Bolthole Retreats was founded in 2017 by Martin McWilliam and is based in Cheltenham. We are the leading independent agency for Cotswold holiday rental properties. We work closely with owners and housekeepers to ensure that guests have a truly memorable stay. We pride ourselves on our local knowledge, whether it be of a local farm shop, cycle routes or events. Our aim is to enable guests to have the opportunity to enjoy authentic Cotswold experiences, from the Cotswold experts, in a lovely Cotswold property that suits their needs.

Court Cottage is a handsome, four-bedroom country retreat with a magnificent view down the Painswick Valley. Built in 1927 as a home for the Tocknell Estate’s home farmer, the interior has been transformed by the current owners into a uniquely elegant sanctuary that perfectly blends contemporary furnishings and fabrics with many original features, including a solid elm staircase, leaded windows and Arts and Crafts Movement doors and metalwork. The cottage has a wrap-around garden with a lawn, mature borders, and a gate that opens to the estate’s meadows and woodland. The cottage sleeps eight guests across four bedrooms, with three bathrooms. The Cottage has private, off-road parking for up to four cars. It is the policy of this property not to take bookings for groups where the majority of guests are under the age of 25, or single-sex group celebrations, including stag/hen parties. Please note that additional guests above the maximum capacity are not permitted.

The cottage is surrounded by magnificent beech woodland, beautiful limestone grassland and steep valleys, all part of the owners’ 94-acre farm which sits between Cranham Woods, Painswick Beacon and Saltridge Wood – the latter two managed by the National Trust, making it a walkers and wildlife lover’s haven. To one side of the cottage, adjoining the kitchen and boot room, is an immaculate lawn surrounded with flower beds, pots and climbers. The lawn borders one of the Tocknell Court barns – a wonderful example of 16th century architecture. Here you can sun yourself on one of the sun loungers. To the front of the cottage is a second lawn and gravel dining area with a solid wood table, eight chairs and a parasol, and the most idyllic view down the valley, with not a manmade thing in sight. Such is the rural idyl of the location, Tocknells Court was the setting for the filming of Granada TV’s version of Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd, yet it’s only a mile to a great pub, three miles to Painswick, ‘The Queen of the Cotswolds’, and 10 miles to Cheltenham.