Property Description
This fairy tale Cotswold stone farmhouse is approached up a long and sometimes bumpy private drive. It leads behind a church and manor house into the heart of the beech woods.
The manor estate is in the 'Royal Triangle', set in the heart of the Cotswold Hills. The historic cities of Bath, Cheltenham, and Cirencester are all about 20 miles away with all their wealth of cultural and scenic attractions. Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford-upon-Avon are popular day excursions. London is about 2 hours away. Heathrow Airport is a little closer.
Apart from the Cotswolds and their wool towns and villages, other touring regions include the Berkeley Vale, the Forest of Dean, the Wye Valley, the Welsh Marches, the Malverns, and the Thames Valley.
Historic houses, besides the estate itself, include Berkeley Castle, Chavenage House, Dyrham Park and Sudeley Castle. Within walking distance is Woodchester Mansion, an unfinished masterpiece of the Victorian age. Tourist attractions include the American Museum at Claverton Manor and the Roman Baths at Bath, Gloucester Cathedral, Westonbirt Arboretum and the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge.
Gloucestershire is famous for its many gardens. They include Hidcote and Kiftsgate, Miserden Park, Painswick Rococo Garden, Rodmarton Manor, Barnsley House, Highgrove and Westbury-on-Severn. The house is the ideal base for the Horse Trials at Badminton and Gatcombe Park and for racing at Cheltenham.
The estate forms a wild and secret valley extending along the Ewelme stream under the Cotswold edge. It is accessible, yet far from the intrusion of public roads and the commercial farming of the Cotswold plateau. The extensive native beech woods are carpeted with bluebells in the spring. Richly varied walks lead the serious hiker or casual stroller over many miles of footpaths on the estate and beyond. Long-distance trails are well organised in the surrounding area of the Cotswolds.
Beyond the valley is an impressive group of archaeological sites. The Iron Age hill fort at Uley is the most impressive in the Cotswolds, commanding views over the Severn Vale to the mountains of Wales. Neolithic long barrows and Roman settlements lie on the hills. The estate and its neighbouring valleys form a haven rich in wildlife, with wildflowers in the fields, protected butterflies, deer and badgers, and a rich variety of habitat for bird-watching. Guests will not forget the fabled owls.
As well as a traditional West Country livestock, and farms producing home reared organic meat, this is a sporting estate perfect for all forms of country pursuits. There is fly fishing, and rough shooting and clay pigeon lessons can be arranged. Riding, gliding and golf (with three courses) are all a mile or two away. Many activities are organized by for corporate programmes or private parties. There is plenty of room for those who want none of these but want simply to breathe in the peace and utter seclusion of a timeless countryside.
The Manor is a mile east of Uley, off the B4066, at the small green past the Old Crown pub in Uley (just opposite the Church). Uley is a charming weaving village between Tetbury, Stroud (6 miles) and Dursley (3 miles west), signposted from the A 4135. The M5 Junctions 13 (north) and 14 (south) are a few minutes west: head for the B4066. The M4 is 12 miles south. Exit at Junction 18 and follow the A46 north in the direction of Stroud as far as the crossroads with the A4135. Then go west towards Dursley, turning second right after the Hunters' Hall pub in Kingscote down to village of Uley on B4066.