Church Lane, Oakley, Bedfordshire (with Field Views), MK43

STRIKING, DECEPTIVLEY SPACIOUS, HOME IN THE COUNTRY, WITH WONDERFUL GARDENS AND VIEWS - AND CLOSE TO ALL FACILITIES 

An eye-catching family home, with 4 or 5-double bedrooms, the scale of which is only truly revealed when you step into a rear extension that adds superb open-plan living space. This also when you catch your breath at the countryside view beyond the huge garden. With a double garage that has scope for other uses., driveway parking for several cars, a wooded area at the front which gave your new home its name and a peaceful setting in the lovely, North Bedfordshire riverside village of Oakley, The Spinney must be a dream home for many a family.

And not just because of the house and gardens. The location is difficult to beat, too. Oakley is just over 3 miles from the county town of Bedford, with its restaurants, shops, theatres, world-renowned private schools and fast trains to London in under 40 minutes. The village is within easy reach of major road routes, such as the A6, which takes you to Luton Airport just 25 miles away. It is roughly 15 miles equidistant from Milton Keynes and Rushden Lakes Shopping Centres. Supermarkets are little more than a couple of miles away.

For a small village, Oakley has a remarkable number of facilities of its own. Walk with the children to schools for all ages and to Sunday service at the 12th century Church of St Mary. Pop along the lane to the Bedford Arms, a highly thought of 18th century inn and restaurant, and to the shop and post office. There’s always something going on at the village hall, and children meet up with friends at the scout hut or the playing fields.

Play a round of golf and pick up the Sunday joint from the farm in the adjoining village of Pavenham. Bromham surgery is just five minutes away. And you’re surrounded by gorgeous countryside, woods and wildlife sites, with the Ouse Valley cycle route on your doorstep. Wander through the wheat field at the end of your garden to Oakley’s historic twin bridges, which you can see from your new home, and along the River Great Ouse. What a delightful spot to live in.

MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY

Yew, Holly and Oak trees not only provide exciting cover for adventurous children and their den, but also screen the house from the lane, so that as you pull into the drive it comes as quite a surprise to see your new home’s gently curving eyebrow gazing down at you.

The Spinney was built just before housebuilding ground to a halt as the Country geared up for World War II. Looking at its distinctive facade you would never know how much it has grown since. Yet from the summerhouse at the end of the garden - a lovely place to work or for children to mix with friends - the clay-tiled rooflines of the house appear to rise ever-upwards over the extension toward the treetops. It’s testament to the architect that the beautiful result blends in perfectly with the original.

The extension adds two huge bedrooms at the back. Both have views of fields of gold that will have you springing out of bed in the morning. The other lovely bedrooms also have countryside views beyond the gorgeous gardens.

With oodles of versatile space, the study upstairs could be a single bedroom. The former, quarry-tiled kitchen could also be a bedroom, for an elderly parent for instance, near the downstairs shower room. It makes a great office, too, with its direct door to outside. But it’s your choice,

There’s no doubt about the hub of the home, though. Open-plan, yet with distinct areas to cook, dine and relax in front of logs ablaze in the woodburning stove – with no shortage of timber from your copse. A super space for everyday family life, but great for entertaining, too – and come summertime, it all extends through not one but two sets of bifold doors to the wonderfully peaceful terrace, where you can dine al fresco, or just relax with glass of something and gaze out at the beautiful countryside and woods, which rise high beyond the river.

The view is a bonus, an amazing one admittedly, but the garden itself is irresistible, with its extensive lawn for ball games, its gnarled, old tree that will provide you with delicious apples and its 8-foot-deep borders of bird-filled native hedging – with plenty of space for the green-fingered designer. An all-round fabulous family home.