With early mists forming overnight, the first leaves starting to turn, blackberries in the hedgerows bursting to be picked and the first over-ripe apples and plums hitting the ground, now is a wonderful time to be out and about in the Cotswold countryside.

10 Taynton, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4UH - £1.5million

10 Taynton sits on the edge of one of the most attractive small villages in the Windrush Valley, and with four bedrooms, three reception rooms and two bedrooms, offers over 2,500 sq ft of living space.

Extended and improved over the years, it makes for a wonderfully peaceful village home or weekend retreat.  It sits in a beautifully landscaped west-facing garden of around a third of an acre, complete with a detached double garage and summer house.

Formerly a pair of farm-worker’s cottages, it retains many original features that include a welcoming fireplace, window seats and exposed beams, while also blending contemporary improvements such as a new kitchen, bespoke shutters, built-in storage, and finished in a calm, neutral palette throughout.

Ground floor accommodation comprises an elegant drawing room, dining room, snug and kitchen/breakfast room featuring an electric oven and combi-oven, induction hob with concealed extractor, an integrated larder-fridge, under counter freezer and double drawer dishwasher.  There is also a utility room with stable door to the rear dining terrace and a cloakroom.

Upstairs is a partly vaulted main bedroom with exposed beams, a ‘Jack and Jill’ shower room which also leads to bedroom two/dressing room.  There are two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Outside, and set behind drystone walls, the garden includes paved terraces, an extensive lawned area, deep herbaceous borders, flower beds, a drive with parking for several vehicles, a double garage with wine store and a WC.  Above is a light and sunny studio/office making it ideal for working from home.  The summerhouse is south facing, well insulated and with power.

While tucked away, Taynton is conveniently located with easy access to Burford - Gateway to the Cotswolds, the A40 for getting to Oxford or London via the M40 and Stow-on-the-Wold.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/burford/taynton/nid3372

Guide price: £1.5million

Butler Sherborn - Burford - 01993 822325

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Saltway Farm, Northleach, Gloucestershire, GL54 3QB - £2.35million - 'UNDER OFFER'

Dating from the 18th century, Saltway Farm is a wonderful period property surrounded by 51 acres of land offering an enviably peaceful and bucolic retreat.  The house is built over different levels and retains original details that include exposed beams, window seats and working shutters.  It has been in the same ownership for over 30 years and has evolved over time to become a comfortable family home.  There is potential to extend the house, while the adjacent stone barn could make a great party barn or additional accommodation.

Ground floor accommodation includes a vaulted dining room with exposed beams, painted stone chimney breast housing an oil-fired two oven Aga, new conservatory, south-facing sitting room with window seats, a study, a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a shower room.  The kitchen features an electric cooker with propane gas hob, a fridge/freezer and space for a dishwasher and washing machine.  On the two upper floors is the principal  bedroom with an adjacent bedroom currently used as a dressing room, a third bedroom and a family bathroom.  A concealed staircase leads up to a further double bedroom with exposed beams and an en-suite night cloakroom.

Outside there are a number of outbuildings comprising a traditional Cotswold stone agricultural barn (dated 1749) with a workshop, an attached period tallet barn with internal stairs to a hay loft, a stable block with three loose boxes and a further attached stone barn.  There is a stone kennel, tool shed, six field shelters and a large hay barn/shelter.  The property adjoins the ancient Saltway and sits within some 51 acres of pasture, paddocks, a wildflower meadow, woodland, copse and ponds.  The land has been maintained with conservation and wildlife in mind and is a lovely area to walk through and explore while offering some timeless views.

There is a driveway with parking for several vehicles, mostly south and west-facing gardens featuring lawns, fruit trees, shrubs and herbaceous beds.  There is a water garden to one side, a paved terrace, orchard and a vegetable garden.

Within in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the property is 3 miles from the small historic market town of Northleach, an important centre for the wool trade in the 15th century.  Today it offers the acclaimed Wheatsheaf Inn and new-on-the-scene eatery, The Sherborne Arms, an award-winning butcher and other shops, doctors’ surgery, post office, hairdresser and beauty salon.  There is a cricket club, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/northleach/nid3379

Guide price: £2.35million

Butler Sherborn - Cirencester - 01285 883740

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D’Oyley House, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, OX7 6AW - £1.15million

D’Oyley House blends 17th century origins with a late-Georgian façade and contemporary features for today’s modern living such as tastefully fitted bathrooms and a subtle colour palette throughout.

