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Lower Mill Estate review: an idyllic slice of Cotswolds paradise
Habitat Escapes’ luxury eco lodges offer the perfect home away from home, for a weekend or for a lifetime
Wealthy Londoners flock to the Cotswolds’ northern towns, but the mid- and southern-Cotswolds, and the area’s glorious lakes, are rather less well known.
As celebrities snap up mansions and David Cameron infamously spent an alleged £25,000 on his garden shed this year, down near Cirencester a new hub of homes has been built that are fit for any celebrity party or retired politician.
Designed and built by a family-run business, whose ethos is to create a space where other families can explore the great outdoors in comfort and without damaging the environment, Lower Mill Estate is more a small community than a new development.
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The cluster of nearly 200 houses dotted around a collection of lakes includes flats, small houses and large five-bedroom manors, all of which are available either to buy or simply to rent for a weekend away.
The on-site spa makes Lower Mill feel like much more than your ordinary residential complex. With some soothing treatments on offer and a serene indoor and outdoor pool, when the weather is warm enough, this very welcome addition caters to short-term guests and residents alike.
The lakes sit just near the source of the River Thames. The famous river actually runs through Lower Mill and on a crisp spring day it makes for a lovely walk out of the estate. The quiet stroll along the Thames path is a significantly more pleasant experience up here than on the same public footpath in London, where you’re likely to be jostled by throngs of tourists.
Bikes can also be borrowed to explore the local area. And after a hard day of cycling, you can treat yourself by stopping off The Bakers Arms pub in the quiet village of Somerford Keynes – perfect for a pint of local ale in front of a roaring fire resting your aching legs. In the summer, the pub has a huge garden with a play area to keep the kids amused.
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The newly constructed eco lodges on the estate are a great place to retire after a day of cycling, hiking, or just swimming in the Lower Mill pool. Grass and moss line the roofs of the houses so they blend in with the landscape and logs pile high by the front door, enticing you to an evening in front of the fire. With floor-to-ceiling windows across the expansive, open plan kitchen-dining-living room, the view out across the lakes to red-sky sunsets with swallows flying in formation could not be more idyllic.
Sleeping 10 adults plus kids, the large houses have two master bedrooms with en suites, plus double and twin rooms. Each bedroom is simple, with clean, modern design with great views and their own small terraces for bright, sunny morning starts with coffee and the papers.
Downstairs, the living area is perfect for dinner parties, with a well-equipped kitchen and eight-seater dining table leaving no excuse not to cook up a meal for friends or family.
In summer, the houses’ broad terraces come into their own with huge barbecues ready to fire up for family feasts. In winter the luxurious lounge is perfect for snuggling up in the evening with a wood-burning stove as its centrepiece.
For those looking for a different type of entertainment, the 14-seat cinema room has access to Netflix and iPlayer, plus all the Sky movie channels, allowing you to simply switch off and relax.
The tech throughout the house is also pretty impressive with a Sonos system running throughout and flatscreen TVs in most rooms. Start playing music from your phone or tablet in one room and it will follow you around the house with the synched-up speaker system, all controlled through in-room iPads that also control the temperature and the mood of the lighting.
Lower Mill Estate’s houses pose the perfect juxtaposition – modern, sleek design sitting comfortably in England’s quaintest countryside. As we sit and contemplate our final fiery sunset, after a weekend swimming, relaxing, cycling and enjoying the views of the lakes and the comfort of our eco house, the only thing left to do is think about how we might be able to buy one of these Scandi homes to enjoy every weekend in this magical part of the world.
Habitat Escapes offers The Cotswolds Manor, a Habitat House design from £1,312.50. The price includes three nights staying in a five-bed property sleeping a maximum of 12 guests, www.habitatescapes.com, +44 (0) 1285 8694
