The Garden Retreat in Wellow, Bath, South West England, United Kingdom

The Retreat is at the edge of the small peaceful conservation village of Wellow, an idyllic setting overlooking a lovely stream with a mediaeval packhorse bridge, woodland and rolling hills beyond. Wellow is 5 miles south from the centre of Bath, off main roads, and very peaceful.  There are otters in the stream and, with no light pollution, the stars are bright at night. There are lovely walks and abundant birdlife -- we regularly see buzzards, woodpeckers, barn & tawny owls.  We are part of the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

An extension of a renovated 1860s cottage, it has a large living room with a well-equipped kitchenette at one end, a large shower room and a double bedroom upstairs.  The living room has a double sofa bed, which can accommodate two for occasional use.  It has a four-star national quality rating, and is imaginatively furnished to retain the rural atmosphere and is very well equipped with high quality modern conveniences. 

There is modern oil-fired central heating throughout. We supply wi-fi for Internet connection, LED TV; a well-stocked library of maps, guides and recreational reading; music CDs, films, DVDs and CDs. We normally let by the week, Friday to Friday, but out of the high season we will take short breaks. It has off-road parking and a sitting out garden. We regret that the Retreat is not suitable for children under six because of the steep garden at the back.

A favourite venue for the Bristol Ramblers, Wellow has a great variety of walking paths by stream and woodland.  As it is on the Sustrans Colliers Way cycle route, in one direction you can reach Bradford-on-Avon on wooded canal paths and in the other, Frome and Longleat.  

The Fox and Badger is an excellent pub for meals (children friendly), and the village shop supplies good local food.  Wellow is on the best side of Bath, with easy access to Longleat Safari Park, the Cheddar Caves, Wells, Glastonbury, and a number of fine stately homes and gardens to visit.  You can drive to Bristol or South Wales without going through Bath.  Wellow has a good children's playground and there is a nationally famous adventure playground in Bath.  The Wellow Brook is safe for children’s bathing.

Bath is rich in places to visit -- from its world-famous spa, where you can get many kinds of therapeutic treatment and rooftop swimming (Bath has the only hot spring in Britain) – to the Roman Baths with its easy to follow multilingual audio history guides.  The iconic and world-famous Georgian architecture of Bath marks it out as a World Heritage city, and it has many literary connections, like those of Jane Austen.  Bath has some five different cultural festivals during the year. It is great for shopping – antique, books and iconic stores; sightseeing, hot-air balooning and river trips.

For much more information, please see our website: http://bath-holidays.co.uk