Beneath sleepy Stinchcombe Hill, Cotswold Edge House stares proudly south-west out over the Cotswold escarpment towards the distant Black Mountains. Sleeping 25, it’s a place to gather and chill amid the Arts and Crafts splendour and nine acres of intricate patterned lawns, box hedging and terraces made for tea. Or just G and T.
As English as cucumber sandwiches on the lawn, Cotswold Edge House even provides the all-weather tennis court to make the picture of easy privilege complete. Play a set or two in the sunshine, retire to the orangery for a glass of Robinson’s, then dig out the stumps or the mallet and hoops.
Cook or be catered for from the Rangemaster kitchen, then gather in the dining room to discuss your day, butter the bread and sip some wine. As the sun sets over the Severn Valley, raid the library, load up the logs and wiggle your toes in front of the flames. Whose turn is it to make the Nespresso?
Step into nine acres of Arts-and-Crafts beauty in the shape of sculpted box hedges, intricate patterned lawns and ornamental stonework, and walk back into another century. But don’t get too Victorian-formal. Cotswold Edge’s chilled-out spaces were made for shooting the breeze with a cold one and some smouldering coals.
Terracing here is made for al-fresco living. Follow the paths to find the stone patios, pour some Pimm’s, relax in the hot-tub and be mesmerised by the view of the rolling hills. Lawns here work well for cricket or croquet, for a teddy bears’ picnic, or simply for giddy somersaults and cartwheels. Children can also enjoy long afternoons playing on the swings, slide and trampoline.
Spice things up with a few sets of tennis on the all-weather court. Wander the landscaped lawns before lunch. Take afternoon tea on the grass. Cotswold Edge House is awfully civilised and oh-so-English.
You’ll feel at home here. That’s if your home is a sprawling Cotswold country estate bursting with character, intricate mouldings, and Arts-and-Crafts detailing. It’s the perfect place for friends and family or hens to eat, drink and make merry amid the sleepy splendour.
Behind the mellow stonework and beneath the slate roof, the main reception room glows with the flickering flame of the homely woodburner. Children’s chairs sit side-by-side with generously sized squishy sofas, waiting for fingers to press play on Sky Q family flicks and to pass the popcorn.
Escape to raid the bookcases or to the playroom with board games and baby grand. Play a little ping-pong. Tinkle some tunes yourself, or set up the soundtrack to your stay on the Bose docking station. Get mindfully at peace in the pretty garden room. Or whistle up some wifi.
Cotswold Edge House is homely yet elegant, with three reception rooms that recall the finest hotels, where technology sits happily beside period grandeur. These are spaces to be waited on, to play murder-mystery games, to be manicured and pedicured, or just to chill with music and a book.
Dab hand in the kitchen? You’ll love the Rangemaster induction double oven. Get together around the kitchen table for croissants and juice or gather in the 17-seater dining room to dawdle deliciously over dinner. Butter the bread, pour the wine, let the happy chatter flow.
Prefer to leave it to the pros? Talk to us about special celebrations or fully catered breaks. We have celebrated chefs ready to step in to make memorable meals, then magically waft away the washing-up afterwards. You won’t even need to pour the Nespresso.
If you’re heading out for a beer and a bite, cheery pubs abound. The Old Spot in Dursley comes with low ceilings, beer garden, cask ales and hearty fare that includes buffalo mozzarella and wild-mushroom stroganoff. In Nympsfield, the Rose and Crown is good for slow-braised lamb, ale pies and locally reared steak.
For a more dressy meal, pop to the Gumstool at Calcot Manor for Cornish sea bream or Gloucester Old Spot. Stick on your sombrero and head to El Dorado in Dursley, or try The Wild Garlic at Nailsworth for Old Spot pork belly or chargrilled shorthorn ribeye.
There’s no shortage of sleeping space at Cotswold Edge House, with beds for 25 plus a couple of sofa beds and a couple of z-beds for family flexibility. Pick from eight bedrooms, each bursting with classic English charm. Wake, yawn, stretch and take in rolling views of the gardens, paddock and Cotswold escarpment beyond.
The master bedroom is a super king-size, while bedroom two is a king-size. Bedroom three comes with French-style twin beds and bedroom four is a double. Bedrooms five and six are king-sizes, while bedroom seven sleeps five excited kids or happy hens in three singles and a double. Bedroom eight is a double.
You’ll share four bathrooms. The first offers a long soak in the tub bath, the second comes with a bath and shower head, and bathrooms three and four are stylish modern shower rooms.
Wherever you lay your head, you’ll enjoy deep, supportive mattresses, crisp linen and fresh country air that filters in through that open window. You’ll need a good reason to get up in the morning. Thank heavens you’re in the Cotswolds.