DUCKY BIRD ISLAND - Oxfordshire

Ever fancied the idea of staying on a private island for your large group holiday in the UK? If that floats your boat ('scuse the pun), step right up. Come and stay at Ducky Bird Island, right in the middle of a private lake in the Oxfordshire countryside. This stunning contemporary house sleeps 16 in 8 bedrooms and there’s room for 6 more guests at an extra charge per person. The wrap around gardens cover the entire island and all yours for the whole of your stay are a hot tub, a games room/living room, outdoor table tennis, an outdoor kitchen, a very unique Wonky Bar, and 2 motorboats* – you’ll need them because that’s your transport to and from the mainland.

So why oh why would you need to go anywhere else? Check in and chill is the best way to do things here at Ducky Bird Island. The lake is only used by a private water skiing club and the geese ducks and moorhens who live at its edges; with the island comes a 20ft zone of the lake around it, so you can dangle your feet in the water, hang out Huckleberry Finn style from the shore, and watch beautiful sunsets from your own patch of paradise.

One side of the lake is Hardwick Watersports, so if you fancy getting active on the water, head over for ringo rides, wakeboarding, kayaking or paddleboarding. On the opposite shore, right where you park, are Waterside Therapy Rooms; go spoil yourselves with a Japanese Head Spa at The Hideaway Clinic, book therapists to come over to Ducky Bird Island for pampering days.

If you’d like a family day out, head over to Cotswold Wildlife Park to say hello to the animals, step back in time at North Leigh Roman Villa, explore Oxford and see those famous dreaming spires and while away an afternoon browsing the Natural History Museum or strolling through the beautiful Botanic Gardens. Set off for a good explore of the Cotswolds winding your way round the narrow lanes to picturesque villages where the streets are lined with the cutest honey coloured stone cottages and tea rooms.

Get up close to some right reptilian beasts at Crocodiles of the World, be wowed by the maginifcent state rooms at Blenheim Palace, have a day on the farm at Cogges Manor – Downton fans will recognize is as Yew Tree Farm. You’ll find all kinds of things to see and do if you can bear to tear yourself away from Ducky Bird Island.

Oh, but... imagine lazing in the hammocks, sipping a cocktail in the Wonky bar, perfecting your pizzas in the porch, thrashing out a game of ping-pong, tucking into a brilliant barbecue feast, or doing nothing more than idling on the grass, enjoying the views across the lake, loving the seclusion. What a wonderful place for holidays and special celebrations with friends and family, for sophisticated hen weekends and corporate breaks to truly impress. Moments become amazing memories when you stay at Ducky Bird Island.

Book Now

*Designated boat drivers must be 25+ and hold a valid driving licence.

Where To Go & What To Do: Hardwick Watersports | Waterside Therapy Rooms |The Hideaway Clinic | Cotswold Wildlife Park | Moi Sup School | Blenheim Palace | Crocodiles of the World | Cogges Manor Farm | Ashmolean Museum, Oxford | Natural History Museum, Oxford | Oxford Botanic Gardens | The Cotswolds

Places to Eat – The Black Horse, Standlake | The Maybush, Newbridge | The Three Horseshoes, Witney | Kingsley Café, Eynsham | The Farmers Dog (Jeremy Clarkson’s), Burford | The Double Red Duke, Clanfield | The Harcourt Arms, Stanton Harcourt | The Red Lion, Northmoor

Great For: Holidays and celebrations with friends and family, sophisticated hen weekends, corporate breaks.