Moorhens Cottage
Experience the tranquillity of nature at Moorhens Cottage. Nestled within the remarkable Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds, this three-bed, pet-friendly cottage just a stone's throw from a beautiful lake is a special sanctuary for family or group getaways. Conveniently close to the Ballihoo restaurant, outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and Activity Hub, this bolthole places you right at the heart of Cotswold Water Park. This property’s outstanding location offers everything you need for a blissful and adventure-filled getaway.
Overview
Moorhens is set within a peaceful spot, surrounded by stunning scenery and exceptional amenities. With an abundance of activities on your doorstep, Moorhens is a unique place to stay and ideal for those who love to be active and adventurous. Children and adults alike will love spending their days cycling, canoeing, paddle boarding and swimming in the on site swimming pools for a holiday you'll never forget.
From the moment you enter the cottage, a wonderful open-plan living and dining room greets you with a sense of serenity. Spend evenings in by the fire after an exciting day exploring the estate grounds and cook a delicious meal in the cottage’s well-equipped country-style kitchen. The first floor is equally pleasant with two double rooms, both complete with en suites, and a twin room. Each room is a calming sanctuary to retreat to at the end of the day.
Step outside the front door and find a picture-perfect lake view. The cottage’s outdoor decking area offers a marvellous place to enjoy a BBQ with your loved ones, with a dining table and ample seating for all. From this spot, you can see the stream that runs past the garden. Discover all that Lower Mill Estate has to offer on foot or by bike and revel in the idyllic oasis of your countryside retreat.
Ground Floor
Living/Dining area:
Comfortably seating six, this area is made for family meals and competitive board games. On cooler evenings, light the wood burning stove, read a book or watch a film together with two three-seater sofas providing ample room for everybody.
Kitchen:
The kitchen is well equipped with a fabulous Rangemaster oven, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, washing machine, microwave, and coffee machine.
Shower Room:
This practical ground floor shower room has a shower, WC and sink.
First Floor
Bedroom One:
Featuring a double bed, bedside tables and lamps, plenty of storage, a TV, ceiling fan, and dressing table, Bedroom One is a comfortable and well-furnished space.
En-Suite:
This room features a bath with shower overhead a WC and wash basin.
Bedroom Two:
A mirror of bedroom one, this room also features a double bed, storage space, TV, dressing table and ceiling fan.
En-Suite:
The en-suite has a bath with a shower over, WC and sink.
Bedroom Three:
This sweet twin bedroom features two single beds, ideal for children or two adults sharing.
Outside
From the back door, you step out onto an enclosed terrace. This sits above a small stream flowing past. The terrace is a quiet spot early in the morning where you can observe the neighbouring wildlife such as dragonflies and house martins, and enjoy a BBQ from the picnic bench in summer months.Facilities
Indoor
Bedroom One - Double
Bedroom Two - Double
Bedroom Three - Twin
3 Bathrooms - 1 Shower Room And 2 En-suite Bathrooms
Hairdryer
Fire - Logs Provided For An Initial Fire (1 October To 31st March)
Oven
Hob
Microwave
Toaster
Kettle
Fridge
Freezer
Coffee Machine - Nespresso Essenza Mini
Dishwasher
Dining Table - Seats 6
Washing Machine
Iron
WiFi *Please Note That Speeds Are For Guidance Only And Are Not Guaranteed - 600 Mbps
TV - Smart
Workspace
Travel Cot (cot Linen Not Provided)
Highchair
Outdoor
Dog Friendly - 2 Well-behaved Dogs Welcome For An Additional Fee
Garden - Enclosed Riverside Terrace
Outdoor Dining Area - Picnic Table
BBQ - Please Provide Your Own Charcoal
On-site Facilities - Children's Play Area
Swimming Pool - Shared Outdoor Heated Swimming Pool (open February To December)
Sauna - Shared
Tennis Court - Shared
Parking - Designated Parking For 1 Car And Additional Overflow Parking For 3 Cars On Site
EV Charger - Shared, On-site
On your Doorstep
- Outdoor heated swimming pool with changing rooms and sauna – open year round
- Tennis courts – booking required, equipment hire available
- Adventure play – use of outdoor play areas, booking required and additional fees apply for use of indoor play area
- Equipment hire – hire equipment for the day or week for watersports and cycling
- Fishing – available year round with a valid rod license
- Yoga – studio classes and private sessions available, booking required, additional fees apply
Farm shops, delis and shopping:
Cirencester and its surrounding areas present an array of choice when it comes to finding a fabulous farm shop nearby. The Butts Farm Shop is a family-run business selling rare-breed meats, fresh produce, cakes and deli goods. Visit Cirencester and shop fresh bread, charcuterie and artisan cheeses at Corn Hall Deli and visit the farmers’ markets held on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month for locally brewed beer, fruit and vegetables. Travel to neighbouring towns Tetbury, Burford or Stow-on-the-Wold for further shopping selection.
For your groceries, there is a Co-Op in South Cerney. You can also find a Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl in Cirencester.
Eating Out:
- Ballihoo Club – the restaurant and clubhouse serve locally sourced food (booking recommended, on-site).
