Eco-home in award-winning verdant neighbourhood - Bristol

We live in a very unusual home in a self-build development in Bristol. It`s small but perfectly formed, with a large and light open-plan kitchen-dining-living room - perfect for chatting over a relaxed dinner or rumbling around with kids.

The living room opens out through french doors into a patio and a small garden with a thyme lawn and lots of plants. Beyond that is a large shared garden with trees and a few pieces of childrens play equipment.

The house is single storey so disabled accessible. However, the garden has two steps and the bathroom would not fit a wheelchair but it is very compact so plenty to hold onto.

Other features include
- Excellent insulation - keeps cosy in winter and cool in summer
- Sloping green roof
- Master bedroom is small but contains a firm king-size bed with feather bedding. We think it`s luxurious! This room has block-out blinds
- A second bedroom with a cot. A sleeping platform with small double bed is reached by ladder - not suitable for children under about 8.
- A further room that can be accessed via internal french windows (with curtains) from the living room (as well as a door from the corridor). This could be used as a further bedroom but is has no external windows and is open to noise from the living area. We have a small double futon mattress that can be laid out here or in the second bedroom.
- A private parking space outside. We don`t own a car for environmental reasons, so it will be available.

We would prefer to swap with people whose houses are in rural areas or seaside towns/villages that are accessible by public transport. We are particlarly keen to swap with people that run horticultural or agroforestry smallholdings.

About the location

Ashley Vale in St Werburghs won the Academy of Urbanism`s Great Neighbourhood Award in 2016. It has no through-roads, a cross-city cycle route and is surrounded by allotments and a nature reserve, so very little traffic, but lots of cyclists and birds. People come from all over the city (and beyond) to walk around the neighbourhood looking at the mix of unusual self-build houses in The Yard and to walk up to Narroways nature reserve for a view over the city. Alternatively you can walk north up Boiling Wells lane, through a smallholding and beyond to Purdown and Stoke Park - about 2.5km of green with only one road in the way.

St. Werburgh`s City Farm is a stone`s throw away - free to visit and very popular with small children, especially when the piglets are born. The Farm Cafe is opposite the farm. It has won many awards for its ethical, delicious and locally-sourced brunches and lunches. It aso has a small playground. The farm pub is beyond that, with a large beer garden and regular live music.

To leave the Vale, you pass through `The Graffiti Tunnel` - an urban gallery of street art. Beyond is the rest of St. Werburghs, with the Miner`s Arms pub, two grocery shops, a Post Office, an organic supermarket and cafe, three restaurants, two takeaways and two rock climbing centres within about 7 minutes walk. Mina Road park has a playground and basketball pitch and tucked behind it another excellent pub. There is a retail park about 1.5 km away, with a large Tesco, M&S Food, Boots, IKEA and fast food outlets.

The Wild Goose Space is part of The Yard self-build and offers a variety of classes such as yoga, pilates and baby groups.

A cycle route takes you all the way from Mina Road to the city centre on dedicated cycle routes - almost all off-road. We can arrange for bikes if required.

Bristol is well located for exploring the Cotswolds, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains, south Wales mountain-biking trails and beaches, and Wye Valley boating, canoeing and fishing.

Train services to London are half-hourly and take 1h30; Cardiff is a little over an hour; Exeter is an hour, with access to Dartmoor and the beautiful south Devon coast; and the beautiful regency city of Bath is 15 minutes by train.

The Mendip Hills are also easy to reach by bus, train or car. We can give you tips for swimming spots and lovely country walks with pubs.

Conditions of exchange

Facilities

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