Where would you like to go?

Grab a last minute break with Late Availability

Comfortable, stylish, full of character - Search for the holiday home of your dreams in the UK & abroad

+/- 3 days SEARCH

View our full list of Countries and Locations

National Parks & AONB's

England

Wales

Scotland

Ireland

Overseas Villas

Self-catering luxury holiday cottages in the UK & abroad

Established 1983
Flexible booking dates
Complimentary welcome hamper
Knowledgable Staff

Discover more about our service

Our Chosen Properties

Bearwood Cottage
Pembridge, Leominster, Herefordshire

x5 x2

Guest Reviews

(17)

17 guests have reviewed Bearwood Cottage

13 JUNE 2018

Lovely, characterful cottage, beautifully equipped, picturesque location. Thoughtful welcome hamper. Really sorry we forgot to put all our rubbish in the bin.

11 DECEMBER 2017

Lovely cottage in a beautiful setting, the owners were extremely helpful - we had a wonderful stay there. Plenty of logs for the fire - very comfortable and cosy.

13 DECEMBER 2017

Another lovely review for Bearwood Cottage. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to leave your feedback and we are delighted that you had a wonderful stay.

25 SEPTEMBER 2017

excellent place lovely owner

22 AUGUST 2017

Fantastic Cottage in a great location. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a peaceful break with access into Brecon Beacons, Shropshire Hills and much more.

20 JUNE 2017

excellent throughout - property so well maintained

20 JUNE 2017

Thank you for your great comments about Bearwood Cottage.

8 JUNE 2017

Immaculately maintained,well equipped and comfortable cottage in a remote and quiet location.

13 JUNE 2017

Thank you for your feedback and lovely comments about the property.

24 OCTOBER 2016

Very good. Thank you.

17 OCTOBER 2016

Everything lovely: hamper , towels, bedding, fire prep..... thank you.

We usually enjoy reading comments from previous guests in the visitor book as we get ideas on places to see and eat etc. There was a new file style book with no previous comments and we couldn't find any previous books that were full. Looked in drawers but couldn't find. ( Just a tiny comment!)

26 AUGUST 2016

Superbly located within the midst of rolling countryside but only a pleasant walk (or even more enjoyable cycle ride on one of the bikes provided) to what is probably one of the friendliest & prettiest villages I have ever been to. Welcome hamper with delicious local produce & cottage lovely although rarely used during the day as weather was amazing. Thank you Rural Retreats and Lucy.

25 AUGUST 2016

Superb cottage, excellent service, definitely go again!

15 JULY 2016

Beautiful cottage, spotless, with all we needed and more.

6 JULY 2016

Proximity to the games room to this cottage (The gap between the two buildings is 3ft) resulted in background noise until late at night. We wanted a rural retreat to have a quite weekend away, we did not get that. I have no objection to the large group next door renting and using this games room this issue was it is just too close and therefore inappropriate to rent to a different party. This might have been mentioned in the small print somewhere but having booked using the mobile app we were very surprised this was the situation. Having rented properties occasionally over the past 15 to 20 years this was very poor and we did not have a great time. We were going to stay through to Monday morning, instead left a day early on Sunday we'd all had enough.

6 JULY 2016

Thank you for your review following your stay at Bearwood Cottage. The cottage is in close proximity to the house and although there are two comments about noise from the games room next door these are the only comments made about this issue in over 10 years. The owners have now put up notices in the games room to ask those staying in the house to be considerate to guests in the cottage. The cottage is completely separate from the house with it’s own drive and garden and you will see from the Feefo feedback in the last year there is no further mention of any noise issue whatsoever. This is a lovely cottage in a beautiful rural location. The owners take enormous care of the property and live locally and will deal with any issues should they arise.

27 JUNE 2016

Fabulous cottage in glorious rural location with really lovely, helpful owners. Thoroughly recommended and we hope to come back in the future!

29 APRIL 2016

Lovely location. Cottage great. WiFi patchy, Footpath to the village ploughed over by farmer.

8 MARCH 2016

I would have rated excellent, but noise made by guests renting Bearwood House and using the Game Room which is next door to Bearwood Cottage kept us awake at night.

1 MARCH 2016

Lovely cottage

15 JULY 2015

An extremely comfortable, spacious and well equipped cottage in a beautiful and tranquil rural setting. The decor and ambiance were delightful. The owner/housekeeper could not have been more friendly and helpful.

Guestbook (39)

View Details

Laundry Cottage
Evershot, Dorset

x4 x2

Guestbook (26)

View Details

The Gates
Castle Combe, Chippenham, Wiltshire

x6 x3

Guest Reviews

(21)

21 guests have reviewed The Gates

3 OCTOBER 2018

Superb. Exceeded all expectations. Many wonderful personal touches, cozy beds, great showers and tub, storybook village. Right out of a fairy tale. Alyson was a great host and everything went as smooth as could be.

