Down Farm Manor | Dog Friendly | Slad Valley
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Down Farm Manor

Slad

Sleeps 7
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
3
Dog Friendly
3
Sitting above the Slad Valley with far-reaching views that will steal your attention, Down Farm Manor is an inspiring place to stay in the heart of Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider with Rosie’ country. Set on a working farm you are surrounded by rural countryside with many picturesque Cotswold towns and villages within easy reach including Stroud and Painswick. As you explore Down Farm Manor you will find spacious rooms with original tiled flooring, comfortable sitting rooms, impressive fireplaces and four charming bedrooms. This is the ideal place to gather family for a special occasion, host feasts in the dining room and enjoy drinks with a backdrop of sweeping valleys.
Full Description
Down Farm Manor is hidden along a winding country lane before suddenly appearing, sitting proudly above the Slad Valley, perfectly positioned to gaze across the picturesque Cotswold countryside which so inspired the author, Laurie Lee. You are immersed in the setting of Cider with Rosie and walks from the door take you out to discover the landscapes described in this famous novel. Holding over 300 years of history, arriving at Down Farm Manor will take your breath away. The house sits on a working farm, but you are secluded in this rural location with only livestock for neighbours.

Inside Down Farm Manor you feel welcomed by the comfortable sitting rooms, one with a wood burning stove and the other with a large open fire. You can choose your favourite spot and relax with a good book or evening drink while taking in the country inspired artwork. The spacious kitchen, equipped with an electric AGA, is made for preparing decadent meals, perhaps even hiring your own private chef, to be enjoyed in the elegant dining room. High ceilings, wooden beams, stone floors and mullioned windows add grandeur to this property letting you feel like the lord or lady of the manor. Upstairs are four comfortable bedrooms sharing three bathrooms. The master suite with a spacious dressing room has fantastic views across the valley to wake up to. Each bedroom has its own character with decorative fireplaces and antique furniture.

On fine days, you will find yourselves spending most of your time outdoors. The covered cider press to the rear provides a charming space to enjoy meals outside in a unique setting. There is a side lawned garden and the front sweeping green is yours to enjoy. Take a book and your morning coffee outside, serve meals here in the evening, or wander the grounds with a glass of champagne in hand, truly relishing this special place that will live long in the memory.

Ground Floor

Kitchen:
This spacious room is a true country kitchen with tiled flooring, wooden beams and an inglenook fireplace which now houses the electric AGA. Alongside the large central island is a dining table, perfect for a quick breakfast. There is a 5-ring gas hob, Nespresso coffee machine, kettle and toaster, microwave, 2 dishwashers, and 2 fridges to ensure you are not missing anything in this well-equipped property.

The freezer can be found in the external cider press opposite the kitchen and the washing machine is the basement which is accessed from the rear patio garden.

Dining Room:
Serving your meals in the dining room adds elegance to your occasion. Set the table, adding the silverware and some fresh flowers before enjoying conversations over home-cooked dishes long into the evening.

Sitting Room:
Gather in front of the large open fire and enjoy its atmospheric crackle from the sink-in sofas. This warm room is incredibly homely and you will feel at ease here. There is a 3-seater sofa, armchairs and additional space for the whole group to gather. You are surrounded by stone flooring and antique wooden furniture with beams above, filling the room with history. Behind a disguised bookshelf is a wine fridge from which you can serve your favourite chilled drinks.

Snug:
Here you can catch up on your favourite shows making use of the Sky Glass TV. A wood burner keeps you warm on cooler evenings and the walls are panelled giving this room the feeling of a gentleman’s country club. There is comfortable seating for six.

Cloakroom:
From the hall off the dining room is a cloakroom with WC and sink.

First Floor

Bedroom One:
This master-suite at the front of the house looks across the spectacular tree-lined valley. There is a super king-size bed, bedside tables, chests of drawers, a sofa and a decorative fireplace. This is a lovely room to wake up in, opening the curtains to the Cotswold countryside beyond.

From this room is a large dressing room, perfect for additional storage and ideal for a travel cot. This is also accessed from the first-floor landing.

Bathroom:
The bathroom acts as an en-suite to the first bedroom and has a large double ended bath, with a handheld shower, WC and sink. This room also has a decorative fireplace adding character to the room.

