Six stunning Cotswolds houses, perfect for every type of outdoor enthusiast
Whether you're a keen cyclist, swimmer or rider, the Cotswolds has the perfect property or any active lifestyle.


Perfect for sailing: Howells Barn – £1.950 million
In two acres of private land within the 500-acre Lower Mill estate, this glorious barn conversion is located right next to a 70-acre lagoon.
With four bedrooms and light-filled reception rooms, it’s a good place to relax after a long day out on the water.
For sale with Knight Frank and Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Perfect for shooting: Fieldways, Cold Aston – £1.75 million
This charming Cotswold-stone country house offers extensive accommodation, including four bedroom suites and four reception rooms, in the central Cotswold village of Cold Aston
The neighbouring Cold Aston estate offers challenging partridges from September onwards and pheasants from the end of October.
For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Perfect for walking and cycling: Todenham Hall, Todenham, Moreton-in-Marsh – £3.65 million
This elegant former rectory sits in the sought-after village of Todenham, just three miles north east of cycling hub Moreton-in-Marsh.
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It fuses classic architecture with modern bells and whistles.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Perfect for riding: Valley Farm, Duntisbourne Abbotts – £8.5 million
Valley Farm is in a small valley that runs north to south, with the infant River Frome forming its eastern boundary
A mile from the village of Edgeworth, the house has been completely refurbished and offers an equestrian-minded buyer fantastic potential, with a stableyard, all-weather manège and pastures.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Perfect for swimming: Wychwood Lodge, Swinbrook – £3.75 million
This former hunting lodge on the edge of Swinbrook has been beautifully modernised and extended.
Outside, there’s a tennis court, pool and party barn and the River Windrush is on the doorstep.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Perfect for the Cotswolds lifestyle: Carpenters Cottage, Sandford St Martin – £600,000
This two-bedroom chocolate-box cottage has charming period features, including exposed beams and an open fireplace, plus a magnificent stone spiral staircase.
Just a hop and a skip from Soho Farmhouse, Sandford St Martin is one of the most sought-after villages.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Credit: Knight Frank
The best country houses for sale this week
Catch up on the best houses that have come up for sale via Country Life in the last few weeks.
Mini-break: The Painswick, Gloucestershire
The cream of the Cotswolds.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'
The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
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Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: A whistle-stop history, from the Roman Baths to Hampstead Heath
Emma Hughes dives into swimming's hidden depths at the Design Museum's exhibit in London.
By Emma Hughes Published
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A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'
The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
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Hidden excellence in a £7.5 million north London home
Behind the traditional façades of Provost Road, you will find something very special.
By James Fisher Published
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Sip tea and laugh at your neighbours in this seaside Norfolk home with a watchtower
On Cliff Hill in Gorleston, one home is taller than all the others. It could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
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A Grecian masterpiece that might be one of the nation's finest homes comes up for sale in Kent
Grade I-listed Holwood House sits in 40 acres of private parkland just 15 miles from central London. It is spectacular.
By Penny Churchill Published
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Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attached
Upper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
By James Fisher Published
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Could Gruber's Antiques from Paddington 2 be your new Notting Hill home?
It was the home of Mr Gruber and his antiques in the film, but in the real world, Alice's Antiques could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
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What should 1.5 million new homes look like?
The King's recent visit to Nansledan with the Prime Minister gives us a clue as to Labour's plans, but what are the benefits of traditional architecture? And can they solve a housing crisis?
By Lucy Denton Published
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Welcome to the modern party barn, where disco balls are 'non-negotiable'
A party barn is the ultimate good-time utopia, devoid of the toil of a home gym or the practicalities of a home office. Modern efforts are a world away from the draughty, hay-bales-and-a-hi-fi set-up of yesteryear.
By Madeleine Silver Published