4 OCTOBER 2018

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback.

2 AUGUST 2018

Pro's: "It is not often one gets the opportunity to live in one of these properties even if it is only for a short period. It’s a wonderful experience to imagine what it would have been like 300 years ago. What makes it special is the village setting. All of f this made up for the niggles as noted below. The cottage is comfortable and was a great base to explore the area. It is important to know the cottage does not have any outside space. "
Cons: "Just a few niggles if sorted would make it perfect. They may seem petty but in this property bracket these are not expected. Fridge freezer controls not working so food froze solid in the fridge, dishwasher did not clean properly, microwave temperature control did not seem to work, the iron was missing the control knob, the ironing board cover was paper thin marking the clothes and there were no sharp kitchen knives. There were quite a few cob webs around which is to be expected but not when they are thick and have been there for sometime and in the front windows. Something that is not easy to resolve is car parking which is not readily available by the cottage it has to be on the access road to the village or the dedicated free car park for the village at the top of the hill, about 5-10 mins walk."

30 MAY 2018

Upstairs with beds excellent. Sitting room very dark and gloomy, could have been better lit. Web photo of sitting room misleading in brightness and visible fire, actually closed up metal doors. Leather suite very old and springs gone. Nowhere to sit outside and parking impossible at weekends except almost half a mile up very steep hill. Kitchen very well equipped but totally dark owing to ivy all over windows.We will be more careful in future about photos. Value very poor.

31 MAY 2018

The Gates is such an old cottage with parts of the property dating back to Medieval times. We have tried to reflect this in our description of the cottage and for many guests the historic nature of the property has been part of its charm. I am very sorry that you felt misled by the photos and that you were confused by the wood burning stove in the sitting room. I will of course discuss the ivy and the suite with the owner.

4 JANUARY 2018

The atmosphere in the house is cosier than you could possibly dream of! You have everything you need, even fresh eggs and bread to start your next day!

20 NOVEMBER 2017

The Gates is set in a storybook. Located in the main square of Castle Combe, a picturesque village that has played home to many notable movies, you wake up to views of the stone church behind the house and the two local pubs right out front. The cottage itself is completely updated with modern appliances (including an AMAZING rain shower) while maintaining its original charm. Wood beamed ceilings, a vast fireplace in the living room, and the stained-glass windows in the master bed room are just a few of the details that will make you think you have traveled back in time. Alyson and her husband were perfect hosts—going so far as to ship a load of laundry back to Germany when it got stuck in the wash! Thank you for everything.

24 SEPTEMBER 2017

The Gates was clean and well equipped. Interesting rooms though all the modern conveniences were there.

5 SEPTEMBER 2017

Lovely cottage in the romantic village of Castle Combe -immaculate clean-.
Many movies were filmed here e.g. WarHorse, Dr.Doolittle.
Loved everything!

2 AUGUST 2017

I have stayed in many VRBO properties and have been a prior innkeeper. I know the effort it takes to elevate the details to a high level of perfection. Everything about this property was suberbly executed from the welcome/instruction notebook to the beautifully equiped and organized kitchen and the impecable housekeeping.
Thank you for making our stay in Castle Combe feel like a fairy tale!

3 AUGUST 2017

Wow what an amazing review for The Gates. Thank you so much - we are delighted that you had such a happy time in Castle Combe.

12 JULY 2017

The Gates is a beautifully restored and sensitively updated historic home. Furnishings were refined, comfortable and well selected. The kitchen was particularly well equipped. Two very nice pubs were literally across the street from our front door, but the village was perfectly quiet at night. Castle Combe is absolutely lovely and an excellent base for touring the Cotswolds. We enjoyed a fantastic circuit walk of approximately six miles right from our front door, and we left the walk description in the Gates information book in kitchen for use by future guests. On our last night, we had a wonderful, memorable dinner at the Bybrook Restaurant in the Manor House Hotel (a 3 minute walk) to celebrate my mother's 85th birthday. All in all, a fantastic visit.

13 JULY 2017

What brilliant comprehensive feedback for The Gates. Thank you so much.

12 JUNE 2017

A lovely, well furnished historic cottage in an ideal situation

23 JUNE 2017

Thank you for your perfect review of The Gates.

6 MARCH 2017

Beautiful. Great goody box. Helpful owners. Recommend

6 MARCH 2017

The cottage was well equipped except for the living room which was cold, dark with uncomfortable chairs. Also on reflection we underestimated the intrusive nature of tourists in the village and the noise that was generated each morning by delivery vehicles in the market square.

