181 Mobley Mountain Rd

A World of Its Own. Some homes sit on the land. This one feels as though it has always belonged to it.

Set on approximately 40 acres in Amherst, this stone-and-wood residence has the feel of an English country house set down in the Blue Ridge foothills. A full gable of rounded fieldstone. Steep rooflines, two stone chimneys, leaded diamond-pane windows. An arched wood door opens off a slate walk. It looks as though it has stood here far longer than it has.

From the moment you arrive there is a sense of intention. A paved driveway curves in past mature plantings to the entry. Behind the house, an expansive slate terrace opens beneath a timber-frame pavilion. Room for a long table on one side, deep seating on the other, and nothing past it but lawn and woods. This is where the house actually lives in the warm months.

Inside, the home unfolds with warmth and texture. Hardwood floors on the main level, detailed millwork, and four fireplaces. Leaded casement windows frame the acreage like artwork, and the view changes with the season in nearly every room.

The kitchen is the centerpiece, built as much for gathering as for cooking. Marble counters and a full-slab marble backsplash, with a honed soapstone island that seats five. Inset cabinetry with brass hardware. An apron-front farmhouse sink beneath a wall of windows, a brass bridge faucet, a pot filler over the professional double-oven range, and a reclaimed barnwood hood that anchors the entire room.

Upstairs, the primary suite is built around a stone fireplace with a hand-hewn timber mantel, a dormer of leaded glass above the bed. The bath beyond holds a freestanding soaking tub set into a corner of windows, where the trees are the only thing looking back.

The main-level office may be the quiet favorite. Built-in bookcases wrap three walls, cushioned window seats sit beneath leaded glass, and a private door opens onto the patio.

A mudroom and enclosed breezeway connect the attached garage to the home, the kind of everyday detail you only fully appreciate in February.

And then there is the land.

Approximately 40 acres of woods, open ground and cleared pasture, with trails already cut through the property. Wander beneath the canopy or follow the trails toward the crest, where the landscape opens and the road feels a long way off. It is the kind of place that makes you stop, look around and realize you never had to leave home to find the peace you were searching for.

Whether your vision includes horses, gardens, recreation or simply preserving what already exists, there is room to create without losing the character of the landscape.

The particulars: 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2,750 finished square feet, built in 1980. Private well and septic. Zoned cooling. Whole-house Generac generator. Paved driveway. A newly built detached garage alongside the attached garage. Below, 1,388 square feet of unfinished walkout basement, currently an art showroom and ready to be finished. No stairs down to it, but a ramp, which makes moving anything in or out remarkably easy. Ten minutes to town. Twenty-five to Lynchburg Regional Airport. Elementary School: Amherst, Middle School: Amherst, High School: Amherst County HS

There are homes you admire. There are places you escape to. Every once in a while, you find one that manages to be both.