Miller's Huts Dorset (Two Huts)

Do you need an escape? To fresh air, no crowds and lots of space? We will be completely hands off during your Dorset stay. Enjoy life's simple pleasures in two snug shepherd's huts, both with millpond views, at an organic stoneground flour mill. Situated near Shaftesbury, famed for Gold Hill and that famous Hovis ad, it's an idyllic spot for cosy contentment. Wrap yourself in a blanket, enjoy mugs of chocolate by the campfire with a good book and sense of togetherness. ***STRICTLY NO PARTIES*** ***NO DISPOSABLE BBQS ON THE GRASS*** John's Hut can also be booked separately, please see the following listing: Miller's Huts Dorset (John's Hut) For more pictures, take a look at: Insta: millershutsdorset -------------- My husband's family have been milling since eighteen-thirty-two and his father started out on his own at Cann Mills in nineteen-forty-seven. Cann Mills, recorded in the Domesday Book, was one of five mills within a mile on the River Sturkel, a tributary to the River Stour. Here we produce organic stoneground flour using French Burr millstones primarily driven by a late 19th Century iron waterwheel fed by the millpond. Although not far apart, JOHN'S HUT and MILLER'S HUT are situated in their own paddock and both enjoy millpond views. This listing sleeps 4 (no young children please). Please note: Whilst there is also campfire outside Miller's Hut, in this listing we have established John's Hut as the 'lead hut'. There is also a FIELD KITCHEN situated between the two huts. JOHN'S HUT This is the larger of our two characterful glamping accommodations (17ft x 6ft). This snug hut has a comfortable small double bed with a supportive mattress and is dressed in pretty pink cotton ticking from Toast, with an all season hypoallergenic duvet made from 100% grade A long-fibre Mulberry silk. The blue Hungarian dresser has cupboard essentials for making tea and coffee. Two buckets of firewood for the firepit as well as a basket of wood for the Salamander stove inside the hut are provided to get you started. (There is a £5 per bucket charge thereafter.) The stove will keep you toasty warm ... in the mornings throw open the door and watch the ducks on the millpond. Later, sit at the pine table overlooking the chestnut tree with a pot of tea and a board game taken from the wooden box.  There is a tripod grill for you to use over the firepit. Why not sizzle some sausages and enjoy a glass of wine whilst chasing stars under our exceptionally dark night skies! Under the hut is a 'belly box' are a couple of fold up chairs and under the bed you will find with blankets, cushions . Through the gate and under the trees is a table and chairs overlooking the small island in the millpond as well as a relaxing hammock chair. During the warmer months there is an old French day bed (just one bottom at a time please as it's old!), that is dressed with an old French ticking mattress, cushions and rugs and is a great spot to curl up with a book. We ask that all soft furnishings are put overnight or before you go out if it looks like it's going to rain. MILLER'S HUT This is a traditional shepherd's hut and the smaller of the two, and our second glamping accommodation at Cann Mills. The comfortable bed is a small double dressed in a pretty William Morris design. The chair has a cosy sheepskin and there are hooks for you to hang your clothes. The quirky green cabinet, with ticking striped curtain panels has tea and coffee making essentials. There is a small heater in the hut for colder evenings. There are two outdoor chairs, with blankets and cushions and in the Field Kitchen you can hang wet coats. ----------------------------------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A folder with housekeeping/local tips is in each hut. No more than a minute or two from the huts and situated in the mill yard is a bright and clean washroom with a flushing loo and hot shower. A hairdryer and bath towels are provided for your stay. FIELD KITCHEN We're sure our hutters will love our relocated field kitchen ~ quirky with a wonderful patina ~ it's so much more convenient and contained! Totally transformed from a lambing shed to a very rustic but dry area for our hutters, with a table and chairs as well as an area to prepare food. In the evenings eat by candlelight beneath the twinkling fairy lights. You will find the field kitchen equipped with crockery, small fridge, two stove gas hob, hob kettle, toaster and further cooking equipment/utensils, as well as store cupboard essentials such as tea, coffee, sugar, oil and salt & pepper. Washing up available here too, though you'll have to boil the kettle! Pure spring water for drinking and cooking is in the 8L Kilner glass water dispenser and there's a tap in the mill yard (again pure spring water). BREAKFAST A breakfast basket of homemade bread (made with our organic flour of course!), muesli, organic jam/marmalade, butter, stewed fruit (sometimes from our garden!), Greek yoghurt, juice and ground coffee (Lavazza Oro) is provided to enjoy at leisure. Alternatively if you are staying longer, we can provide you with a basket of locally sourced goodies to be cooked over the fire. The basket for four contains: a loaf of homemade bread (made with Stoate's stoneground flour, milled here), butter, milk, apple juice, 8 sausages, 12 rashers of bacon (locally sourced), a dozen