Guests say
Halfpenny Cottage is praised for its cleanliness, well-equipped kitchen, and tasteful furnishings. Its location is ideal for town access and riverside walks, though parking can be challenging. The cottage offers comfortable bedrooms and a cosy atmosphere, with some concerns about sofa comfort and minor maintenance issues.
The cottage is consistently described as clean and tidy, with only a single mention of dirty cutlery and plates upon arrival, which seems an isolated incident.
The location is highly appreciated for its proximity to the town and local amenities. However, parking difficulties due to the busy road and limited nearby spaces have affected the score.
Guests find the bedrooms comfortable and the central heating adequate, but some have noted the sofas and chairs to be uncomfortable and the duvets a bit thin.
The cottage is well-equipped, especially the kitchen, but there are comments about the small fridge, inadequate clothes racks, and a mismatched tap and sink in the bathroom that could lead to water damage.
Guests have mentioned thoughtful touches like a Christmas tree and milk and biscuits on arrival. While these are appreciated, it is noted that such gestures may vary and are not guaranteed.
About this property
Tucked away in the popular town of Lechlade, Gloucestershire, is this beautiful semi-detached cottage, Halfpenny Cottage. Enjoying an idyllic position along the banks of the River Thames, and settled on the outskirts of the Cotswolds AONB, Halfpenny Cottage is a fabulous choice for couples or a family of four. Be welcomed into the light and airy sitting room, where you can look forward to curling up on the plush seating as your favourite show plays out on the Smart TV. Rustle up your best dishes in the fully-equipped kitchen/diner, ready to savour at the dining table for four over a bottle of wine, or alfresco out in your very own private garden. Completing the ground floor is a handy boot room and a cloakroom for your convenience. Follow the stairs up to the first floor, where you can freshen up with a hot shower after a day of sightseeing, before retiring to one of two tastefully decorated bedrooms, a spacious king-size and a double, both with plenty of storage. Explore the local town, where you can treat your loved ones to a well-deserved meal at The Riverside, The Swan Inn and Trout Inn, stock up on essentials at the convenience store, take to the waters of the River Thames on a boat trip, visit the famous Cotswold Christmas Shop, picnic in Riverside Park, or continue onto nearby Buscot to explore the fascination National Trust site of Buscot Park. Next stop is Cirencester, where you can tour the Corinium Museum, take a dip in the open-air swimming pool, step into history with a leisurely walk around Cirencester Amphitheatre, or test out your swing at the excellent Cirencester Golf Club. Further afield, you will find Oxford, home to the prestigious university, Oxford Castle & Prison, The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Ashmolean Museum, and the Michelin Star restaurants of Magdalen Arms and Pompette. Your adventure to the Cotswolds begins at Halfpenny Cottage.
Along with its many historic pubs and antique shops, Lechlade boasts a Londis and a Co-operative supermarket, as well as a petrol station. Additionally, Lechlade is home to the "Where it's Christmas all year round" Christmas shop, as well as numerous river-based activities, including river Thames cruises, throughout the summer months. Lechlade has a rich history and is a great starting point for a number of Cotswold and Thames Path walks, as well as superb fly fishing, and the town hosts a number of festivals throughout the year, notably the three-day Lechlade Music Festival, which has over 80 artists. The Cotswold Water Park, a 40-square-mile Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty comprised of 140 lakes, lies close by. There are a broad variety of activities to choose from at Britain's largest water park, including boating, water skiing, fishing, cycling, walking, golf, and horseback riding. Known as the Capital of Cotswolds, Cirencester is just a few minutes' drive away and has a rich and well-preserved history, including a Roman Amphitheatre, Corinium Museum and Abbey Grounds. Visit the Brewery Arts Centre for a one-of-a-kind arts and crafts shopping experience, or the Cirencester Polo Club's home on the Bathurst Estate for world-class polo. Botanical gardens, museums, and libraries are all part of Oxford's rich history as a university town. The city also hosts numerous festivals and fairs every year. A short drive away is Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Winston Churchill and a World Heritage Site. There are many delightful walks to be taken through the landscaped countryside. Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, the Cotswolds, and the Malvern Hills are all within an hour's drive and well worth a trip.
Accommodation
Two bedrooms: 1 x king-size, 1 x double.
Shower room with walk-in shower, basin and WC.
Cloakroom with basin and WC.
Kitchen/dining room.
Sitting room.
Boot room
Central heating.
Electric oven and halogen hob, microwave, fridge with ice box, washer/dryer, dishwasher.
Smart TV, WiFi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Nearby free on-street parking, no parking outside property.
Rear garden with gravel and furniture.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop and pub 0.1 miles.
Note: This property is set along a main road, little noise can be heard inside the property.
Note: Check-in from 4pm, check-out by 10am
Nearby points of interest
- Cotswold Wildlife Park And Gardens
Reviews (13)
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Vincent
There's plenty of food and drink options in the immediate area. We found the local people to be very welcoming.
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Mathias
The Cottage was very clean and tidy and is equipped with everything you need. The only downside was the bed in the master bedroom - unfortunately the bed is slightly out of kilter and the mattress definitely needs changing. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to use the sink in the bathroom without spilling water onto the entire wash basin as the sink is way too small for the fitted tap. Nevertheless, we did enjoy our stay at Halfpenny Cottage very much and we can definitely recommend to stay there.
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Joy
We had all that we needed for our stay. The beds and bed linen were comfortable. The smaller bedroom is small, and so it the double bed - but we coped! The shower room is also small, but the shower itself was fine. Plenty of hot water. We knew it was an old cottage so we did not expect lots of space. It was a shame that the sink was too small and the tap too large in the shower room, as that meant it was impossible not to cause water damage to the unit top. The cottage is very well situated for river walks and excursions, and for access to many interesting places to visit. We also really appreciated the outside sitting area for the few moments of morning sun that we had, but the chairs and sofas in the lounge were not that comfortable. Our biggest issue, and the one that will probably mean that we won't revisit, was parking. I think it could have been made more clear in the listing that although there is free parking in some places in the town, many of them were quite some walk from the cottage. The cottage is on a busy main road (noisy, even at night, if like us you had to have windows open) and it is impossible to pull up outside. On several occasions we had to pay for an hour's parking in the carpark opposite in order to unload. The parking in the town square is limited to 2 hours during the day. We found the whole 'finding somewhere to park' thing both stressful and exhausting. Anyone less than fit would struggle. We were there in the summer and it might be better in the winter, but it did spoil things a bit for us. Especially as one of our party could not walk long distances.