The Old Post Office Lower Bockhampton

The Old Post Office is a thatched cottage in the hamlet of Lower Bockhampton. It's been here since the 18th century, so it's older than it looks. It's Grade II listed. You sleep four, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It's got a 3 Star rating, which means it's comfortable and clean, not modernised.

The rooms are low and the doors can be a bit low too, so taller guests might need to mind their heads in doorways. The stairs up to the bedrooms are proper cottage stairs, steep and winding. The garden is peaceful and catches the sun. There's a summerhouse out there you can use.

The shop is two miles away in Broadmayne, and there's a pub about a mile's walk down the lane. They do food. Thomas Hardy's own cottage is a nice walk through the woods from here, about a mile and a half. It's run by the National Trust.

Dorchester is roughly three miles. You can drive or walk along the river path. It's got supermarkets, shops, and a few museums, including one about dinosaurs. Kingston Maurward park and gardens are just down the road.

The coast is about seven miles. Weymouth has the big sandy beach. For the proper Jurassic Coast, you want Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, which is about a 25 minute drive. The Tank Museum at Bovington is about 20 minutes away.

The facilities are what you'd expect: bedding and towels are included, there's WiFi, a TV, a washing machine, and a dishwasher. There's parking for one car on the gravel drive. We can accept one well-behaved dog.

Useful links: Hardy's Cottage (National Trust) and for the coast, Jurassic Coast Trust.