Self-catering cottage for four people in Wiltshire
This beautiful 16th century thatched cottage is situated on the edge of the small village of Ebbesbourne Wake, hidden away in the Chalke Valley, which runs between the cathedral city of Salisbury and the charming market town of Shaftesbury. The Chalke valley, with its string of picturesque villages set between two hill ridges, is part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its situation makes it ideal for exploring central southern England, including Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath, the New Forest and the Dorset coast.
The Blue Cottage nestles beneath a hill, surrounded by a large sunny garden with rough-cut grass, plenty of trees, many of them old, and views across pasture land. It is approached by a very short track, shared by one other house, and feels completely secluded, although it is only about three hundred metres to the village centre with its church and pub (which serves excellent home-cooked food).
The main part of the cottage was built in the 16th century, with thick cob walls and a large inglenook fireplace. An extension was built about a century later (from half-way across the left-hand bedroom window in the picture above), which has resulted in a most unusual layout to the second bedroom, which is partly divided in two by the original end wall of the cottage. A further one-storey extension was built in the first half of the 20th century at the back, which included the kitchen and bathroom.
This 20th century extension has now been completely rebuilt and extended to provide a large modern kitchen and bathroom, while still being in keeping with the rest of the cottage.
More information about the buildingwork with photos can be found on this page.
The cottage is available for holiday lets from Saturday to Saturday throughout the year and for short lets during the autumn, winter and spring, when you can curl up in front of the woodburning stove and the thick walls keep out the cooler weather.
Dogs are allowed on request but the garden is not entirely dog proof.
