The Old Stables, a secluded country cottage in an idyllic part of Hampshire

St Mary Bourne is secluded but not remote. The Bourne Valley itself, comprising the villages of Longeparish, Hurstbourne Priors, St Mary Bourne, Stoke, Hurstbourne Tarrant and several more villages up the valley, is tucked away although very close to major roads such as the M3 running between Southampton and London, the A34 linking Winchester with Oxford and the Midlands and the A303 linking us to the West Country.

It's quiet; we get little through traffic. Our night skies are dark and on clear nights you can see the Milky Way. During the day we get relatively little aviation traffic.

We are on the Bourne Rivulet - just 50 yards from our door (and thank fully 2o feet or so below us, so no flooding risk!) which flows into the famous River Test, probably the foremost chalk stream in the world just a couple of miles down the valley. Teh area was immortalised by Harry Plunket-Greene in 1924 with his book, Where the Bright Waters Meet.

There is much to see and do in the area from Highclere Castle - home of Downton Abbey (15 minutes) to the Hawk Conservancy (25 minutes). We would be happy to make " Where to go" and "What to do" suggestions.

We are on the London to Salisbury railway line with stations at Whitchurch and Andover just four miles away. We are within easy reach of Heathrow (50 minutes drive), Gatwick (1 hour 20 minutes) and Southampton (40 minutes) airports.

On a warm English summer day there is no better place to be nut there's still plenty to do in Autumn and Winter!

Very few properties of this secluded position are within walking distance of so many amenities. We are very close to the village centre with its splendid shop and cafe, The Boundary, on the edge of the village recreation ground. On summer weekends you can revel in the sound of leather on willow as you watch a local cricket match with an iced coffee in your hand,

Our two village pubs, The George and The Bourne Valley Inn are within easy walking distance. You can reach all the village amenities in 10 minutes or less along level, safe footpaths.
We have lots of footpaths for dog walking or expoloring the the countryside around St Mary Bourne. The iconic Test Way running 44 miles between Romsey to Inkpen - a Mecca for walkers - is just a few hundred yards from your doorstep. Or simply explore the area around the village lake, magnet for wildlife.