Ripe for the picking

Character cottages for less than £1 million

Norfolk, £365,000

A brook of the River Chet burbles along the edge of the garden, about one-third of an acre, at timber-frame, three-bedroom May Cottage. The home is a charming 17th-century addition to Bergh Apton, with an Aga in its galley kitchen and windows in a Gothic style that appears to have been prevalent in the village at one time. About seven miles south-east of Norwich, Bergh Apton contains a vineyard, as well as two pubs, farm shop and post office. Durrants (01502 712122)

Cornwall, excess £950,000

Paddle boarding, kayaking and generally messing about in boats are activities that are mere steps away from Pear Tree Cottage, a rare Grade Ii-listed property in Helford, near Helston, right on the river. It has three bedrooms (the master has a painted barrelled ceiling and en-suite bathroom), a broad sun terrace with stairs leading down to the water, woodburning stove and a pretty shuttered bay window with a seat in the sitting room. The popular Ferry Boat Inn is just across the river and the Shipwrights Arms is within walking distance. ‘Seldom do cottages in the heart of the village become available and those with parking and a waterfront are extremely rare and very highly sought after,’ say agents. Lillicrap Chilcott (01872 273473)

Buckinghamshire, £900,000

New to the market last week, this pretty cottage under a very neat thatch with an open porch has four bedrooms, with one in the roof space, and four reception rooms, including a large conservatory with French doors to the garden. The Old Farmhouse dates to the 16thcentury and is listed Grade II, but has been refurbished well, with exposed beams, latch-and-brace timber doors, woodburners and fireplaces contrasting nicely with clean, white walls and a Shakerstyle kitchen with granite surfaces and a breakfast bar. The village of Great Horwood is located between Aylesbury, Buckingham and Milton Keynes. Michael Graham (01280 821100)

Bedfordshire, offers over £650,000

Dating back to the 15th century (built during the Wars of the Roses), with 17th-century additions, Grade Ii-listed Henry VI Cottage sits right by the village church in Husborne Crawley —interesting words that translate to ‘warrior stream’ and ‘crow clearing’ —bordering the Woburn Abbey estate. Period charm is abundant, with cruck frames, exposed beams and brickwork, a massive inglenook fireplace and a little porch with its own thatched roof to match that of the cottage. There are four bedrooms on the first floor. Jackson-stops (01525 290641)