Made to Measure Cotswold hideaway

Fergus Mitchell, founder of Burford-based StayCotswold, said it was an honour to be involved with the conversion of Waterhead Barn, in beautiful open countryside just outside Stow-on-the Wold, from word go.

The company has advised Arkell’s, which owns breweries in Swindon and Donnington, Gloucestershire, on its short-term holiday lets for a decade, and Fergus was delighted to be asked to manage the renovation and marketing of this spectacular former trout fishery.

“Arkell’s property portfolio covers some 150 pubs and rental properties in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire,” said Fergus.

“When James and Johnny Arkell asked us to manage Waterhead Barn we jumped at the opportunity. It was the chance to pour more than 15 years of experience in the holiday/short let marketplace into one large property which sleeps up to 13, and the best bit was we were being consulted at the start of the journey so we were involved with planning, architects and builders.

“We were asked to recommend the layout and functionality of the barn as a letting property and finally we were employed to furnish it.”

Since then, the bookings have been flying in and I was the first person to stay there and review it.

Myself, three friends and a small Schnauzer called Heidi arrived amidst snow flurries at the end of February, which added to our picture-perfect first impression of this alluring property with its own lake. Glancing across at the field opposite we saw a fox and her cub playing in the snow... how magical!

We entered the long single-storey building to the right of the main house, walking past boot room, utility and cloakroom into the breathtaking light-flooded kitchen with oak beamed timbers overhead - it stretches the entire length of this building. There’s a cosy warming Aga, underfloor heating, a kitchen table seating 12, and every pot, pan and piece of china you could ever need.

The architects have built on the space, light, and wood-beamed stature of the former barn, with two sets of steps up to the living/dining area which, while open plan, has a couple of cosy lounge areas with comfy sofas and TVs, and a formal dining area.

There’s an accessible en-suite bedroom on the ground floor too. The décor is kept simple and uncluttered, with white walls and natural finishes in keeping with the traditional heritage.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the stairway gave us fabulous views of the rolling countryside, now lightly coated in snow, and we deposited our overnight cases into four of the five double bedrooms upstairs, all of which are en-suite and can be made up as twins.

It was freezing outside, but we muffled up for an afternoon walk before returning to our palatial barn and hunkering down in the cosy warmth over a leisurely dinner, drinks and Scrabble. We could have lit the log fire, but we were warm enough with the central heating.

Now spring is here, the spacious courtyard terrace will come into its own for al fresco dining and relaxation, and the barn boasts all the essentials of modern day life including WiFi and Sky TV.

The lovely Cotswold town of Stow-on-the-Wold is just a few miles away, so we had a pleasant wander round its shops the next day. If you leave Waterhead barn in the other direction you come to pretty Broadway, another great location for quirky boutiques, delicatessens, tearooms and pubs.

Since my visit, ITV’s horseracing camera team became the second group of guests to visit, staying at Waterhead Barn for the duration of the Cheltenham Festival, and were equally enthusiastic about the property. The future of this made-to-measure Cotswold hideaway seems assured.

TRAVEL FACTS

StayCotswold have got the Cotswolds covered with properties ranging from bijou to whopping big! For more information on Waterhead Barn and its portfolio of Cotswold hideaways, call 01993 768731, www.staycotswold.com