A handsome 3 bedroom detached estate cottage on the edge of the Cotswold town of Stow on the Wold in Upper Swell. It sits close to the River Dicker and, unfortunately, the road, although out of our party of 4 I was the only one troubled by traffic noise.

The house was nicely prepared for our arrival with an exceptionally good welcome basket including local produce. The large sitting room was comfy and cosy with a large and most welcome fireplace. There were many nice touches here including a very good sound system and iPod docking station, lots of games and dvd's and good tourist information resources.

The dining room, with ample room to sit 6 comfortably, was in a new extension with French windows out to the attractive garden. The kitchen was well equipped and nicely thought out. Off the hall was a good cloakroom and then upstairs to 3 good double bedrooms each with their own bathrooms.

Our room, the master, had a king sized bed and a small ensuite shower room but I didn't like the wall to celing height "toile du jouy" wallpaper although we were comfortable. The second bedroom was decorated in a more contemporary style and was very attractive with a new ensuite shower room. It has "zip and link" beds for flexibilty of accommodation. Bedroom 3 was also a double. It was light and attractive with a vaulted celing and was conveniently opposite the small family bathroom with bath. Outside over the garage was a "recreation room" which was too cold to use in January but must be an asset in warmer weather for a family with teenagers.

Bridge Cottage makes good family accommodation or possibly for 3 couples with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is conveniently located for many places of interest and for those who are keen walkers.

A small 2 bedroomed detached cottage situated in Baslow in the Peak District was prepared nicely for our arrival with a good welcome basket, which was much appreciated after our long drive down from Northumberland. The cottage is best described as "traditional" in decor and furnishings with a lovely, although rather impractical, farmhouse kitchen complete with aga and wooden worksurfaces with lots of signs asking us not to put hot things down on it. It was well equipped but not easy to cook in.

The sitting room was comfortable and fairly attractive with one or two nice pieces of furniture and a well stocked book case, including some thrillers set in the locality which was rather a nice touch. The open fire was most welcome. Off the hall was a small conservatory/dining room with good views out over neighbouring fields. The hall carpeting was rather hard to bear as was the decor in the twin bedroom, although I am told it was comfortable.

Our king sized bed was very comfortable and dressed with lovely white linens of a high quality. Our bedroom was neutral so nothing to offend here and we slept well as the area is very quiet despite the neighbouring farm. Next to our bedroom was a small study which would serve better as a second bathroom in a house that is used as a two bedroomed holiday rental (room to sleep 4 adults). The first floor bathroom was attractive and functional.

The cottage is set in a garden that has great potential but unfortunately it was in need of attention during our stay. I particularly objected to the dandelions growing round the front doorstep!

The location of Field Cottage is both convenient and attractive. A very short drive will take you to Chatsworh House although it is of course much better to walk to "The Palace of the Peak"! You may need to conserve your energy however as the gardens and estate take a good couple of hours to walk around. We shopped at the nearby farm shop whch also has a good cafe/restaurant but nearby Bakewell offers an excellent collection of shops and restaurants of most kinds as well as its famous Bakewell Pudding shop!

We spent two weeks in a very wet May 2006 in Jasmine Cottage. The cottage is very cute and old, with low ceilings in the living room but higher ceilings in all the other rooms. Kitchen is excellent but there was no washing machine (there are laundries in Whitney and Bourton-on-the-Water). Bedroom spacious and comfortable.

The only problem we had was that the French doors to the outside terrace were broken. We immediatly called the local contact and they knew they were broken (so why didn't they fix them before we arrived?). They had them fixed a few days later but by then the sunny days had ended.

Windrush is a pretty village but has no shops. You have to drive to Burford about 10 minutes away. The closest Waitrose and other large supermarkets are in Whitney, about 20 minutes by car. We had thought there would be good footpaths from the village but there was only one along the river. Very good footpaths a short drive away.

The rental is a bit pricey because it is with Rural Retreats.

We spent May 2000 in Plough Cottage on Well Farm. There are three cottages close together, but each has private outdoor spaces. Plough is 1bed/1bath with beautiful views across the Painswick valley. You can walk on footpaths to Painswick (steep downhill) where there are a few pubs, restaurants and a small shop. It is a short drive to Stroud, with good shopping (Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose).

We enjoyed our stay here. There are several footpaths you can take right from the cottage, or drive to some of the other excellent walking in this area.

The only downsides are that the bed is a double (not a queen) and is upstairs, while the bathroom is downstairs.

Note that the owner now has their own website - Well Farm Cottages.