Homelink

ID : UK00095057

Became a member in: 2016

Renewal Date: 16/Mar/2026

6Exchanges

98%Response Rate

We are

Mary and I are recently retired teachers. We have two sons, both of whom now live away from home. We have had two cats in the past but they have both died and at present we are pet free. We would always be happy to look after other people's cats (or indeed any pets, having once had an interesting time tending someone's pet terrapin which spent most of the time auditioning for The Great Escape!). Having enjoyed four international exchanges with our then teenage boys, we now want to return to house exchanging.

About us

Affinities
Golf,
Plants & Gardens,
Tennis,
Hiking,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
More Less
Affiliations
Teachers / Education Professionals,
Retirees
Profession
Teachers (Retired)

No information to display

Our home exchange reviews

Carole & James
Canada
Jul 1, 2023 - Jul 28, 2023
We had an enjoyable and relaxing time in Mary and Grahame's comfortable home and garden. Easy access to busses to town and environs. Lots to explore ...
Read More...
We had an enjoyable and relaxing time in Mary and Grahame's comfortable home and garden. Easy access to busses to town and environs. Lots to explore in and around Colchester. Also enjoyed the well equipped kitchen. Neighbour Wendy was a lovely and valuable source of help and advice.
Read Less...

Moira
Canada
Jun 1, 2023 - Jun 26, 2023
A lovely, welcoming place to stay.
Mary and Graham's home was clean and comfortable, with a fabulous garden; a lovely, quiet place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Buses were a 10 minu...
Read More...
Mary and Graham's home was clean and comfortable, with a fabulous garden; a lovely, quiet place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Buses were a 10 minute walk from the house, and were frequent and easy to use, and trains to surrounding towns or into London were easily accessible also. Colchester has an interesting history - a wonderful castle and a Roman wall. Sainsbury's was a bus ride away, and a taxi ride home, but smaller shops were available in town, and there were many restaurants to choose from. Neighbour, Wendy, was a wonderful help with anything puzzling. A great visit to an interesting part of the UK.
Read Less...

Anne
United Kingdom
Mar 31, 2022 - Apr 5, 2022
A lovely house with all the amenities.
We had a lovely stay at Mary and Graham's house. So close to Colchester but on the edge of lots of greenery. We saw a roe deer in the garden one morni...
Read More...
We had a lovely stay at Mary and Graham's house. So close to Colchester but on the edge of lots of greenery. We saw a roe deer in the garden one morning , and a fox on the drive! You can walk into Colchester, a historic town with lots to do and visit, including castle , art galleries , and roman structures. Do the heritage trail , around two hours but worth the time. We really enjoyed the opportunity to just sit over looking the garden and relaxing.
Read Less...

Barb
Australia
Jun 28, 2022 - Jul 11, 2022
Fabulous historic area
Colchester was an excellent location that was easy to explore using the many brochures from the exchangers and the Information Centre near the Castle....
Read More...
Colchester was an excellent location that was easy to explore using the many brochures from the exchangers and the Information Centre near the Castle. We nearly always choose to use local public transport on exchanges so 7-10 minutes walk away from the reliable ad cheap buses that took us into the town centre, as well as the train station to go further afield, was simple and easy for us.
Read Less...

Barb
Australia
Jun 1, 2020 - Jul 31, 2020

Jannike
Germany
Aug 3, 2018 - Aug 19, 2018
Great holiday in Colchester!
We very much enjoyed our stay in Mary and Grahams home. They were easy to communicate with before, during and after our exchange, and provided us with...
Read More...
We very much enjoyed our stay in Mary and Grahams home. They were easy to communicate with before, during and after our exchange, and provided us with solid information to Colchester and surroundings. Their home with garden was a perfect base for us and our little ones.
Read Less...

Dave Kemsley & Gwen
United Kingdom
Oct 30, 2016 - Nov 5, 2016

Show Details Hide Details

Home exhange in,United Kingdom,Colchester,House photos, home images

Sleeping capacity7
Bedrooms4
Bathrooms2

Simultaneous Home Exchange

Weekend Home Exchange

Smoking Not Allowed

Children Welcome

Use of Personal Car is possible

We are looking for a home exchange in ...