eggs from our chickens, tomatoes, 2 cans of baked beans, jams and ketchup. The cost is £35. (If you do fancy a cooked breakfast and don't want to cook yourself, I hear good things about Compton Abbas Airfield which is just up the road!) Please let me know at the time of booking whether you would like this option and I can send a request for money via Airbnb. The important stuff~ Check in: after 4pm Check out: 10am prompt. STAR GAZING: We tend to look at landscape as everything up to the horizon, but what about what's above it? We are situated on the edge of Cranborne Chase AONB, an exceptionally tranquil, deeply rural area, where we have access to some of the darkest skies in the whole country. Gazing skyward you can enjoy hundreds of spectacular constellations. With 80% of UK residents living under light polluted skies, we see thousands of stars overhead compared with a handful seen from towns and cities. From July to Christmas, you can enjoy the Milky Way in all its glory; in the winter star clusters, and in the spring planets and galaxies.  You can be a novice with a casual interest or a professional to uncover the secrets of the universe. The AONB is currently working to gain international recognition for its dark skies and to be designated an 'International Dark Sky Reserve'. If you enjoy night walking, our dark skies are also good for nocturnal wildlife, owls and moths.   Please bring wellies/walking boots if it's damp/head torch (we do provide a torch in each hut). Both huts are well lit and have an exterior light by the door. Our home is an old property and she can be a little quirky at times! If you find something isn't working properly please shout out and we can give her a gentle nudge. Please don't wait until you get home as we want you to have a lovely and restful stay. ________________ OPTIONAL EXTRAS: WOOD BUNDLE £5 Should you require extra, wood bundles for the fire pit and Salamander stove are £5/bucket each. (We respectfully ask that you don't use wood especially cut for the stove on the firepit.) KENNEL: £15 PER STAY (not per dog) Space for two quiet dogs, only dogs please who can be controlled around livestock. The outside kennel is by the main house, I'm afraid we can't allow dogs in the huts. Enjoy some Miller's Huts Dorset R&R!! You can access the two paddocks in which the huts sit. Unfortunately, we can't allow you on or in the millpond. (There are no fish in the pond and it's extremely muddy.) We like to let you enjoy the huts and surrounds without our intrusion. It is self check-in, details are in John's Hut about where to find everything and I have created a little book of knowledge suggesting places to eat. We live in the mill house so please feel free to come and find us should you require help at any time. We are situated on the borders of Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset and have access to many historical places. Bath, Longleat, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Brownsea Island, the Isle of Purbeck, Thomas Hardy country and the Jurassic Coast are all within easy reach to explore, as are the beaches at Bournemouth, Sandbanks and Studland. Local National Trust properties include Kingston Lacey, Lytes Carey and Stourhead. There are plenty of traditional pubs in the area, the Chalke Valley has many country pubs with beer gardens and good bar menus. Of course there are many gastro pubs too; including the King John at Tollard Royal, the Museum at Farnham, The Fontmell at Fontmell Magna and Donhead St Andrew's popular Forester Inn. There is lots of lovely walking in the area. Why not enjoy an invigorating walk over Fontmell Down which has far-reaching views across the Blackmore Vale and a pint at The Fontmell, Fontmell Magna. The open chalk grassland of the lower slopes is covered in wildflowers in the spring and summer months and famous for its wild orchids. We have compiled a little book of local knowledge for your use and we have local maps and a Dorset walking book that you can borrow. If you want to get out and about to see beautiful Dorset, a car is recommended. We have had people to stay who have taken a taxi from Gillingham station (15 minutes away) or Tisbury station (20 minutes away) who have been happy to enjoy quiet days by the millpond with a book. It is possible to walk across the fields and up the lane to Shaftesbury, a hilltop saxon town. You arrive at the foot of the famous Gold Hill (you have probably seen the remastered Hovis ad, this is where it was filmed!) for the final climb and are rewarded with glorious views of Blackmore Vale. Why not stop at the 'Salt Cellar', perched at the top, for refreshment! There are local maps and a Dorset walking book in the huts for your use. Please note: If you require a taxi to attend an event, I highly recommend that you book one in advance as it's virtually impossible to find one spontaneously. Please drop me a line if you need assistance. ***STRICTLY NO PARTIES*** ***NO DISPOSABLE BBQS ON THE GRASS*** Unfortunately the huts aren't suitable for young children or babies. We are close to the A350. John's Hut is in a paddock near a small mill cottage. There are occasionally people in residence (it is not rented out to the public). We have been careful and thoughtful with the orientation of the hut. Please do not go in or on the millpond and no fishing (there are no fish and it's very muddy!).