Formerly part of a larger property, it has been extended over the years to create a comfortable home with a vaulted kitchen/dining room and original features that include sash windows, window seats and exposed beams.

On the ground floor there is an entrance hall with a view through the vaulted kitchen to the impressive arched French doors leading to the garden.  There is a drawing room with sash windows with window seats and a fireplace with display alcoves, a family room with a wall of bookshelves, a window seat and fitted cupboards and the kitchen with exposed A frame beams, a deep larder, units incorporating a butcher’s block and storage baskets, a Brittania range cooker with gas hob and extractor hood, a slate worktop with a butler’s sink and slim-line dishwasher.  The adjacent dining area is filled with light from a broad glazed panel overlooking the garden and an overhead rooflight. There is also a utility/cloakroom.  Upstairs, the first floor has a galleried landing, family bathroom with separate shower and three well-proportioned bedrooms.  Stairs to the second floor lead to a landing with exposed beams and timbers, a shower room, a sitting room/study, a double bedroom and a child’s bedroom.

Outside, there is a rear garden that is particularly tranquil and sheltered, ideal for small children and pets, with paved terraces, a central lawn, herbaceous beds and mature shrubs, a driveway and an area of gravelled parking.  There is a detached stone garage and separate workshop that could potentially be turned into a home office/playroom or teenage retreat. 

Ascott-under-Wychwood is an attractive village in the Evenlode Valley in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the surrounding countryside providing wonderful country walks and riding opportunities.  Midway between Burford - Gateway to the Cotswolds, and Chipping Norton, it is well-placed for the Diddly Squat Farmshop, Cornbury Park home of The Wilderness Festival, and some good pubs with food in the area: The Swan in the village, and The Lamb Inn and Crown at Shipton.

Ascott has a parish church, village hall with clubs & cinema nights, small prep school, angling, cricket & football clubs and a thriving community shop.  The A40 gives access to Oxford and the M40 to London and Birmingham, and there are trains from Charlbury Station to London Paddington or Oxford Parkway to Marylebone.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/D'Oyley House

Guide price: £1.15million

Butler Sherborn - Burford - 01993 822325

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Firwood, Somerford Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1TX - £2.875million

Sitting in just under an acre yet close to the centre of Cirencester, Firwood comprises six bedrooms, three receptions and four bathrooms.  Light, spacious and finished to an extremely high standard, this family home combines the style of a country house with the convenience of being close to town, and offers excellent outside entertaining space with a swimming pool, sun terrace, contemporary garden studio, garaging and outbuildings.

In a sought-after residential area on the southern edge of the town, the house dates from the 1920s and has been sympathetically extended, fusing original details such as stone mullions, bay windows with window seats, fireplaces and wooden floors with underfloor heating, a modern kitchen and contemporary bathrooms, with an understated colour palette throughout.

Flooded with light, the ground floor accommodation includes a spacious entrance hall, a formal drawing room with a fine stone fireplace with Jetmaster fire, a sitting room with fireplace and a gas-flame fire, dining room with an original oak fireplace, and a fitted kitchen with limestone flooring and underfloor heating throughout the ground floor.  There is a south-facing orangery with a large overhead lantern and remotely operated vents, plus a fitted study, while the modern kitchen features a central island, Quooker tap, gas hob with extractor, double oven, microwave and integrated dishwasher.  There is a pantry with an American style fridge/freezer, a utility room, integral garage with temperature-controlled wine store and a cloakroom.

Upstairs is a large principal bedroom suite with generous storage and a recently installed new bathroom with a separate shower, Roper Rhodes sanitary ware and fittings.  There are five further bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom and one with an en-suite shower room plus a family shower room.  There are three large, boarded attics.

The front of the property is screened by mature trees and hedging, and the substantial garden enjoys a sense of seclusion and space.  Approached through automatic gates, the drive curves through the landscaped front garden of broad lawns, trees, feature lighting and a generous parking area.  There is an espaliered pear against the house, Cotswold stone walling, a paved dining terrace, a greenhouse and large detached stone workshop/store.

Known as the capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester is a thriving market town with Roman origins and many fine period properties.  Comprehensive amenities include a hospital, leisure centre, major brand supermarkets including a large Waitrose, a regular farmers market and a large variety of independent shops, boutiques, pubs, restaurants and a theatre.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/cirencester/somerford-road/nid3368

Guide price: £2.875million

Butler Sherborn - Cirencester - 01285 883740