Open to all dates

UK | Vancouver, BC, Canada | Europe

Our Home For Exchange

Description of the home we are offering for exchange

Colchester - GB's oldest town. Within 1 hr approx of London, Cambridge, coast. Interested in UK short breaks.
Our four bedroomed family home is in a lovely peaceful location, within easy walking distance of town. It is ideal for exploring this interesting part of the UK. Accommodation upstairs comprises a main double bedroom, two bedrooms with single beds plus pull-out beds enabling twin or double arrangement, and a cosy single bedroom. Also, a family bath/shower room, a separate shower room and a study. Downstairs has a front living room, a back lounge/dining room looking out onto the garden, a new kitchen, a utility room and cloakroom. The attached garage is used for storage.
Our non-overlooked garden has two seating/patio areas to catch the sun or escape from it.

Type

House - 2 or more floors/ Main Residence

Amenities

Dishwasher
Clothes Washer
Clothes Dryer
Microwave Oven
Peaceful Surroundings
Privacy / Seclusion
Garden
Heating
Private parking
Terrace / Patio

Entertainment

DVD
Internet access
TV
Wireless Internet (WiFi)

Extras

None

Setting

Suburban

Neighbourhood

Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area

Our home is in historic Colchester, the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain. We have a superb Norman Castle in the town centre, set within its award winning park and gardens. The Dutch Quarter with its timber framed houses is another must see.
Colchester Leisure World plus Aqua Springs, Quasar, Tenpin and Rollerworld make the town a good place for youngsters and the young at heart.
Colchester Zoo is just out of town and is justifiably seen as being a top class attraction, voted as one of the top two zoos in the U.K.(TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice). Colchester is surrounded by lovely countryside, most notably the area known as Constable Country.

Outdoor Activities

Biking
Cultural Events
Golfing
Gym / Health Club
Tennis
Hiking
Public Swimming Pool

Leisure

Park / Playground
Cafés
Gym / Health Club
Restaurants
Shopping

Cultural Activities

Concerts
Galleries
Museums
Popular Monuments
Theatre

Transport Nearby

Bus
Train Station

Neighbourhood Services

Bakery
Corner Shop
Pharmacy
Supermarket

Attractions

Our home exchange - places to go and things to do while staying in our home

We are 15-20 minutes from Constable Country, an area of outstanding natural beauty associated with the iconic English painter John Constable.
A similar distance away are the renowned Tiptree Jam Factory and Museum and also the delights of Mersea Island, famous for its oysters and wildlife walks. A little further takes you to the lovely coastal towns of Frinton (Essex) and Aldeburgh and Southwold (Suffolk).
Just over an hour away by car would be the fantastic cities of Cambridge and Norwich, while London itself, with all its amazing attractions, is only 55 minutes away by train.

Our favourite restaurants

Milsoms
The Lexden Crown
The Crown at Stoke by Nayland

Cafés & bars

The Hospital Arms
Roberto's
The Daisy Cup Cafe

Special places to shop

Williams & Griffin Dept. Store
Freeport Designer Village

Leisure and cultural activities

Mercury Theatre
Firstsite
Colchester Arts Centre

Walks or jogging paths

Wivenhoe Trail

Health or fitness clubs

LA Fitness
Clarice House

Interesting day trips

Colchester Zoo
Kentwell Hall
Beth Chatto Gardens

Our Preferences

Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules

We love our home and locality and have lovely neighbours. Our house is protected by a monitored alarm system which is not indicative of local criminal activity as we have never been burgled in 28 years here, nor to our knowledge have any of our near neighbours. We love animals but have not had pets for several years since our two cats died. We are a non-smoking household. We love listening to music (although not too loud as we are a semi-detached property!), and have a Sonos wifi music system with Deezer subscription service. We also have to admit to having a Sky satellite system which would enable any visiting house exchangers to keep abreast of the cricket and football scene should they so desire! We would be more than happy to offer our car as part of our exchange but have not found it easy on our recent exchanges to organise through the insurance companies. However, we would be willing to explore the possibility again if necessary.

Conditions

Children Welcome
Pets Not Allowed
Smoking Not Allowed
Pet Care Offered
Plant Care Not Needed

Use of Personal Car

Use of Personal Car is possible

Home Exchange Type

Simultaneous Home Exchange
Weekend Home Exchange

ID : UK00095057

Became a member in: 2016

Renewal Date: 16/Mar/2026

6Exchanges

98%Response Rate

We are

Contact exchange Member

About us

Affinities
Golf,
Plants & Gardens,
Tennis,
Hiking,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
More Less
Affiliations
Teachers / Education Professionals,
Retirees
Profession
Teachers (Retired)

No information to display

Our home exchange reviews

Carole & James
Canada
Jul 1, 2023 - Jul 28, 2023
We had an enjoyable and relaxing time in Mary and Grahame's comfortable home and garden. Easy access to busses to town and environs. Lots to explore ...
Read More...
We had an enjoyable and relaxing time in Mary and Grahame's comfortable home and garden. Easy access to busses to town and environs. Lots to explore in and around Colchester. Also enjoyed the well equipped kitchen. Neighbour Wendy was a lovely and valuable source of help and advice.
Read Less...

