Stratford Upon Avon England

The house is in a tiny rural village, about 6 miles from the lively historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon, home of William Shakespeare and the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre. Travel 6 or so miles in the other direction and you reach Broadway, the iconic Cotswolds market town. Slightly closer to hand is Chipping Camden and the end of the Cotswold Way long distance footpath.

The house nestles into the side of a hill, within easy reach of the Monarch’s Way footpath - the historic route King Charles II took to flee from Cromwell’s army.

Originally built in 1845, it sits on a site that has had residential buildings since the 16th century. The cottage has exposed original beams, an inglenook fireplace with a cosy log burning fire.

It has a modern kitchen, fully equipped with dishwasher and washing machine, a bathroom with shower, a large living room. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms. One with a double bed and the other functions as a spare room (double sofa bed) and office.

The village has a pub, a shop, a post office and a church all within walking distance. The Heart of England Forest and the river Avon are a short drive away. Waitrose, Tesco, fuel stations and all necessities are a short car drive/bus journey.

I have two small dogs: Goober, a 4 year old Lhasa Apso cross and Doris, a 2 year old Shih-tzu cross.

I will leave details of vets, insurance, and relatives in the house, in case of emergency.

The dogs will need feeding (once a day). They eat a mixture of butternut boxes and kibble, and I’ll leave full instructions. They also like one walk per day. The fields around home often have livestock in, so you’ll need to keep them on the leash until you know whether the fields are empty or not. Again, I’ll leave a note of the easiest routes - and some longer ones if you like.

I don’t tend to take the dogs into town with me; they’re barky with other dogs (and at people passing the house). They’re fine to be left alone for up to 6-8 hours occasionally.

Otherwise, it’s just a question of playing with them all and being willing to snuggle with them. They’re a very cuddly bunch!

If you could water the plants at the weekend, too, that would be fabulous.