Local info
Our farmhouse lies within the Cotswold Lakes and Water Park which is Britain's largest water park, comprising more than 150 lakes covering an area of 40 square miles. The water park lakes are flooded gravel workings put to a variety of new uses. It is already much larger than the Norfolk Broads and still growing.
Here there are picnic and barbeque sites with plenty of parking and access to a network of footpaths, cycle ways and bridle paths. Cycles can be hired at Keynes Country Park
It is an internationally recognised area for wildlife and birdwatching. You can visit five nature reserves with bird hides. Guided wildlife walks are organised throughout the year. There are oportunities to see badgers, otters and also beavers. Day permits for fly and coarse fishing are available.
If you wish to be more active, sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, canoeing, waterski-ing, jetski-ing, cycling, paintballing, air rifle shooting & archery instruction, horse-riding and golf facilities are available within 5 miles from our accommodation.
The Thames Path National Trail
The Thames Path starts at Kemble (7 miles away) and passes through Ashton Keynes, which is the first village on the River Thames.
As you leave the village you walk over and around many lakes now mellowing as time has introduced natural wild flowers and shrubs, encouraging many insects and birds to the area. As you leave the lakes, the path takes you along a track on the old railway line then past a bridge on the line of the North Wiltshire Canal to the nature reserve of North Meadow where up to four-fifths of the country's snake's head fritillary can be seen during late April and early May each year.
Places to see
The Roman town of Cirencester hosts the Corinium Museum, the Roman Amphitheatre, the wonderful wool Church of St John, and Cirencester Abbey grounds.
Closeby are the towns of Malmesbury with its lovely Abbey and Gardens, and Tetbury where the Westonbirt Arboretum is well worth a visit anytime of year, but especially in the Autumn. Bath has the Royal Crescent and the Roman Baths.
The villages of Lacock and Castle Combe made famous by films.
The famous White Horses carved into the chalk hills at Uffington and 8 others in Wiltshire.
Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold, Moreton in the Marsh, Stratford upon Avon, The Slaughters, and Cheltenham are to the North, Oxford is to the East and Salisbury to the South - there is a wealth of interesting places all within an hour's drive.