Moira
Canada
Jun 1, 2023 - Jun 26, 2023
A lovely, welcoming place to stay.
Mary and Graham's home was clean and comfortable, with a fabulous garden; a lovely, quiet place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Buses were a 10 minu...
Read More...
Mary and Graham's home was clean and comfortable, with a fabulous garden; a lovely, quiet place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Buses were a 10 minute walk from the house, and were frequent and easy to use, and trains to surrounding towns or into London were easily accessible also. Colchester has an interesting history - a wonderful castle and a Roman wall. Sainsbury's was a bus ride away, and a taxi ride home, but smaller shops were available in town, and there were many restaurants to choose from. Neighbour, Wendy, was a wonderful help with anything puzzling. A great visit to an interesting part of the UK.
Read Less...

Anne
United Kingdom
Mar 31, 2022 - Apr 5, 2022
A lovely house with all the amenities.
We had a lovely stay at Mary and Graham's house. So close to Colchester but on the edge of lots of greenery. We saw a roe deer in the garden one morni...
Read More...
We had a lovely stay at Mary and Graham's house. So close to Colchester but on the edge of lots of greenery. We saw a roe deer in the garden one morning , and a fox on the drive! You can walk into Colchester, a historic town with lots to do and visit, including castle , art galleries , and roman structures. Do the heritage trail , around two hours but worth the time. We really enjoyed the opportunity to just sit over looking the garden and relaxing.
Read Less...

Barb
Australia
Jun 28, 2022 - Jul 11, 2022
Fabulous historic area
Colchester was an excellent location that was easy to explore using the many brochures from the exchangers and the Information Centre near the Castle....
Read More...
Colchester was an excellent location that was easy to explore using the many brochures from the exchangers and the Information Centre near the Castle. We nearly always choose to use local public transport on exchanges so 7-10 minutes walk away from the reliable ad cheap buses that took us into the town centre, as well as the train station to go further afield, was simple and easy for us.
Read Less...

Barb
Australia
Jun 1, 2020 - Jul 31, 2020

Jannike
Germany
Aug 3, 2018 - Aug 19, 2018
Great holiday in Colchester!
We very much enjoyed our stay in Mary and Grahams home. They were easy to communicate with before, during and after our exchange, and provided us with...
Read More...
We very much enjoyed our stay in Mary and Grahams home. They were easy to communicate with before, during and after our exchange, and provided us with solid information to Colchester and surroundings. Their home with garden was a perfect base for us and our little ones.
Read Less...

Dave Kemsley & Gwen
United Kingdom
Oct 30, 2016 - Nov 5, 2016

Show Details Hide Details

Reviews

Canada - Toronto Downtown - Condominium Apt.

Toronto Downtown, Ontario, Canada
Jul 1, 2023 - Jul 28, 2023
We had an enjoyable and relaxing time in Mary and Grahame's comfortable home and garden. Easy access to busses to town and environs. Lots to explore in and around Colchester. Also enjoyed the well equipped kitchen. Neighbour Wendy was a lovely and valuable source of help and advice.

Beautiful condo in False Creek, Vancouver

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Jun 1, 2023 - Jun 26, 2023
A lovely, welcoming place to stay.
Mary and Graham's home was clean and comfortable, with a fabulous garden; a lovely, quiet place to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Buses were a 10 minute walk from the house, and were frequent and easy to use, and trains to surrounding towns or into London were easily accessible also. Colchester has an interesting history - a wonderful castle and a Roman wall. Sainsbury's was a bus ride away, and a taxi ride home, but smaller shops were available in town, and there were many restaurants to choose from. Neighbour, Wendy, was a wonderful help with anything puzzling. A great visit to an interesting part of the UK.

See more guest book comments

Delightful family home in historic Colchester

United Kingdom - Essex - Colchester

ID : UK00095057

We are

About us

Our home exchange reviews

We are looking for a home exchange in ...

Our Home For Exchange

Neighbourhood

Attractions

Our Preferences

ID : UK00095057

We are

About us

Our home exchange reviews

Reviews

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