Bedroom Two:
At the rear of the house along a separate hallway, is a second super king-size double room. Overlooking the farmyard there is a window seat and decorative fireplace and a dressing table for storage.

Bedroom Three:
Next door, this colourful single bedroom would be ideal for a younger member of the family, perhaps with parents sleeping in the double room. There is a chest of drawers and bedside table with lamp.

Bathroom:
The second bathroom is handily positioned for the second and third bedroom to share. It has a bath, WC and sink.

Bedroom Four:
The final bedroom is a spacious twin with two single beds sharing a bedside table. There are two armchairs and a chest of drawers and the window seat enjoys a view of the surrounding hills.

En-Suite:
Through a hidden sliding door, the en-suite shower room has a rainfall shower, twin basins and a WC.

Outside

The outside space around Down Farm Manor makes this a magnificent place to stay. The large sweeping front lawn is perfect for letting the dogs out and there is a separate side garden. Enjoy picnics, garden games and simply sitting in the fresh country air. Behind the house is a covered cider press with space to dine in a unique, rustic setting. There is off-road parking for five cars and many walking routes pass close by.

Full List of Facilities

Indoor

  • Bedroom One - Super king-size
  • Bedroom Two - Super king-size
  • Bedroom Three - Single
  • Bedroom Four - Twin
  • 3 Bathrooms - 2 bathrooms with bath, WC and sink, 1 shower room with shower, twin basins, WC
  • Hairdryer
  • Fire - Open fire and wood burner - logs provided for initial fires 1st October to 31st March
  • AGA - Electric
  • Hob
  • Microwave
  • Toaster
  • Kettle
  • Fridge - 2
  • Freezer - In the external cider press opposite the kitchen
  • Wine fridge
  • Coffee machine - Nespresso
  • Dishwasher - 2
  • Dining table
  • Washing machine - In basement
  • Iron
  • Drying rack
  • WiFi *Please note that speeds are for guidance only and are not guaranteed - 1-11 Mbps
  • TV - Sky included
  • Travel cot (cot linen not provided) - 1
  • Highchair - 1

Outdoor

  • Dog friendly - 3 well-behaved dogs welcome for an additional fee
  • Garden - Fully enclosed when gates closed
  • Outdoor dining area
  • BBQ - Charcoal
  • Parking - Off-road parking for 5 cars
On your Doorstep
Supermarkets and Shopping:
The closest supermarkets are in Stroud (3 miles) including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and a Waitrose. Most major supermarkets will deliver. There is an award-winning farmers’ market in Stroud every Saturday 9am-2pm. Down Farm Manor is in a beautifully rural location and the picturesque towns and villages nearby offer independent shops and delis. Stroud (3.5 miles) is a cultural hub with many galleries, boutique shops and delis. The village of Painswick (3 miles) is a lovely small village to browse the tea rooms, shops and famous St Mary’s Churchyard.


Eating Out:
  • The Painswick Restaurant, Painswick – decadent meals and afternoon tea (2 miles)
  • The Falcon, Painswick – a seasonal menu served in their charming dining room (3 miles)
  • Woolpack Inn, Slad – atmospheric pub that was Laurie Lee’s favourite haunt (1 mile)
  • Butchers Arms, Sheepscombe – welcoming, traditional village pub with enjoyable pub classics on the menu (4 miles)

Walks:
Walk in the footsteps of Laurie Lee and follow the five-mile circular Laurie Lee Wildlife Way. Covering the Slad Valley it passes through the village and can be joined from Down Farm Manor. The trail takes you to Snows Farm, Swift’s Hill, Laurie Lee Wood and Frith Wood. The whole of the Painswick Valley offers wonderful walking and both the Wysis Way and Cotswold Way are within easy reach. The Painswick Beacon is just a short drive away, where you can join a 2-mile circular walk, which takes in part of the Cotswold Way.


