The neighbourhood
At the heart of the village is a popular pub renowned for its good, honest food, that has a coffee shop attached to it and sells freshly baked bread and groceries. For more choice when you come to stock up on supplies, there’s an M&S Foodhall 3.5 miles away.
The village lies in the
North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is a paradise for walkers, horse-riders and mountain bikers, with terrain including high chalk ridges, fields, ancient heathland and woodlands. A fantastic way to explore a little is on the circular walk that begins from the pub, while many visitors also head for Combe Gibbet that stands on a hilltop and was used for the public execution of two locals in 1676.
Hungerford, situated on the Kennet and Avon Canal, is the nearest main town. Enjoy retail therapy at independent stores and the antique shops for which the town is known, before a spot of lunch by the water. If you like history and tradition, there’s a Victorian Extravaganza held every year in December, while the Hocktide festival that dates back to medieval times takes place annually on the second Tuesday after Easter Sunday.
Other attractions within easy driving distance include Wilton Windmill, not far from Marlborough, which was built in 1810 and continues to produce stone-ground flour to this day. Situated on the top of a chalk hill, the windmill is both an incredible sight and a fantastic vantage point for views across the Downs. The grassland around the windmill is the perfect place for a picnic.
If you like getting dressed up for the races, Newbury racecourse is about a 30-minute drive away from the cottage and races are held throughout the summer. In the same direction, there’s Highclere Castle, the historic home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon. Made famous for being the location of the hugely popular television series ‘Downton Abbey’, it is open to look around the Capability Brown-designed gardens and for tours of the house that include the Egyptian Exhibition that celebrates the part that the 5th Earl of Carnarvon played in discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Getting around
For your convenience, we advise travelling to the cottage by car which makes exploring the local area easy. However, the village is on a bus route between Newbury and Hungerford. Meanwhile, Hungerford Train Station is about 4 miles away, where you can catch trains for days out in nearby towns and villages.