Good to know before you book

Yes. Your stay includes the Leisure & Wellness Centre, the swimming pools, sauna, steam room and gym for your whole group. Treatments such as massages, facials, manicures and pedicures cost extra.

The award-winning Leisure & Wellness Centre, about four minutes' walk away, has two 20-metre heated pools (one indoor, one outdoor) kept at 28 to 29°C, a reed-filtered eco pool, a sauna, a steam room and a gym. Treatments such as massages, facials, manicures and pedicures cost extra, so book early.

The Mill Village heated outdoor pool, two minutes' walk away, needs no booking and is open dawn to dusk, with its own sauna. At the spa, Friday to Sunday sessions and all high-season sessions are booked online from 10.30am the day before; other times you can just turn up. The two spa passes in the cottage each cover your whole group.

The spa and estate facilities are yours from 2pm on arrival day until 12pm on your last day.

Yes, a light, spacious gym with cardio and weights equipment, reached through the spa and included in your stay.

Most guests bring their own towels for swimming, or you can hire them at the spa. Bath towels, hair towels and hand towels are provided in the cottage.

Yes. The heated pools, sauna, steam room and spa run all year, so you can swim outdoors on a frosty morning, then warm up with a massage or facial. January and early February are the quietest, best-value weeks.

Summer weekends, bank holidays and school holidays get booked 9 to 12 months ahead, so book early for those. Weekday term-time stays, especially in winter, usually need just 2 to 3 months' notice, and last-minute dates do sometimes come up.

Anything from 2 to 28 nights. The minimum stay is two nights, so there's always at least one full day to enjoy.

Yes. Our lowest prices are here on our own website, and if you choose our non-refundable rate you save a further 8%. Our own calendar also opens earlier than other booking sites, so you get first pick of dates for the busiest weeks.

Book instantly online and pay by card or bank transfer. You'll get confirmation straight away.

Yes. Optional XCover cancellation cover can be added when you book.

Book spa treatments, the private chef and any restaurant tables as early as you can. Bike and canoe hire, watersports and Activity Hub classes cost extra and are worth booking in good time. The tennis courts and all-weather pitch are free but can be reserved online.

Sorry, no. Lower Mill Estate is a family nature reserve, so hen and stag parties, corporate bookings and work-based stays aren't allowed. There's no amplified music outdoors, no noise after 11pm, and no fireworks or sky lanterns, to protect the wildlife.

Sorry, no. Cornerstone Cottage doesn't accept pets.

Check-in is at 4pm and check-out at 10.30am. The spa and estate facilities are yours from 2pm on arrival day and until 12pm on your last day, and whenever we can, we'll happily offer an early check-in or late check-out too.

We'll email your arrival details and codes three days before you arrive.

Cornerstone Cottage is at 23 Mill Village, Lower Mill Estate, GL7 6FP, on the southern edge of the Cotswolds near Cirencester. It's about 1h 15 from Oxford and Bath, 1h 25 from Stratford-upon-Avon, 1h 30 from West London and Heathrow, and about 90 minutes from Birmingham Airport. From the M4 take junction 15, or from the M5 junction 11a, then follow the A419 towards Cirencester and the Cotswold Water Park.

Parking is free. The cottage has its own space, number 23, opposite the house across the water garden, and there's a larger car park about two minutes' walk away. Each car needs an estate parking permit on the dashboard, which you can print at home or pick up at the gatehouse. We suggest three cars or fewer, and the estate speed limit is 10mph.

Yes. There are 22kW Roam chargers in the estate's Millstone car park, paid as you go by contactless or the Roam app (65p per kWh at the time of writing). There are more chargers at the Gateway Centre, just off the A419 on your way in.

Yes. Kemble station is about 4 miles away, around 10 minutes by taxi, with trains taking about 70 minutes from London Paddington. Swindon is 10 miles away. Local taxis and Uber run from both, and airport transfers can be arranged; Heathrow is about 80 miles away and Bristol about 45. Once you're here, the estate is completely walkable and you can hire bikes onsite.

The estate's own General Store sells everyday basics, ready meals, wine and beer, local produce and newspapers. The Co-op in South Cerney is about 10 minutes' drive, and Cirencester, about 15 minutes, has Waitrose, Tesco Extra, M&S Food and Lidl.

Supermarket deliveries, yes. Most UK supermarkets deliver here; just book a slot when you'll be in and make sure the address says 23 Mill Village, as there are other number 23s on the estate. Post, Amazon and other courier parcels can't be delivered to guests.

Just the basics: load and start the dishwasher, take any perishable food with you, and take rubbish to the recycling area in the car park. Please don't leave bags outside, as they attract foxes. Hang the spa passes back in the hall, turn off the heating or cooling units, and return the keys as explained in your arrival email.

Up to eight guests, plus two babies in our travel cots. There are two master bedrooms with balconies and ensuites, each with a super king or two singles, and two bunk rooms that suit adults too.

