Luxury Bed and Breakfast, B&B, Accommodation Stinchcombe, Dursley, Gloucestershire, England

Drakestone House

Lodge No 35

Promising a perfect escape from the turmoil of modern city life, Drakestone is a small estate in a beautiful and protected part of the Cotswolds. In a magnificent setting on the edge of beech woods, it is a fine example of an Arts & Crafts building, mentioned in Pevsner's 'The Cotswolds'.

Drakestone reveals an unusual blend of simplicity and originality - a house built by artists, for artists. The green panelled drawing room for guests leads from the entrance hall with its large oak door into the spacious dining room and through into a plant-filled conservatory. Upstairs, stained wood floors along a wide passage take you to the bedrooms, all with magnificent views over the gardens and the Vale of Berkeley.

Hugh's grandparents, influenced by painting trips to Italy and by the style of the period, laid out the gardens with tall yew hedges, informal walkways and a sunken pond. Following a period of neglect, the garden is being slowly restored to its former glory.

Your Bed & Breakfast Hosts

Hugh and Crystal are informal hosts, providing a warm welcome in a house that is very much a home. They both have a varied background - ex British Council in West Africa, college lecturer, interior designer - and broad interests including arts and travel.

The Location

Badminton, Gatcombe, Cheltenham Races and Cheltenham Festivals of Literature and Music in spring and autumn; Bristol and Bath, Painswick Rococo Gardens, Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust, Westonbirt Arboretum, Berkeley Castle, Dyrham House, Newark Park, Owlpen Manor, golf, gliding and hill walking - there's an endless list of places to see and things to do.

How to find Drakestone House Bed & Breakfast (B&B).

Northbound travellers leave M5 at exit 14, southbound travellers at exit 13. Drakestone is situated between Dursley (3 miles) and Wotton-under-Edge (3 miles) on B4060. House signposted from B4060.