Charmouth self catering accommodation in Dorset
| country: | England |
| location: | Charmouth in Dorset |
| price: | From £250 - £485 per cottage per week which sleeps 4 people |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 2 travellers reviews
description
Our self catering cottage is a single-storey, converted barn. Inside it is modern, and spacious, with sleeping for four. Gorgeous views of the West Dorset countryside or a glimpse of the World Heritage Coast can be enjoyed from the cottage, which is secluded, while being close to the village. You are welcome to take a guided walk through the wildlife habitat restoration work being undertaken nearby. You will be staying in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and can see what is being done to keep it beautiful and to enhance its wildlife. 
Learn all about the hedge-laying, coppicing and other wildlife habitat restoration activities in our local project and watch the wildlife right outside your holiday home. Walk the local footpaths (including easy access to Monarch Way, Liberty Trail and ultimately Wessex Ridgeway).
Please note Charmouth is on the coastal path but it turns inland here due to coastal erosion. Discover the work of local artists and craftspeople, and sample the local produce from farmers' markets farm shops or in the local village shops (two grocers, one butcher).
special things to do and see here
Learn all about the hedge-laying, coppicing and other wildlife habitat restoration activities in our local project and watch the wildlife right outside your holiday home. Walk the local footpaths (including easy access to Monarch Way, Liberty Trail and ultimately Wessex Ridgeway). Please note Charmouth is on the coastal path but it turns inland here due to coastal erosion. Discover the work of local artists and craftspeople, and sample the local produce from farmers' markets farm shops or in the local village shops (two grocers, one butcher).
travellers' tales
The cottage was absolutely ideal - well equipped, sufficiently isolated to feel private but close to the village and with wonderful garden and views. Just what we wanted - relaxing, unhurried and stress free! (more)
rooms, food and facilities
The spacious living room comprises a kitchen / dining area, and a lounge opening onto a private patio garden. One bedroom is a double with en suite the other has twin beds. There is a separate family bathroom with WC and a hallway with washing machine. Bed linen, and towels are provided.
Family friendly: There is ample safe-area space for play but farm buildings are out-of-bounds. Most kids are delighted to see real wild life right outside their window. This year the visitors' book records sightings of foxes, roe deer, rabbits and pheasants. Bird feeders are provided and attract many species.
Disabled access: All accommodation is on one level with easy wheelchair access.
how to find us
We are less than 2 miles from Charmouth beach, 3 miles from Lyme Regis (the cobb, more arts and crafts, the sea), 6 miles from Axminster (for British Rail) and 8 miles from Bridport (for Art Centre and markets). Full directions are available when you book.how this holiday makes a difference
 Our project is a privately run programme of wildlife habitat restoration, partly funded by income from letting the holiday cottage and partly funded from DEFRA Countryside Stewardship grants. Without that income we would not be in a position to lay around 300 metres of our traditional banked Dorset hedgerow each year. In our woodlands (we have five small woods totalling about 20 acres) there are overgrown coppices where harvesting is required to bring back habitat diversity. In both these activities we are protecting the landscape for the long term in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The wood generated from the hedge-laying and coppicing is converted into nearly 1000 kilos of BBQ charcoal each year which is sold through local outlets. In a modest way, this supports the local economy and displaces the imported charcoal that is usually made from non-renewable forests and always travels enormous distances. If we ever live on site we could triple the output in this activity and make a big impact on the restoration of some species-rich woodlands in the immediate locality. This cottage is our first holiday cottage and was converted from a redundant farm building in 2005. Our future plans are to recycle other redundant and partly-ruined agricultural buildings into further holiday accommodation and (planning approval permitting) a residence that allows still more habitat restoration to be undertaken. Beyond the essentials of woodland and hedgerow management, we have been developing skills in traditional crafts like willow weaving, greenwood carving and wood turning. Guided local walking is offered and every effort is made to identify really local areas of interest. This means that once our visitors have arrived they don’t need to drive miles and miles to find amusement.  We support the Woodland Trust as a volunteer warden for Conegar Hill (which can be seen from the holiday cottage). We are Members of the Dorset Coppice Group and we support local artists and craftpersons by making their work easy to find - some being illustrated on our own website. Plastic, glass, paper/board, and tin cans are recycled. Kitchen waste is composted. Office records are electronic or on recycled paper where possible and we use Eco products for washing. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |