Built back in the late 1920s, this cottage combines rustic features, modern conveniences and a smidgeon of rural eccentricity to make for a truly memorable stay. Inside, there are plenty of spots to gather the whole gang together, whether that's on the patchwork furnishings positioned by the wood-burning stove in the snug, sat around the dining room in the conservatory or sprawled out on the long grey corner sofa next to the eye-catching tree-trunk coffee table. Out the French doors, there's a large wraparound terrace with a barbecue and dining area, all facing a peaceful view of fields and forest. A gate at the end of the garden leads directly through this woodland and you can follow paths down to the beautiful Chalford Valley and the Thames and Severn Canal. A little closer to home — about ten minutes' walk — is the quaint market town of Minchinhampton, which has a market on the first Saturday of the month in the seventeenth-century hall and a country pub.

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