- The Baker's Arms, Somerford Keynes - quiz nights, live music, delicious food and a beautiful setting this pub is perfect for a quick pint after a walk or a Sunday lunch (16-min walk).
- The Old Boat House, South Cerney – picturesque lakeside dining (4 miles).
- Gateway Café & Bar – perfect spot for breakfast and coffee with a view (4.1 miles).
- The Red Lion, Cricklade – award-winning restaurant just off the Thames path (8.5 miles).
Cotswold Water Park is a fantastic location for walking. Leisure maps are available both online and from the main visitor centre. A selection of circular walks vary from 2km to 18km and are a great way to see this stunning area and the wildlife that lives here. Visit waterpark.org/things-to-do/walking for more details.
Places to Visit:
- Cotswold Country Park and Beach, Cirencester – fire a BBQ, relax on the beach, bounce into the inflatable obstacle course or a hire a boat (1 mile)
- Cirencester – ancient Roman market town regarded as the capital of the Cotswolds (6 miles)
- Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens – fantastic array of species and walkthroughs so you can see the animals up close (20 miles)
- Bibury – quintessentially Cotswolds’ village famous for ‘Arlington Row’(14.4 miles)
- Bourton-on-the-Water – ‘Venice of The Cotswolds’ delightful Cotswolds’ village (23.2 miles)
Train – Kemble railway station (3 miles) has a frequent and direct service to London.
Taxis - Hill South Cerney Cabs, First Taxi
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
- Book with us to get exclusive discounts for top attractions and experiences.
- 2 well-behaved dogs are welcome for an additional fee.
- Paddle boards are not included but can be hired from the wonderful activity hub.
- It is the policy of this property not to take bookings for groups where the majority of guests are under the age of 25, or single-sex group celebrations, including stag/hen parties.
- Please note that additional guests above the maximum capacity are not permitted.
- Unfortunately properties on the Lower Mill Estate cannot be booked/used for business or corporate purposes.
- For the consideration of guests on the estate, there is an 11pm noise curfew. Please keep noise to a minimum after this time.
- Children and pets must be supervised at all times at the property and throughout the estate due to direct lake access.
- By booking, you agree to adhere to the Lower Mill Estate Code of Conduct which you will find in your guest portal.
Check Availability
Spread the cost of your holiday balance with our flexible payment plan
Handpicked by us
Why we love this
Soak up the serenity of the wildlife surrounding you, watching the dragonflies and house martins dance around the cottage.
Discover more
The Location
The Lower Mill Estate at Cotswold Water Park is a luxurious setting for friends and families to gather, start new traditions and decompress. Enjoy the water from a kayak, canoe, paddle board or katakanu in this spectacular location. Here, nature is in abundance and there are many wonderful opportunities to observe the resident wildlife from birds to beavers. Other popular amenities include tennis courts, children's play area, an outdoor heated swimming pool, spa and sauna. Visit Cotswold Country Park and Beach for an unforgettable group lakeside trip. During your retreat, visit on-site restaurant Ballihoo or the coffee and icecream shop that sells a few everyday essentials.
and relax
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Read our reviews
The location, the coziness
Carlos
Very pretty cottage in a serene setting
The cottage is very pretty. But is a little tired, the bathrooms and kitchen could do with a revamp. The property is a little snug for 6 adults but would be fine for a family with children .
The kitchen was quite small but fairly well equipped although there were a few items missing that we could have done with.
The rug and sofas need a clean, try as we might we could not get rid of the smell of wet dogs! The ceiling fans in the 2nd bedroom and dining area weren't working which was a shame as it was so hot during our stay.
Overall we had a wonderful, very hot holiday. The atmosphere in the site is wonderfully calming and all the other visitors were very friendly as were the staff. Nice restaurant on site,Laine our server was such a lovely young lady.
Fabulous warm swimming pool to use, which was heaven!
Communication with the owners was excellent, nothing was too much trouble for them, they were very accommodating and helpful. Sorry to leave some negative feedback.
Guest
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback following your recent stay at Moorhens Cottage. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay, and we have shared your comments with the Property Manager, who appreciates all feedback. We are sorry to learn that you experienced some discomfort during your stay. Had the Property Manager been made aware at the time, they would have been pleased to assist with both the fans and the concern regarding the dog odour. As the cottage is a traditional thatched property, it naturally remains much cooler than a typical house, and there are also five additional fans available within the property for guests to use if needed. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back to the Cotswolds in the near future.
- Bolthole Retreats, 3rd July 2026
Beautiful cottage, comfortable for 5 adults. Enclosed safe patio for our dog, but wouldn’t be suitable if your dog was reactive to other dogs/people as often walking past.
Bedroom fans were amazing in very hot weather, and outdoor pool was great. Just a couple of minutes walk away.
Clair
Wonderful stay at Moorhens Cottage. Bedrooms and living space were the perfect size for four adults and two children. Kitchen was compact but had everything we needed. Clean through out. Great spot within Lower Mill Estate, close to outdoor swimming pool, play parks, and nearby footpaths for cycling round the lakes.