Places to Visit:
  • Painswick and the Rococo Gardens - visit the beautiful village and the only Rococo Gardens in the UK (4 miles)
  • Stroud Farmers Market - award-winning market every Saturday 9am-2pm (3 miles)
  • Miserden Estate and Garden – walled garden overlooking a deer park (5.5 miles)
  • Painswick Golf Club – an 18-hole course high above the Cotswolds atop the Painswick Beacon (4 miles)

Travel:
Train – Stroud railway station (3.5 miles) has a frequent and direct service to London Paddington.
Taxis - A&A Taxis, Wonky's Wheels

There is so much to discover in the Cotswolds, why not have a look at some of our favourite Bolthole Retreats Experiences.
Points of Note
This property has a check-in time of 16:00 and a check-out time of 10:00.
  •  3 well-behaved dogs are permitted at the cottage for an additional fee.
  •  Please note that additional guests above the maximum capacity are not permitted.
  •  This property has a strictly no-smoking/no-vaping indoors policy. If you do smoke outside, please extinguish properly and respect future guests by removing cigarette litter.
  •  The garden is fully enclosed when all gates are secured. Children and dogs should be supervised as there is livestock in the surrounding fields and areas of the garden are uneven and steep.
  •  Please follow the Countryside Code of Conduct when walking dogs in the surrounding area.
  •  There is stabling and kennels on the farmyard and at certain times of year there may be more activity from farm vehicles and tractors.

Reviews

The cherry, on the icing, on the top of the cake! What an incredible place to celebrate a family 30th and 60th! Felt very privileged to be custodians of a wonderful manor house for the weekend. Fabulous position, in the middle of some incredible countryside, walkable from the back door… And dog friendly too! Thank you.

|
Kate
| 16/01/2025

Wonderful stay.

|
Serena
| 06/12/2024

Stunning house, warm, with lashings of hot water and snug with the wood burner.

|
Julie
| 25/11/2024

Fantastic time at an amazing property and surrounded by beautiful countryside. Great food at the local pub The Woolpack in the village too.

|
Diana
| 11/10/2024

This was an amazing place to stay - we loved it! Felt at home immediately- really comfortable and relaxed. Long walks- log fires - dog friendly. Tom is a friendly and helpful host. Couldn’t ask for more. We will return!

|
Denise
| 20/09/2024

Down Farm Manor exceeded our expectations in every way, the view over the valley is very special, a quiet hilltop location surrounded by pastures and forests. Kitchen well accessorised, a cosy TV room with a small wood-burning fireplace, and a superb large log burning fireplace in the great room.An unusual bonus, a covered car park for four vehicles. Our two week stay was too short, we hope to return and visit more of the quaint and charming villages of the Cotswolds.

|
Charles
| 24/08/2024

We loved our stay at Slad. The house was beautiful with amazing views from the rooms. We enjoyed the garden for outdoor meals. We had a delicious supper at The Woolpack, highly recommend visiting them when in Slad.

|
Keren
| 12/08/2024

Excellent stay. Really enjoyed our stay. This is our second stay and we will be back.

|
James
| 03/07/2024

Everything about Down Farm Manor is really fabulous, the character and charm of the house, the setting is beyond words. It really is a treat to stay somewhere so special and we will be back again one day for sure. The house has bundles of character and charm and is truly quite unique, it is also clean and well-equipped with everything you could need. The setting is breathtaking, but the photos really don't tell the whole story, it's only when you arrive, that you can see how picturesque this spot really is. The host, Tom is friendly and helpful.A real gem, I highly recommend Down Farm Manor in every way

|
Karen
| 21/06/2024

This house and farm is amazing. It has so much personality and is big. Can't go wrong staying here. We loved it.

|
Spencer
| 05/06/2024

Location

The village of Slad holds an important part of Cotswold history. It is here that the author Laurie Lee grew up, went to school, based his novel Cider with Rosie, and ended his days being buried in the local church. The spectacular valley scenery can be explored on foot, or enjoy a drink or meal at The Woolpack where Lee spent many an hour. There are a number of nature reserves to explore here, and circular routes, including the Laurie Lee Wildlife Way, are fantastic ways to immerse yourself in nature. From Slad you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Rural countryside is on your doorstep and you can discover the picturesque towns and villages of Painswick, Stroud and Nailsworth. Cheltenham, Gloucester and Cirencester can all be reached in around 30-minutes and make lovely day trips.