Make memories to treasure at this coach house in Hardy country. Located in pretty Charminster, it’s pet and family friendly with two peaceful bedrooms, lots of sociable living space and a pretty courtyard garden. It’s full of lovely country cottage style with modern features throughout and wonderful social spaces where you can get together to chat and plan your holiday adventures.
Close to the River Cerne and an ancient church, this former coach house provides the perfect escape for a family or small party of friends and a couple of canine companions. Step through the double wooden doors and you’ll immediately feel at home – some period features and furnishings remain, but all the creature comforts are provided too. The entrance hall leads on to a living room where you can unwind by the wood burner-effect electric fire and catch up on your favourite TV entertainment. When it’s time to eat, you’ll find everything you need to cook up delicious dinners in the country-style kitchen/dining room, which is spacious and has a central dining suite. A handy utility room makes light work of any laundry needs, and a traditional family bathroom completes the ground-floor layout. When it’s time to sleep, upstairs there are two lovely bedrooms with pitched ceilings – one a double with both a skylight and a full-length feature window, and the other with twin beds and a skylight. A small cloakroom adds to the convenience of the first-floor layout. For a breath of fresh country air, simply open the patio doors that lead from the living room out to a charming, enclosed courtyard – the perfect place to fire up the BBQ and enjoy an al fresco feast. There’s a pretty patio with outdoor furniture, plus – to the side of the property – a grass area which, though not enclosed, will be perfect for pets in need of a leg stretch.
Steeped in history and at the centre of a conservation area, Charminster is home to a Norman church which is unusually situated directly over the River Cerne. The stone tower to the church was added in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Trenchard of Wolfeton House, a fine Grade I-listed medieval and Elizabethan house just 500 metres from your doorstep. Join the Cerne Valley Trail from the village – the route will take you south to Dorchester (2 miles), where you can visit the cottage of author Thomas Hardy, or head north to Cerne Abbas (6.5 miles), famous as the site of the Cerne Giant, a 55-metre-high ancient chalk figure carved into the sloping hillside. Alternatively, visit Weymouth (10 miles) for a day on the sandy beach, a stroll along the Georgian seafront and refreshments at the historic harbourside.