Jenna
A great short break
Our thanks to Liam and Pete for their helpful information via messaging just prior to our visit. It was great to know either (in our case, Liam) was available for contact.
The Moorhens Cottage was lovely, clean, beautifully warm and welcoming with a Christmas tree.
The kitchen a tad small with a limited amount of work and store space. The cooker was a challenge at first until we found the instructions. (It maybe useful to sort all the equipment instructions into one place. I put as many as I could into one drawer.)
The roads are very narrow and unloading and loading a little difficult as the lovely cottage is on a corner.
Unfortunately, there was a white van parked daily in the recess that would have been temporarily used by guests to unload and load the car.
Really no criticism of the cottage, just observations. We very much enjoyed our stay at the cottage. Oh the fire is a gorgeous bonus. Thank you to Liam, Pete and Bolthole.
Jeanette
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us on your recent stay at Moorhens Cottage. We’re very glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Regarding your comments about the kitchen, we can confirm that our website includes photos and a 3D tour where you can explore the cottage in detail. Your valuable feedback about the equipment instructions has been shared with the property owner, who is taking it onboard and looking into this. They also mentioned that they would have been very happy to help have the van moved if you had contacted them during your stay. We hope to see you in the Cotswolds again soon.
- Bolthole Retreats, 8th January 2026
Went with the family for a pre Christmas break. we had a 5 month old baby and a 2 year old dog. The cottage was very well equipped for both. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Cotswolds.
Annette
We had a wonderful few days meeting some family . Lots to do on site, the weather wasn’t great so we would love to come back and get to do a bit more.
Rebecca
Beautiful surroundings, easy to explore surrounding areas. Within easy reach of Bath and Longleat which were well worth the drive ( just over an hour to each). Would recommend this property without question.
Susan
Your cottage is wonderful. We spent two beautiful days.
Fabrizia
Beautiful property and stunning location. The hosts were great and gave us lots of information for us to plan our stay. The bubbly was a lovely touch! Would highly recommend and will definitely stay again!
Shivon
Hosts were really helpful and good communicators. Very happy with the property and all the amenities it was all as described. Thank you.
Teresa
Excellent! Cosy and comfy.
Chloe
We had a good time as a family get together.
Sally
Lovely stay, lovely home, lovely area! Thank you!
Danielle
Gorgeous stay in the Corswolds
Moorhen was outstanding we took a family break (5 of us) in July. The estate is breath taking and we are definitely going to return! There is so much to love. The estate, the area is a good base to explore Cotswolds we ventured to Blenheim Palace, Blockley, Bourton-on-Water, of course Cirencester visited the wildlife park just an area of stunning endless beauty. The cottage was perfect and if I had to be uber critical the only feedback I could give was the parking for the property, people weren't so conscious about leaving room for others to park in the bays so we did have to park in the visitors towards the end of our week luckily there were spaces as earlier over the weekend we struggled to park our 2nd vehicle after returning from a food shop run. But otherwise there were plenty of visitor spaces for us. The cottage is divine the only feedback would be the sofas weren't very comfy and as we spent our days out exploring it's nice to be able to relax in the evening. The estate is beautiful but I didn't realise you couldn't 'walk' around them as properties are built on the water front so access is really only if you want to kayak or paddle board. We did find one lake we could access just outside the estate and enjoyed a beautiful evening walk around
Amanda
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on your recent stay at Moorhens Cottage. We’re so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Your feedback has been shared with the owner, who let us know that had you contacted the phone number provided on the welcome note in the cottage, they would have been very happy to ask the estate team to speak to the neighbours about moving their cars to allow you to park. They’ve also taken your comments about the sofas on board and are looking into this. We do hope to welcome you back to the Cotswolds again soon.
- Bolthole Retreats, 22nd July 2025
Lovely stay
Lovely stay at this thatched Cotswold cottage on the Mill View Estate. Plenty of room for a family of four. Nice time paddle boarding and kayaking. Staff on the site were very friendly. Good communication from owners prior to stay. Some of the decor is a bit dated.
Jon
Thank you for taking to share your thoughts following your recent stay at Moorhens. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Your valuable feedback has been shared with the owner who has taken these points on board, and these will be looked into. We hope to see you again in the Cotswolds soon.
- Bolthole Retreats, 12th November 2024
June stay for 3 nights
Lovely cottage in beautiful surroundings, with every amenity you could need. We stayed with our two year old son who loved the ducks, chickens wandering the estate not to mention the two playgrounds! It wasnt warm enough for the pool but there is so much other stuff to do - we rented biked and visited the other nearby Cotswold attractions.
This is a great place, dont hesitate to book it!
Gary
Amazing Cotswolds home by the water
Very comfortable accommodation, well equipped and furnished, with plenty of accessible walks around.
Dennis
Create Memories
Experiences designed to make your stay unforgettable
We have curated not only a portfolio of properties, but also a portfolio of experiences we recommend everyone try the next time they visit the Cotswolds and surrounding counties. This selection of ours is constantly growing as we discover more hidden gems and local stars. Many of the experiences are incredibly popular, and we encourage booking in advance because these little extras can turn your everyday holiday into a fantastic, fond memory, one you aren’t soon to forget.
