Tythe House, Bampton, Oxfordshire

Tythe house is a lovely stone-built barn conversion, surrounded by 2 acres of gardens, with wonderful views across the Oxfordshire countryside. The house is perfect for groups of families and friends to spend time together, whether it is to chill out and relax and chat and eat, or to explore the wonderful Cotswold countryside and all the attractions nearby including the beautiful cities or Oxford and Bath as well as glorious Cotswold and Thames Valley riverside towns and villages. The property features a spacious sitting room, with comfy sofas, a large coffee table for playing games or serving your drinks and snacks and a welcoming wood burner stove, including seasoned wood grown on the property. A quirky grandfather clock and old piano add an old world charm but both are decorative rather than functional. There are comfy sofas and armchairs to curl up in and a large wall mounted flat screen television with DVD and CD player with a large selection of family DVDs, CDs and books as well as an abundance of games to relax and have fun with when you’re all done with the outdoor play or exploration of the glorious countryside. There is the farmhouse-style kitchen, a wood-fired Rayburn cooker, which cooks beautifully - but don’t worry, there’s a Belling farmhouse electric cooker and additional hob, plus a microwave/grill/convection oven to make sure you can cook up a feast for your friends and family. The property owners are all keen cooks, so you will find the kitchen well equipped with plenty of pots, pans, serving dishes and kitchen aids plus a fantastic collection of cookery books to browse through. There’s a lovely light and airy dining room with a table that will comfortably seat 12 people. There are additional sofas in here and even more games so that children can play games while adults linger for longer after their meal. If you need extra beds for part of your stay, this room also has a sofa bed as well as a full shower room adjacent. There are double glass door leading out to the deck and the first of several seating areas with views over the pond and garden. There is a large outdoor games room with table tennis, table football, and a patio area in front with further country pub garden style seating and a large barbecue / fire pit. There's plenty of space for outdoor games in the large paddock and the gravel driveway has plenty of space for 4 cars and still leave room for a game of boules (which you will find in the hall). The owner's father lives in the adjacent cottage and his and the owner's cars share the driveway but you will still find there's plenty of room. Upstairs there are three double bedrooms (one en-suite) and a family room with a double bed, a bunk bed with a toddler bed underneath. The toddler bed is set up as a sofa, but can be turned round to have a safety bar one side with the wall for safety the other side. There is room for a travel cot in this room too. There is a spacious family bathroom with both bath with shower over (to make children’s hair washing easier) and a spacious powerful shower. You have the entire main part of the house to yourselves. There is an attached cottage which is a separate dwelling where my Dad lives. The garden area is shared with my Dad and any visiting family, but guests have their own seating area outside the dining room and welcome to make use of the barn area which has two large tables and chairs, a table tennis table (which can be moved out onto the lawn) and a table football. There are also two pub style tables on this patio area and a bbq and fire pit all available for guests to use. The owners, Anna and Richard, currently live in Germany. Anna's Dad, Barrie, may be at home in the adjacent cottage, and he is always happy to answer questions when he is there. However, the main house is entirely for the guests' use. Access is via keysafe. Anna is available via email and phone and happy to answer any questions, give recommendations and arrange additional services for guests. You will be provided with lots of information to help you make the most of your stay. The property is rural and it is important to note that it is 1.5miles (about a half hour pleasant walk) to pubs, shops and other village amenities. The surrounding countryside is gorgeous and Oxfordshire has so many wonderful towns, villages, and places of interest, including the wonderful Blenheim palace. Riverside pubs are a must, there's no shortage of gastropubs and so many must see places within easy reach including Oxford, Stratford on Avon and Bath. Public transport is a rare sight in the Oxfordshire countryside, though Oxford itself has a fantastic bus service to London, with the benefit of an out-of-town car park where the London service stops, making visiting London an easy option if you have time. There are plenty of good walks, the walk to the village is lovely, and there are some great cycle routes, but for those not keen on cycling or walking you will need a car. A taxi to Witney, the nearest town, is around £20. From Witney the bus service is excellent to Oxford and it is a good option to avoid taking a car into the town centre. Park and ride car parks with bus service into Oxford are also a great option.