Rolstone Court Barn is a brilliant mixture of the rural and the convenient. We are no more than 5 minutes from Junction 21 of the M5, 30 minutes from Bristol International Airport, an hour from Exmoor (Lorna Doone country) and the Quantocks, 45 minutes from Bath, Wells (the smallest City in England, with a wonderful Cathedral), Cheddar with its dramatic gorge and caves,more wonderful caves at Wookey Hole and Glastonbury with its mystical Arthurian connections. If you like an old fashioned English seaside resort with piers, donkeys, amusements and candy floss, then Weston-Super-Mare is only 10 minutes away (it also has a very good golf course, cinemas and a theatre). Clevedon, a favourite resort of the Victorians, with its beautifully restored pier and associations with Tennyson and the famous Elton Ware pottery at Clevedon Court, is only just up the road. Bristol, 18 miles distant, has all the history, sophistication and culture a discerning visitor could wish for. Tyntesfield, recently acquired by the National Trust, is only 10 miles from us.
Other places to consider (no more than 90 minutes away) are the towns of Tetbury , with its royal connections and wonderful antiques shops, Cirencester , a famous Roman town, and Malmesbury, the oldest Borough in England with a fascinating Abbey. Also not far away are Gloucester Cathedral (featured in the Harry Potter film), the National Wildfowl Trust sanctuary at Slimbridge and ancient Berkeley Castle where King Edward II met an unpleasant end in 1324.
You can be in Wales in less than an hour and visit the dramatic Glamorgan Heritage Coastline where some of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans, one of Europe's foremost open-air museums, and of course Cardiff, the stylish capital of Wales. Alternatively travel up the beautiful Wye Valley via Chepstow Castle and Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey to the ancient border town of Monmouth.
All this, yet after a rewarding day’s touring, return to a quiet haven at Rolstone, with no passing traffic apart from the occasional horse, deer or heron to disturb your peace.
Phone 01934 820129. E-mail HERE © J Rolt 2002 |