Short House Chesil Beach

nr. Bridport, Dorset

A beautiful seaside cottage on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast with spectacular ocean views.

2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms

SAVE TO WISHLIST 1

£160-382 per night

Please note: minimum stay for this property is: 3 nights low season & 7 nights high season

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How to book

Short House Chesil Beach is owned and managed by Andrew Wadsworth.

You can book online now at their website. Just click the button and we'll send you there to see more info and to book directly...

£160-382 per night

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The highlights

An immaculate converted stone and pink rendered barn with a lovely garden surrounded by National Trust farmland.
Private access to Chesil Beach; a 400m stroll across the front meadow.
Light-and-colour filled space, comfy furniture, great kitchen, stone tiled bathrooms, bold art and fine Egyptian linen.
Private terrace - loungers for sunbathing and star gazing, outside dining and barbecue.
Tennis court and stables - bring your racket and horse.
Stroll along the empty golden beach, through unspoilt countryside and visit the charming market town of Bridport, the famous Abbotsbury Swannery and Abbotsbury Gardens.

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You should know

While the owners live in the adjoining Long House, you will be left to enjoy your holiday in complete privacy.
A travel cot (which fits in either Bedroom 1 or 2), and a sturdy put-you-up bed (fits in Bed 2 only), are available at no extra charge. An additional (very low ceiling) attic space with two mattresses on the carpeted floor, accessed by a drop down attic staircase from Bathroom 1, can also be used as a (a kids only) bed space on request but a liability waiver must be signed before use.

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The detail

Short House Chesil Beach is a serene seaside retreat on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Surrounded by National Trust farmland with private access to a secluded section of Chesil Beach, Short House is a magical ’Stop the world, I want to get off’ sort of place. Revive the senses with fresh country sea air, soak up the view of Lyme Bay and watch the sunset over the sea with a barbecue on the beach. Jump over the country stiles and take some of Britains best country walks. Country Life Magazine described the walk along the nearby Wears Hill as having the best natural view in England; over Abbotsbury and Chesil Bank to Portland.

This beautifully converted barn is set on a small private country estate, a couple of miles west of Abbotsbury, one mile east of the pretty seaside village of West Bexington. It's original Purbeck stone walls have been restored and combined with pink render. Soaring pines frame the garden and look down on the sea view terrace and al fresco dining area.
Inside, the cottage fuses eclectic, retro chic with contemporary design. Comfy vintage armchairs, Victorian coats of arms and bold modern canvasses. Purple doors add to its vibrant palette with Turkish kilims and oak floors.

The open-plan living area has a great kitchen with everything you need to cook up a storm, a farmhouse dining table for six or extends to eight, and a cosy, sink-in sofa with proper squashy cushions. An open ceiling adds to the spacious feel, with natural light flooding in through two large roof lights. Bed 2 also has a roof light for star gazing from the bed.

Two sea-view bedrooms lead off the living area, each with their own stone tiled bathroom. Soak in the roll top baths; the bathroom off Bed 2 has a sea view from the bath itself and a hand shower, the bath from Bed 1 has a stand up shower and hand shower. Wrap up in fluffy towels and curl up in comfy beds with feather and down pillows and duvets with fine Egyptian linen.

The sea is in clear view from both bedrooms; from the bed in Bedroom 1 and from the bedroom and bath in Bedroom 2. The view from the living room is of the coastal slope. A very agreeable aspect with horses in the field, the Pampas grass swaying up the drive and unspoilt green hills beyond, but there is no sea view from that room.

There is a superb view of the sea and Devon coastline from the terrace, which has loungers, chairs and an 6 seater dining table. Sunsets from the terrace, with the sun setting over the water or the Devon coastline, are very good. There is also excellent star gazing from there. With no ambient light for miles around, the night sky is very clear.

Outside is bags of space to romp, a private tennis court (rackets and balls provided) and riding stables (where you can bring your horse - just ask). Take a 15 minute walk to the Manor House pub in the village, with three dining areas and a lovely garden, or a 5 minute drive to the farm shop for a greta selection of fresh organic produce, homemade jams and unpasteurised milk from their own Jersey herd.

Chesil Beach is a 5 minute walk from your door, across the garden and front meadow; one of Dorset’s longest coastal stretches and an undiscovered gem. Wander the beach track or drive along the stunning coast road to visit Abbotsbury Swannery or the local towns; Bridport and West Bay (aka Broadchurch on telly) are 15 minutes away. Lyme Regis, Weymouth and Dorchester are 30 minutes.

There are lots of great places to eat within a few minutes: The Riverside in West Bay is one of the best fish reataurants on the south coast, Hive Beach Cafe wins lots of awards, The Seaside Boarding House Bar & Restaurant and Mark Hix in Lyme Regis are all excellent.

Soulshine Cafe and Cafe Bean in Bridport are favourites as is the bustling street market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, with a band playing in the square outside the Bridport Arts Centre. Bridport has the UK’s largest hat shop (T. Snook), where you can buy a hat and a tweed jacket to make yourself very country, the oldest family business in the UK - a butchers shop established in 1515; R. J. Balson & Son (and 25 generations of sons of sons), two bakeries and lots of other great independent shops; remember those? It also has a Waitrose, Morrisons and Co-op supermarkets.

You can see Lyme Regis twinkling in the distance across Lyme Bay from the Short House terrace. On a clear day you can see 55 miles to Start Point; the tip of Devon. After that it’s 5,000 miles to Brazil, but you can’t see that! On a clear night the low ambient light makes for brilliant star gazing from the loungers on the terrace.