The pretty blue house home swap

Wivenhoe is a beautiful, quaint and quintessentially English riverside village. It is popular with artists & bohemians, academics & commuters, young families and retired folk. Local amenities include a deli, bookshop, tea rooms, several good pubs, post office, newsagents, small co-op supermarket, half a dozen good restaurants, play park with children's playground, riverside promenade, river paths, woods, train links to London, Clacton-on-sea, Frinton-on-sea. It's the kind of place people say hello to each other, where you can hear the church bells ring from the house and people use honesty boxes in the summer to sell their surplus greenhouse tomatoes. On moving to Colchester some 10 years ago, this was our first trip out of town, and it really stole our hearts. We moved here in 2009 and feel privileged to be part of a great community.

Colchester is 6 miles away, a pretty & historic good sized market town. There is a castle, local museums to discover, good town centre with a modest array of independent shops, a modern arts facility with plenty going on, and a great town centre park with superb kids facilities.

Further out, Colchester zoo and Jimmy's Farm are great places to head for a day out with the kids. The nearby coast has lots to offer- amazing seafood on in Mersea, a pleasant day exploring nearby Brightlingsea, fun on the beaches of Clacton, Frinton and Walton.

London is just over an hour on the train, and if a bit of retail therapy is needed, Stratford Westfield shopping centre is less than an hour.

Our lovely blue house is a modern built 4 bed house. Downstairs offers a large living room with Free Sat TV, DVD player, digital radio, plethora of books and some board games. A large brick built conservatory, with a sofa and large square farmhouse style dining table that seats 8. A nice sociable kitchen with a breakfast bar and larder area, gas hob, electric oven and grill, dishwasher, microwave and all the usual essentials. Nice garden with lawned area, decking & childrens playhouse. There is a downstairs cloakroom.

Upstairs offers 2 double bedrooms, 2 nurseries with cot bed and cot. There is a wonderful family bathroom, and a modern en suite shower room to the master bedroom. Plenty of books & toys for preschool age, highchair, stair gate & 2 good reliable babysitters if required. We have milk delivered 3 times a week and cleaners fortnightly, which can be continued or cancelled as required.

Wivenhoe train station is minutes away from the house- you can see the station from the back garden and you can hear the trains, although as it's a local line they aren't that big and noisy at all.

Conditions of home exchange

Facilities

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