Lying within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and only a minute's walk from a thatched-roof pub, this is an ideal home for anyone looking to escape the urban environment and lose themselves in the English countryside for a while. The home itself plays a role in this bucolic fantasy. Once a Victorian farmhouse, today this is a property that pays homage to its rustic history with a few wood-burning stoves, exposed brickwork and tiling underfoot, but is also full of more contemporary flourishes, too – we're particularly fond of the conservatory with a dining table that looks out to views of the Oxfordshire countryside. If the weather's pleasant enough to sit out in the open air, there's a terrace that faces local farmland and forest and when the sun makes an appearance, why not break out the barbecue and cook up an alfresco banquet for lucky guests? You'll have almost certainly worked up an appetite after exploring the local area. There are great walking routes that start from the house, including around Bluebell Woodland only ten minutes on foot from the front door. The charming town of Henley-on-Thames is only an hour's walk away too if you fancy something a little more challenging.

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