Beehive Cottage is 200 years old and used to be the home of the district nurse.
Sit back and relax in the sitting-room which has a gorgeous original inglenook fireplace with a delightful wood-burner effect gas stove.
The courtyard garden is south-facing, making it a real sun-trap. Fully enclosed, the area makes a fantastic space for children and dogs to safely explore.
The well-equipped galley kitchen looks out over the pretty courtyard garden.
The master bedroom has a king-size double bed and lovely soft linens.
The dining-room is completely separate from the sitting-room, ideal for long lazy meals.
The modern ground-floor bathroom is a lovely bright space.
You will find it difficult to tear yourself away from this lovely wood-burner effect gas stove.
A view of the stairs with the traditional door. Should you wish to use a stair-gate, you will need to place it at the door of the twin room.
This pretty bedroom can either be made up as a king-size double bed (5') or two 2'6" twin beds.
Bee careful to not bump your head on the low lintels! These super sweet bees will help to remind you to take care.
This is the view towards the top of the stairs.
The television is cleverly hidden behind wooden doors.
Situated on a quiet square, in the village of Puddletown, Beehive Cottage lies opposite St Mary's Church.
Coffee in bed, perfect.
Impressive Durdle Door on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast, just 12 miles from Beehive Cottage.
The kitchen has a characterful stable-door leading out to the pretty courtyard.
Rural Dorset, gorgeous all year round.
Welcome to Beehive Cottage.
Chesil beach on the Jurassic Coast road, from Weymouth to West Bay, magnificent views in both directions.
Nearby Hardy's Cottage, the birthplace of Thomas Hardy, is well worth a visit.
The safe, sandy beach at Weymouth still has a traditional Punch and Judy show in the summer months.
Bovington Tank Museum, home to the world's best collection of tanks, is seven miles from the cottage.
If you like primates, Monkey World is a rescue and rehabilitation centre, just eight miles from Beehive Cottage.
Beehive Cottage
40734.7 miles NE of Dorchester | Sleeps 4 (no children from 1 to 4)
7 Nights from £474
The location of attractions is intended only as a guide. Distances are 'as the crow flies'.
Nearby pub
Named after the legendary Dorset cheese (Monty Python fans may recall it mentioned in the 'Cheese Shop Sketch'). The Blue Vinny has a great menu (naturally, featuring dishes such as sirloin steak glazed with Blue Vinny, with wild mushrooms and hand cut chips), and a lovely big beer garden to sleep it all off.
August 2023
Great pub
5 minutes walk from the Beehive, it is friendly and dog-friendly. On a chilly evening being able to all sit inside is a bonus. Food was excellent value, with a more imaginative menu than many busy pubs manage. We ate there as often as we could.
January 2023
Meal and drinks
Lovely meal with friendly staff
Nearby beach
Home to around 700 yards of shingle beach, Ringstead Beach on the Jurassic Coast has plenty of space for everyone to find a quiet corner of their own. For ease, a shop and cafe are located in the car park. The east end of the main beach, which is about a 20 minute walk, is a nudist area. Ringstead is a dog-friendly beach.
July 2009
Apart from Studland this is our favourite beach spot in West Dorset. Parking is free at top of the hill but it's a longish walk down; you pay to use the toll road down to the car park near the beach.
Nearby walk
Managed by Dorset Countryside this magical woodland offers a 26 hectare site to explore. With a plethora of trees and wildlife you'll have hours of fun here and may even see Dormice and bats.
December 2019
Perfect for dogs
Fantastic dog walking area with lots of paths, some main others criss crossing. Good parking spaces.
Nearby town
Between Dorchester and Poole, deep in Dorset’s hilly countryside, Tolpuddle is a picture postcard village of thatched cottages, leafy lanes and a pretty church. The village is famous for its Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of agricultural workers who attempted to form the first ever trade union but whose efforts resulted in their deportation to Australia as criminals. A museum in the village now tells the tale through a series of fascinating exhibits.
Also nearby
Visit this beautiful location to view these sculptures which demonstrate and individual artist flair. Set beside these picturesque lakes the sculptures unite with the environment.
July 2018
This beautiful place is 200 metres from our cottage (The Stables) - the sculptures are fantastic and you could spend all day there with a cool box and picnic! Closed Mondays & Tuesdays April to September and Sundays & Mondays October to March>
September 2014
We thought the sculptures were absolutely fantastic, and the gardens, wooded areas and lakes in which they were situated added to the wow factor. We hope to visit again.
A classic cottage with real romance; close your eyes and imagine the characters of Far from the Madding Crowd coming to life here.
August 2023
Lovely Cottage
Nestled into the woods, Hardy's Cottage is a little gem in the woods. It doesn't take long to get there, but it is beautiful, and the guides do an excellent job of sharing its history. The wander through the woods to reach it added extra to the experience, and the visitor cafe served excellent snacks.
May 2013
Not open every day - shut when we went but a beautiful thatched cottage and lovely area of Dorset.
November 2010
Another great visit for NT Members - combine it with visit to Max Gate, Hardy's Dorchester home, and To Cloud's Hill, TE Lawrence's little place near Bovington.
The whole spectrum from chimpanzees and orangutans to marmosets - most have been rescued and all are incredible. This sanctuary does an amazing job at looking after the animals, yet allowing the public to enjoy them, without making too much of a spectacle. Fascinating, sad, heart-warming and fun - you can't tire of the monkey antics but there are impressive play parks for the kids to imitate the apes, should they so wish.
August 2023
Monkey World Day Out
Very worthwhile even on a drizzly day. The sanctuary is very well put together. We had some wonderful encounters with the monkeys! Particularly the orang-utans and Mikado the golden cheeked monkey.. quite amazing - fascinating to watch!
August 2015
NOT a zoo-more a monkey rest home!
Had a fantastic day at Monkey World.We were a party of four with ages from 10 to 73 and to be honest the two older ladies didnt expect much.I can honestly say that every one of us thoroughly enjoyed everything about it(not least the wonderful monkeys!)Very well set up for disabled and spotlessly clean everywhere.Food good and not too expensive.All in all a great place to enjoy a day out.
December 2013
Wowzers
If you like monkeys, this is the place to go. Initially we were disappointed as on a cold November day, the monkeys were keeping warm inside, plus we thought it was really small. But then we realised we were being silly and discovered the other 90% of park - amazing! It's big, beautiful and all about the monkeys. The monkeys are incredible and the work done at this sanctuary is heartwarming (though the back stories heartbreaking). It is primarily a rescue centre, not an entertainment venue, but there are play parks for the kids, picnic areas and shops. Highly recommended.
May 2011
Great Day Out
Thoroughly recommend Monkey World - its fantastic but avoid busy holiday periods if you really want to study the primates.
February 2009
Monkey World is a great day out for adults as well as kids! It's a rescue centre for all kinds of apes, so your visit is also doing some good.
This circular walk of just under seven miles takes you away from the coast and along country lanes, through woodland and heathland. Parking is available at the museum but you will be required to visit the museum if you use the car park.
April 2019
Moreton to Clouds Hill
We walked part of the Lawrence of Arabia trail from the church to Clouds Hill. It’s a long straight track, made interesting by the sounds of tanks driving around. The lady at Clouds Hill was very informative giving us lots of areas to discuss on the way back
Pretty, thatched 400-year-old village inn serving traditional pub grub.
July 2009
Best to book and its quaintness and popularity mean that it gets busy.
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