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We
also operate in the following areas - click on any area for further
details:-
South
East of England
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
East Sussex
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Kent
Surrey
West Sussex
South
West of England
Avon
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Hampshire
The New Forest
Isle of Wight
Somerset
Wiltshire
Central
southern England and the
Midlands
Gloucestershire
Herefordshire
Oxfordshire
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
Jersey
in the Channel Islands
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Gloucestershire
& The Cotswolds
Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Cirencester, Stowe-on-the-Wold,
Bagendon, Moreton-in-Marsh, Forest of Dean, Cotswolds and the Vale
of Evesham and surrounding areas of Gloucestershire.
A very rural county which is split in two by the Severn Vale. To
the west is the Forest of Dean and across the other side of the
M5 lie the Cotswolds and South Gloucestershire. Most of the county
to the east is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Cirencester is the centre of this region.
To the north/north-west of Cirencester –
out towards Painswick and Birdlip – the countryside is a
myriad of deep wooded valleys. Houses here tend to be remote,
rural and isolated. The area is popular with the weekend buyer
looking to 'get away from it all'. Prices remain sensible as this
is beyond reasonable commuting distance from London. However,
this area – like many parts of west Gloucestershire –
is now much more accessible thanks to the opening of the A419
dual carriageway from the M4 to Cirencester which takes 15 minutes
off the journey time from Swindon. Cirencester can now be reached
from London in 1 hour 45 minutes, trains from Paddington to Kemble
(just west of Cirencester) take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.
Stroud to the west and the surrounding villages
of Woodchester, Nailsworth and Amberley have unfortunately developed
into an industrial sprawl. Many attractive houses were built by
wealthy wool-mill owners but these usually suffer from a lack
of land and views can be blighted by factories and other development.
Inevitably this development brings with it some degree of road
noise. The guide prices usually reflect this.
The land south of Cirencester is flat. As a
consequence of the topography, it is dominated by a large RAF
base at Fairford and the flight path of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
This, together with the ongoing gravel extraction around the Cotswold
Water Parks and the new dual carriageway between Cirencester and
Swindon, rather blights the area for the country house buyer.
North-east of Cirencester lies the high Cotswolds
with pretty market towns, villages and attractive rolling countryside.
Unfortunately, these villages do pay a price for their beauty
and can be swarming with tourists in the summer. Stow, Broadway,
Bourton-on-the-Water and Burford are particularly popular. Transport
links to London are focused on Kingham station, south of Stow,
with journeys to Paddington taking about 1 1/2 hours. This is
prime Gloucestershire. The houses are predominately Cotswold stone
and, as the county is so rural, there is always a shortage of
good-quality country houses.
This lack of supply coupled with the best transport
links to London within the county means that buyers will often
have to pay a premium here.
South Gloucestershire, sandwiched between Stroud
and Bristol, is the least attractive part of the county and is
largely residential and industrial. Many of the Government's target
of new homes to be built by 2016 will be accommodated in this
area.
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To
benefit from the Sands Home Search service, please call in confidence
on 01425 462 549 / 01425 462 549
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