosettes and crispy pulled pork wit triple-cooked chips. Or maybe it’ll be crispy duck or beer-battered cod at the child-friendly Talbot Inn.
For a special occasion, try Pensons, with food grown on site at the Netherwood Estate. Or tickle your tastebuds with the tasting menu at the Green Cow in Whitbourne, including cold smoked estate muntjac loin, seared sea scallops, and celeriac velouté. For lighter bites, try the Spotty Dog.
Robin’s End sleeps 19 in ten beautiful bedrooms. Dream deeply in the land of four-poster beds and freestanding, rolltop baths.
Bedrooms one and two are both kingsize en-suites, while en-suite bedroom three is a superking. Bedrooms four (en-suite), five and seven are kingsize and bedroom eight is a single. Bedroom nine is a kingsize, while bedrooms ten and eleven each offer two singles. Kids’ cots can be added for a little family flexibility.
