Thatched cottage, Wherwell, Test Valley Hampshire

Cosy cottage in the heart of the Test Valley in Hampshire, offering a relaxing country break. Enjoy putting your feet up by the fire (wood supplied) after a day of country walks or fishing and a meal at the local pub! Also perfect for remote working at the kitchen table with fast fiber optic broadband. Close to Andover, Basingstoke, Winchester and Southampton for work instead of a hotel. Family and pet friendly with easy access from A303 and M3. Great countryside walking from the front door. Part of the thatched cottage dates from the 18th century (the original Toll House for the bridge over the Test on the Winchester Road), the middle kitchen area is from the 19th century and two bedrooms and bathroom from the 20th century. The sitting room is down a few steps and one bedroom is above this. There is a wood burning cooking stove in the kitchen as well as an electric cooker and another wood burner in the sitting room with logs and kindling available that we've chopped and dried on site. The beds in two of the bedrooms can be made up as a king size double or two singles so just let us know how you would like the beds made. The house also has a sofa bed in the sitting room. The heating is electric and all newly installed along with a the bathroom. While pets are welcome we ask that pets are not allowed in the bedrooms or on the furniture. Board games, books for all ages and cards are available as well as boules if you are feeling more energetic. There is a built in bbq in the garden and this is the required 5 meters from the house. Bicycles can be locked in the shed if they need to be safely stored. The cottage sits at the bottom of the chalk hill, being partially built of chalk blocks, alongside the road leading into the village of Wherwell. Guests have sole access to the house and the garden at this level. The garden at the top of the hill is shared and can be used to access the disused railway line path behind the cottage and care is needed on the steps. We are often around working on the site usually at the top of the hill while guests are staying . At 1.5 acres it's a large site! We're happy to help with any local guidance and walking recommendations. We are always available on the telephone. The cottage is on the road into the village of Wherwell, opposite the river Test and the site is cut into the chalk hill behind. It's a haven for walkers, cyclists, fishermen, touring motorcycles and touring drivers in easy reach of Winchester, Andover, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Southampton. The local pub, The White Lion is 5 minutes walk, serves great food and has a nice range of ciders and beers. There are several other good restaurants and country pubs in easy reach. Leckford Estate, Treerunners climbing park, Longstock Park, the Bombay Sapphire Gin distillery and Danebury Hill Fort are close and the market town of Stockbridge is well worth a visit. The river is accessible at Chilbolton Common and the walk across the common to the village shop in Chilbolton is lovely. There is a great playground beside the sports ground and a small football court with a tennis net and netball hoops. Stonehenge is a half hour drive away on the A303 with lovely scenic views along the way. Winchester is 20 minutes in the other direction where you can take a stroll through England's ancient past. A must visit is Winchester Cathedral with its world famous Gothic architecture and Jane Austin's house if you're a fan. Andover train station is about 5 miles with a taxi rank outside. We are also on a local bus route between Andover and Stockbridge with the bus stop beside the bridge near the house. A great way to arrive is by train and then cycle the rest of the way. Winchester and Micheldever station are also close by. Bikes can be locked securely in the shed or brought inside if careful of the walls and furniture. There is parking for up to 4 cars at the side of the house at a squeeze. There are few street lights in the village so the stars are very visible on a clear night. There are torches in the house if needed. There is a small TV, a dvd player and some dvd's in the sitting room and also an ethernet cable to connect your laptop. There is virgin fiber optic wifi so do bring a laptop if you'd like to stream video. There is often passing traffic, usually morning and evening - everything from people, bikes, horses, horse drawn carriages (a trainer lives locally and horses come from all over Europe to be trained to pull a carriage), motor bikes and cars. The house is set slightly above the road so this is not so visible from inside the house. The house is accessed up a short flight of 4 or 5 steps (so that it was easier to pay the toll and deliver and collect parcels when it was the local Toll Office) and there is parking for 3 - 4 cars at the side. The house is old with a thatched roof so has some spiders who seem to be able to create webs as soon as you've turned your back. The house is always cleaned before you arrive and if there are a few, they've not been there long! Part of the site is woodland on the side of the hill so with the fields of horses and the river Test opposite and woods beside and behind the feeling is very much of countryside. There are retractable washing lines with pegs in the side garden if needed.