Somerton Mill - cottage for holiday let

Somerton Mill

Somerton Mill is down at the bottom of a half-mile-long farm track, about 15 miles north of Oxford. The track leads over a level crossing, the Oxford canal and the river Cherwell, before rounding a little bend and heading into a copse. The pretty cottage nestles in a clearing, with views across open countryside. With no formal gardens, the site is a natural and outstanding haven for wildlife. Kingfishers shout their high-pitched warnings as they pass through, herons sun themselves on the river banks, and swans, geese, ducks and moorhens are always busying themselves somewhere nearby. We don't allow shooting, but visitors are welcome to fish. We insist on the use of barbless hooks and that fish are returned to the river.

A stay at Somerton Mill will always be an adventure. We've only had water inside the house once in eight years - the '100 year flood'. It's a wide valley and, even during that flood, the river was only wellie-deep around the house (and a few inches deep inside for two days). During most winters, the river comes close to the front door for a week or so, but with the big wood-burner blazing away, the house stays cosy and warm. For the rest of the year, lush green grass, meadow flowers, water lilies and dragonflies prevail.