Listen to the logburner

Behind a wooden gate, beneath a big rural sky, sits the enchanting Bucks Farm. Sleeping up to 15 family and friends or hens, this country chic farmhouse invites you to let loose and escape the stresses of modern life whilst you relax to the crackling symphony of the logburner. Sitting in the hot tub, the babbling water and swoop of the red kite are all you hear, yet you’re within striking distance of the lights and sights of London.

Let loose of modern life

Behind a wooden gate, beneath a big rural sky, at the end of a curved gravel drive, sits Bucks Farm. Sleeping 12 family and friends or hens, it comes with a soft palette of gentle greys with the odd splash of aubergine. In the chalky Chiltern Hills escarpment, it begs you to let loose of modern life and listen to the crackle of the logburner.

You’re within striking distance of the lights and sights of London here, but you’d never know it. In the hot tub, hidden between the cottage and the Chiltern downslope, you’ll hear only the babbling water and the occasional swoop of a red kite. Stay out there for a terrace barbecue, garden games and a bottle of bubbles.

Inside, the living area invites you to relax and recharge in front of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the Ultra HD smart TV while you feed the fire with logs and kindling. Cook in the farmhouse kitchen and get together around the chunky dining table to tear sourdough and quaff wine over meats from Beef Olive in Aylesbury.

Sleep beneath the beams wrapped in luxury linen in six quirky, smartly appointed bedrooms. Wake to slip into spa-style robes, shower in three contemporary bathrooms and dry off with fluffy towels. Get around the kitchen table for croissants and Nespresso coffee, then it’s off to discover beautiful Bucks.

Gardens and grounds

The Chiltern Hills, in which Bucks Farm appears embedded, might be the biggest garden of all, but you’ve also got a lawn for garden games and easy access to the boot room where you can dump your dirties after a hearty yomp.

Soak up the country air with a coal barbie on the terrace and break off from your bangers and burgers to take a dip in the five-person hot tub, nestled between the house and the lower slopes of the Chilterns.

Living spacesLiving spacesLiving spacesLiving spaces

Living spaces

Just like the rest of this sprawling, beamy quirk-fest of a cottage, the living room here is big yet comfortable and cosy. After a day hiking the hills, this is the place to get together for charades in front of the burning logs or just to kick back and relax in front of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video on the 43” Ultra HD TV.

Living areas here are light and airy and replete with beams and panels. But don’t let the traditional features fool you. Bucks Farm might be centuries old, but it’s been lovingly refurbished in a soft palette of cool greys and warm accent colours. It’s also tech-ready, with complimentary 30mbps Wi-Fi on tap.

Cooking and dining

This is the big, stone-floored farmhouse kitchen with giant island that you’ve always wanted. With everything you need to rustle up homely comfort food on the double electric oven and hob. Or not. Prefer to be pampered? Put in a call to our private chefs from Dineindulge and put your feet up. We’ve got your back. And your belly.

Eat around the 12-seater dining table beneath ancient beams and adjust the mood lighting to suit the time of day. Or eat outside in the clean Chiltern air on the coal barbie with the red kites swooping above. Fill up the dishwasher when you’re done and pop some pods in the Nespresso machine. Repair to the living room.

Elsewhere, The White Horse is walkable, offering seasonal hot and cold food, a great Ploughman’s and eight ever-changing beers. Head to The Royal Standard for butchers’ Cumberland sausages, calamari or scampi, or to The Royal Standard, the oldest free house in England and home to many a movie scene.

Eat English and Thai cuisine with originality and provenance at the spectacular Crazy Bear, or premium grill dishes, fresh fish, Asian influences, lower-calorie options and vegan at The Royal Saracens Head. Or try Thai at The Giggling Squid, including golden money bags, moo ping and royal fishing-boat curry.

Bedrooms

It’s the little touches that make sleeping at Bucks Farm such a delight. All six bedrooms have plenty of space and a unique, quaint appeal, but it’s the fluffy towels, the luxury linen and the spa-style robes that are the true feathers in this delightful nest.

Rooms here share three luxury family bathrooms. Bedroom one is a single, while bedroom two comes with a kingsize and a single. Bedroom three offers a double bed and bedroom four has a queen. Bedroom five is a kingsize, while kid-friendly bedroom six provides two singles.

For additional space, there is the option to book the Lodge within the grounds, sleeping an additional three guests in an open plan living room.

Children welcome

Kids love space: the space to run as loose and wild as free-range chickens. There’s plenty of that here on a 2400-acre estate skirted by magnificent woodland and (hot tub aside) no worries about open water. They also like home reassurances and, with berths here for a dozen plus family dog, you can bring home with you.

There’s plenty of space in the 14 by ten-metre garden for frolics and the cottage comes with garden games, plus all those that you can think of yourself. Bring a ball, bring a frisbee, bring your sense of fun and freedom. Older kids will enjoy the five-seat hot tub in a secluded part of the garden in the shadow of the Chiltern Hills.

Inside, there’s no need to endure screen withdrawal, with free 30mbps Wi-Fi on tap. The 43” Ultra HD also comes with a BT package and complimentary Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Stream your holiday soundtrack on the Bluetooth speaker. And eat out on the terrace with burgers from the coal barbie.

What people say

What people say

A fantastic week in a beautiful farmhouse. The inside was clean, modern and furnished to a high standard. Plenty of room for the 11 of us to have our own space and not feel on top of each other. Outside there’s a big garden for lawn games and right next to a public footpath for rambles through the woods and down lanes to different pubs. Kids loved spotting the rabbits, pheasants, deer, red kite and other local inhabitants and all the party enjoyed a soak in the hot tub at one point or another. Wouldn’t hesitate to go back - Claire
Absolutely fantastic place to stay - fulfilled all of our expectations. Brilliant location - close to main road but far enough that you cannot hear it and feel as though you are in the middle of nowhere. All facilities were great. So clean. Showers were gorgeous. Hot tub was a perfect little addition even though we didn’t use it as we were all too tired in the evenings after busy days! Just gorgeous! - Lauren
Really nice place to stay as a group. Plenty of space in the kitchen, lounge and dining room. Plenty of space and cutlery/crockery to feed a big group. Very warm and cosy. Definitely recommend to large groups. - Chris
Amazing stay in a cosy country house. Plenty of room for everyone and lovely facilities. Couldn’t have asked for more. - Holly

Build family memories

Blast some clay from the sky at Go Clay Shooting or shoot for a low score at Beaconsfield Golf Club. Go Ape in Wendover or go canoeing with the Jubilee Riverside Centre. Ride a Thomas steam train at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, meet the pigs and sheep at Odds Farm Park, or build awesome family memories at Legoland.