We have organised home exchanges right through until May 2012. We are not open to an exchange in August or September 2012 (London 2012 Olympics).

We live in a comfortable semi-detached bungalow in Staines near to the Thames River.

My wife and l are both non-smokers and like to keep our home clean and tidy.

We have a 60’ back garden (large by UK standards) and our house has an open (gas) fireplace, cable TV, ADSL broadband wireless internet access and all of the typical modern conveniences (but no dishwasher).

Our house has 3 bedrooms comprising two double bedrooms and a single bedroom. We have just one bathroom with a shower over bath arrangement. We have just added a large conservatory to the back of the house.

Our house has off-street parking (rare in London).

We have one car (a 2005 Hyundai Getz, 5 speed manual 5 door hatch) that we can include in the home exchange.

We also have 2 bicycles (mountain bikes) which we use to ride around Staines, often to go shopping in the Staines town centre which is a 15 minute walk away or to the railway station which is 20 minute walk away.

For any tourist the most important thing about where we live is the easy the access to the M25 motorway which is only 2 miles (3 kms) from our house.

The M25 motorway both orbits the whole of London and it is the easiest link to the M1, M3, M4 and M40 motorways as well as A30, A40 & A41 highways. This makes our house ideally located for access to the south east and south west of England as well as the Midlands and north of England. For example Oxford and the Cotswolds are less than a 1 hour drive away, Stratford-upon-Avon just 1.5 hours drive away and Cardiff (Wales) is just 2.5 hours away.

Because of where Staines is located it is an ideal place for anyone to use as a base to visit on a day trip many places in the South and Midlands of England as well as central London which is just a 45 minute train ride away.

We are a 1 mile walk to the Staines Railway Station which has 6 trains an hour during off peak, (one every 5-10 minutes during peak times) providing excellent easy access to central London Waterloo Station by train which is what l use to travel on into London every day for work.

Staines itself is rich in history being originally a Roman town for crossing the Thames. It still has aspects including being near to Thorpe village, which has a 10th century church and is mentioned in 'The Domesday Book'. Historical details on Staines can be found on www.ahsoc.fsnet.co.uk/staines. We live in the Borough of Runnymede where the signing of the Magna Carta took place in 1215.

There are numerous old fashioned pubs in the Staines village which abounds in buildings built in the 1600 and 1700's as well as well as being near other historic towns such as Egham and Chertsey villages.

We are also situated close to the River Thames (130 yards / 125 metres away). If you like to either walk or ride a bicycle then the Thames Path is ideal for it will enable you to walk from Windsor to London.

Being located near the Thames River there are numerous boat trips available

There are numerous sources of details on Staines such as:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St aines www.answers.com/topic/histor y-of-staines

as well as many sites with photographs of the Staines area such as:

www.imagesofengland.info/Sta ines.htm www.stockphotography.co.u k/store/app/f.asp?PT=471.

Staines Railway Station is on the Waterloo to Reading Line. Staines is the base for oher train lines such as the Staines to Eaton Line and Staines to Weybridge Line These 3 lines all provide easy to a magnitude of famous places ranging from Windsor Castle and Eaton College through to Richmond and the Kew Gardens as well as providing easy access to London.

Staines is located close to London Heathrow Airport. There is a bus service from the main bus depot in the centre of Heathrow Airport which is just 500 yards (480 metres) from our front door.

For those who like something other than history there are other popular attractions such as Thorpe Park (1.7 miles away by bus) for thrill seekers (www.thorpepark.com), 10 minutes drive to Legoland (www.legoland.co.uk).

Ascot Racecourse is nearby and the parklands of Ascot and Virginia Water are part of Windsor Great Park that stretches all the way from Royal Ascot to Windsor Castle. These massive parklands also include historic Runnymede.

A short 1 hour drive away are such sights as Warwick Castle (www.warwick-castle.co.uk), The Cotswolds (www.the-cotswolds.org), the famous University town of Oxford (www.oxfordcity.co.uk), the naval base of Nelson’s Portsmouth (www.visitportsmouth.co.uk) or Winnie the Pooh’s 100 Acre Woods (www.pooh-country.co.uk) and just 1.5 hours drive away is William Shakespeare’s Stratford upon Avon (www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk).