6 bedroom house

Description - In a tranquil setting in a sought-after Wye Valley village, this six-bedroom, executive-style home offers generous and versatile accommodation and a big, level, enclosed garden, making it ideal for a large family who revel in the outdoors.

Candara, built of light stone in the 1970s, occupies an idyllic position in the village of Catbrook, at the head of a prestigious cul-de-sac of just seven detached houses. This excellent family house stands centrally in grounds of about 0.76 of an acre, surrounded by beech hedging and mature trees which offer privacy and seclusion. With a pond and wild area, the gardens are a haven for wildlife.

The vendors have lived in the house for 18 years and it's where they have raised their three children. "We'd always loved the Wye Valley and the walks around here. We thought this was a wonderful environment to bring our children up in. The house is in a really quiet village, it has a real sense of spaciousness and the garden is fantastic and feels like part of the house. You can have a real outdoor lifestyle here."

Step inside:- - The vendors have redecorated, modernised and extended the accommodation to suit the needs of their growing family, but in the entrance hallway, the staircase and hardwood flooring are original to the 1970's. "One of the things we really liked about the house was the gorgeous solid wood staircase, which is almost Arts and Crafts in appearance. We only discovered the hardwood flooring when we took up the carpet. They are both rather beautiful features and so a few years ago we replaced the front door with a hardwood one, chosen to match."

To one side of the hallway is the 26 foot drawing room, which runs from the front of the property to the back. There is a window to the front and double sliding doors open to a patio which runs the width of the back of the house. There is a wood burning stove set into a contemporary stone fireplace.

The kitchen, updated about 8 years ago, comprises Wren floor and wall units, with an integrated Bosch fridge and integrated Bosch dishwasher. At one end of the kitchen is a dining area, with French doors to the rear patio. Alongside the kitchen is a utility room with painted wood wall and base units, plumbing for an automatic washing machine and space for a tumble drier. There is a doorway to a passageway which connects to the double garage. All these rooms have attractive tiled flooring.

The downstairs accommodation is completed by a home office/study. This is a light and pleasant working space, with a large window overlooking the front of the property. Off the hallway is a downstairs cloakroom and there is also a useful under stairs cupboard.

On the first floor, the principle suite has views of the back garden and the surrounding trees. The bedroom has a built-in wardrobe and an en-suite shower room. There is also a family bathroom on this floor, with a bath with a shower over.

There is another double bedroom with a large window giving views over the front of the property. A large single bedroom on this floor has views over a pretty walled garden. A walk-through study/play area gives access to a large room over the double garage. "We've always used it as a bedroom, with single beds either side of the window, but it is a great, flexible space and would have multiple uses as a playroom, games room, craft room or gym, for example."

The vendors have had the loft converted to create two more bedrooms and a shower room. "We wanted it to be really light and airy so we put as many windows in as we could and it's lovely because you can see the tops of the trees through them. It's a special space where you really feel away from it all."

The conversion has also provided lots of useful under-eaves storages, accessed from both bedrooms and the attic landing. The stairs leading up from the first floor landing have been thoughtfully designed so they look like a continuation of the original hardwood staircase.

With the addition of the attic conversion, Candara is already a generous property, but the size of its plot means there could be potential for it to be enlarged further, subject to planning permission.

Explore the Area:- - Catbrook is an attractive and popular little village, set above the Wye Valley in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about 2 miles from Tintern, renowned for its historic abbey, where there's a choice of cafes and pubs. One of our favourite walks from the house is through Whitelye down to Tintern for a coffee and then back through the woods.

The area is surrounded by other picturesque walks and ideal for those who enjoy the outdoors, offering opportunities for cycling and horse riding and for kayaking, canoeing or rowing on the River Wye.

Catbrook's Memorial Hall, part of a timber-framed American WW1 Military Hospital, was erected in 1920. Modernised and refurbished, most recently by volunteers in 2004, it has a lively programme of events and hosts film nights, village pub nights and a book club.

There is a church, doctors' surgery, primary school and pub in Trellech, about 1.5 miles away and for local shopping, there's Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop about 3 miles distant.

For a wide range of shops, plus supermarkets and recreation, leisure and secondary schools, the market towns of Chepstow and Monmouth are each about 8 miles away. In Monmouth are to be found the Haberdashers' Monmouth independent boys' and girls' schools,

Motorway links from Chepstow give access via the M48, the M4 and M5 to Bristol, Bath, London, Newport and Cardiff, making this area attractive to commuters.

Outside - Candara is approached via a gated driveway which leads to a double garage with ample parking in front.

The property is south facing and stands almost centrally in its plot of around 0.76 acres. The wonderful mature gardens are level and completely enclosed by beech hedging, so perfect for children and offering a remarkable degree of privacy. "The gardens are great for playing games and there are lots of places to sit and enjoy the surroundings. They are also a haven for wildlife - badgers, deer, hedgehogs, woodpeckers and all sorts of birds."

In a far corner of the garden is a fenced-off wildlife pond, which attracts ducks, a heron, frogs, toads and dragonflies. The pond is planted with water lilies, there is a willow tree nearby and it is surrounded by an area left to re-wild. In spring this wild area is a show of snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells.

The gardens include a variety of mature trees and have been planted with shrubs and flowers and a selection of fruit trees, including greengage and Victoria plum. There is an ancient mulberry tree at the front of the house. There is also a greenhouse and an area formerly used as a vegetable patch.

A paved patio which runs along the back of the house can be accessed from the living room and the dining room and makes great indoor/outdoor entertaining space. "In summer, we use it as an outdoor dining and sitting area and in the winter we have a fire pit there and sit around that."

There is also a pretty, walled garden to the side of the house, alongside a brick-built shed for the ride-on mower. In the shelter of the walled garden, a fig tree, grape vines and a crab apple flourish. "It gets the sun in the morning and evening, so makes a really pleasant place for breakfast and we sometimes have evening meals there to catch the sun. It's also away from the rest of the house. It's one of the benefits of this house that there are lots of places to escape to for quiet and privacy - as a family you never feel on top of each other."

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Viewings

We are only able to offer in-person viewings with buyers who are in a 'proceedable' buying position, or if selling, have their own property on the market. Full details of our Covid Policy will be explained upon booking an appointment but the key points to consider are:

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Marketed by: Fine & Country, Chepstow