3 FEBRUARY 2017

Exquisite property, excellent service and beautiful surroundings

9 JANUARY 2017

Some small niggles but the owner dealt with the important ones and we have yet to tell her about those. The cottage was brilliant but we think you must stress to people that there is NOOOO parking in Castle Combe as it was a surprise to us

7 NOVEMBER 2016

The cottage was very clean Most of the pots and glass needed washing before use.some of the serving dishes were chipped. The double bed was uncomfortable.
The King sized bedroom had a beautiful stained glass window but no curtain, which made the room very light and also made it lack privacy. The free standing bath was in the same room and as the room overlooked the hotel we were not sure if we could be seen by the hotel guests so did not use the bath.

10 OCTOBER 2016

Immaculate! We are 4 ladies, celebrating a reunion after 40 years , all semi retired with very high expectations. We were not disappointed! Any minor problems were rectified immediately, very thin walls so the neighbor did complain about our chatting.

6 JULY 2016

Good facilities. Very clean and tidy. A hand towel in the ground floor wc would have been helpful.

14 JUNE 2016

The Gates is amazing! We couldn't believe the modern amenities in most of the interior - what a creative renovation. The only thing we could have asked for is better lighting for reading in the lounge. The room tends to be dark. We decamped from the 'main' bedroom - as others had reported, the light coming in the dramatic stained glass in the window is a bit too much - but fortunately we were able to sleep in the twin-bedded room. We loved this cottage - the location, the amenities - it was great!

11 APRIL 2016

Excellent location. Literally in the middle of a filmset. Cottage is pristine and cosy.

5 APRIL 2016

Lovely little cottage in pretty village. Pleasantly simple, tasteful, clean and comfortable. Pros: feather pillows (unlike all other Rural Retreats properties we have stayed in) and no hideous trinkets. Cons: only one basket of logs provided and no notice of this or where to buy more (unlike all other Rural Retreats properties we have stayed in). Would stay here again.

Guestbook (28)

View Details

The Tractor Shed
Near Bourton-On-The Hill, Gloucestershire

x2 x1

New Property

View Details

New Properties

Stocks Cottage
Blockley, Gloucestershire

x4 x2

View Details

The Nurseries
Syderstone, Norfolk

x6 x3

View Details

The Watch Houses
Reydon, Near Southwold, Suffolk

x8 x4

View Details

East House
Cheswick, Northumberland

x10 x5

View Details

What Our Customers Search For

Property Special Offers

Overseas Villa Properties

New properties

Sea views & lighthouse cottages

Luxury holiday cottages in the UK & abroad

The Rural Retreats portfolio represents the cream of self-catering luxury holiday cottages throughout the UK and abroad. With over 500 stylishly presented country houses and cottages to choose from, each carefully selected to meet our high standards of comfort, Rural Retreats makes it easy to find just the holiday home you are looking for.

Holiday Cottages with unique charm, elegance and character

Many are buildings of historical importance, beautifully and imaginatively restored and refurbished to meet modern standards. The vast majority of which are close to the coast or nestle deep within some of this country's most beautiful countryside including areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and National Parks. They include 32 former lighthouse keeper's cottages to rent in spectacular coastal locations. We also have unique country cottages with a sea view around the UK's coastline alongside many dog-friendly holiday cottages all of which are self-catering. If you're looking for something truly rural our farm cottages and luxury barns make a unique stay with modern furnishings

Book your 2018 cottage holiday today - it's all about you!

Our guiding philosophy is that your holiday is all about you. You deserve a relaxing break and a quality experience. We strive to make it that way by helping you to choose the right property and giving you the very best of service before and during your luxury self-catering cottage holiday.

Don't miss our exclusive offers

Customer Login Owners Login Housekeepers Login
About Our Service Become an Affiliate
Booking Terms & Conditions Privacy & Cookie Policy

Other companies in our group

Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved. Rural Retreats Holidays Ltd, Retreat House, Draycott Business Park, Draycott,Gloucestershire, GL56 9JY, United Kingdom.
Company number: England & Wales no. 2711772 VAT registration number: 929143514

Yorkshire	Derbyshire
Northumberland	Cheshire
Shropshire	Lancashire
Worcestershire	Leicestershire
Cumbria	Rutland
Herefordshire

Norfolk	Devon
Suffolk	Kent
Cornwall	Warwickshire
Gloucestershire	Dorset
Essex	Isle of Wight
Hampshire	Somerset
Sussex	Wiltshire
Oxfordshire	Conwy
Cambridgeshire

Self-catering luxury holiday cottages in the UK & abroad

Our Chosen Properties

New Properties

What Our Customers Search For

Luxury holiday cottages in the UK & abroad

Holiday Cottages with unique charm, elegance and character

Book your 2018 cottage holiday today - it's all about you!

Don't miss our exclusive offers

Sign up to our newsletter

Find your perfect getaway with any of our sister companies

Your

Email favourites to a friend

Thank you, your favourites email has been sent

Your favourite properties

There are currently no properties in your favourites list.