Come to the Cotswolds - without the lah-di-dah!

If you`d love to visit the Cotswolds but are put off by sky-high pub prices, lah-di-dah people braying about their latest skiing holiday and knowing that Posh and Becks might be round the corner, come to Banburyshire!

Banburyshire is the beautiful laid-back area where Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire meet on the edge of the Cotswolds - and the cottages are made of a unique gingerbread-coloured limestone called Hornton Stone.

We live in the conservation village of Hornton in north Oxfordshire, after which the stone was named. It`s just 15 miles from Stratford upon Avon and close to Warwick Castle.

Parts of our cottage - built of Hornton Stone, of course - date back more than 200 years. There are two double bedrooms and a twin-bedded room. There are two bathrooms, one effectively en suite to the main back bedroom. There is also a downstairs cloakroom.

Inside, the cottage contains a wealth of exposed oak beams and an ancient stone spiral staircase. There`s a dining room and three sitting rooms. One is at the "top of the tower", with views over the village, and another faces the large garden, which leads down to a babbling stream at the bottom. There`s plenty of garden furniture and a small gas BBQ there. There is also a Sonos sound system with a music streaming system that plays pretty much any music you want, and also unlimited broadband. The TV has a Netflix account and can also show all the main free streaming services like BBC iPlayer, ITV hub and All4.

On the other side of the stream is the "local", the Dun Cow, which serves local ales.

The cottage has been completely renovated and features an eco-friendly ground source heat pump, which provides heating and hot water, although there is also an oil-fired Rayburn and a wood-burning stove.

We have indicated on the form that it is a second home. However, it would be more accurate to say that it`s our first home. Our second home is in north London.

The Cottage is ideal for adults but the flagstone floors and the stone spiral staircase (there is a second staircase!) means that it is not suitable for young children.

We have done lots of house swaps in the past, both here and in north America, and so are pretty relaxed about the idea of someone staying in our home. As one of us is retired and the other is freelance, we can arrange swaps at short notice, including on a non simultaneous basis.

About the location

Hornton is situated on the edge of the Cotswolds six miles from the market town of Banbury in what the locals call "Banburyshire", where the counties of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire meet. It is steeped in history, from the site two miles away of the Battle of Edge Hill - the first in the Civil War - to Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare`s birthplace, which is just 25 minutes` drive away. The ancient city of Warwick, site of Warwick Castle, can be reached in 30 minutes and so can the villages of the north Cotswolds. Oxford and Blenheim Palace are just 45 minutes` drive.

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