Yes. We make both master bedrooms up with 6ft super king beds unless you'd prefer two 3ft singles, so just let us know. The mattresses are hotel-specification and the linen is from Out of Eden.

There are three bathrooms plus a downstairs WC. Master Bedroom One has an ensuite with a rain shower, Master Bedroom Two has an ensuite with a corner spa bath, and the family bathroom has a large walk-in shower.

Yes. Beds are made up and fresh towels are ready when you arrive: eight bath towels, eight hair towels and hand towels in each bathroom. Most guests bring their own towels for swimming, or you can hire them at the spa.

A welcome of British food and drink from Cotswold producers, plus starter supplies of tea, coffee, Nespresso pods, hot chocolate, oil, salt and pepper. There's also a cleaning starter pack and toiletries (hand soap, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel). Logs and BBQ charcoal are provided too. Starter supplies aren't topped up during your stay, but the estate shop is close by.

Yes, ultrafast 400Mb/s fibre WiFi, plus a smart TV with included Netflix, DVD and CD player.

Mobile coverage can be patchy in this rural area, so there's fast WiFi throughout and a house landline you're welcome to use for UK calls.

The kitchen was recently upgraded and is fully equipped: induction hob, oven, microwave, fridge freezer, dishwasher, Nespresso machine, toaster, blender and hand mixer, with plenty of crockery and glasses. The dining table seats 8 to 10. Guests and private chefs alike love cooking here.

Yes, a washing machine and tumble dryer are in the kitchen. The estate doesn't allow towels or washing to be hung outside.

Yes, a large, enclosed, south-facing sundeck over the Mill Village Water Garden, with dining for eight, rattan sofas, a covered veranda and a charcoal BBQ.

Yes. There's air conditioning throughout, an energy-efficient heat pump for winter warmth, upgraded insulation and a log fire with a wood burner. Logs are provided all year, just in case.

No. Smoking and vaping aren’t permitted inside the cottage or on the sundeck.

Yes, the cottage is decorated for Christmas and New Year. Nearby there are Christmas markets in Cirencester and Cheltenham, light trails at Westonbirt Arboretum and Blenheim Palace, and an ice rink at the Cotswold Water Park from November to January.

Yes. A private chef shops, cooks, serves and clears up at the cottage, with menus from two courses to a full tasting menu, wine pairing and most dietary needs catered for. Prices start from around £30 a head; book at least 14 days ahead if you can.

Your stay includes the Leisure & Wellness Centre, the swimming pools, tennis courts, play areas and the full trail network. Specialist activities such as the beaver safari, guided walks and equipment hire usually cost extra. Once you've booked, our searchable guest website has all the detail.

More than 500 acres of lakes, meadows, woodland paths and wildlife, in the Cotswold Water Park.

Not at the moment; swimming in the estate's lakes isn't currently allowed, though we hope it will return. Cotswold Country Park & Beach, the UK's largest inland beach, is a 25-minute walk or three-minute drive away, and the River Thames at Lechlade and the Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water are popular wild swimming spots.

Yes. The Activity Hub offers equipment hire and coaching for kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding, including sunrise and sunset trips, and paddleboard yoga.

Yes. The Activity Hub, a two-minute walk from the cottage, can arrange bike hire for all ages.

Lots. Waymarked trails start near the Activity Hub: a 2km red trail, a 5km yellow trail and a 4km purple wildlife trail. The Thames Path runs right past the estate, and the Baker's Arms in Somerford Keynes is a 15-minute walk away.

Herons, kingfishers, otters, deer, dragonflies and wild flowers including the rare bee orchid. Beavers have been reintroduced here too; they live on Flagham Fen and are best seen early morning or evening from the hide.

Yes, Ballihoo restaurant is on the estate and even does takeaway pizzas. The Baker's Arms pub in the village of Somerford Keynes is about a fifteen-minute walk, with a log fire in winter and a garden for warmer months.

The Baker's Arms in Somerford Keynes is our closest, a 15-minute walk, with good food and a beer garden. The Wild Duck Inn in Ewen, about 5 minutes' drive, is known for its Sunday roasts. The Old Boathouse has lake views, and The Potting Shed in Crudwell serves relaxed garden-to-plate food.

Yes. Local pubs, Thai, sushi and Indian restaurants deliver, and South Cerney Tandoori is the closest. Cirencester has Chinese, Indian, pizza and fish and chips to collect. Some drivers can only come as far as the estate's main gate.

The Rectory at Crudwell is 10 minutes away, Barnsley House 15, Whatley Manor 25, and Cowley Manor and Lumière in Cheltenham about 40. Or have a private chef cook for you at the cottage.

Cirencester is 15 minutes away, with shops, markets and the Corinium Museum. Further afield are Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, Tetbury, Cheltenham, Chipping Campden, Bath, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, plus the Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Book a spa session or treatment, or head out to the Corinium Museum, STEAM railway museum or Museum of Computing. Cinemas are in Swindon, and there's theatre at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester.