Enjoy West Bay or Burton Bradstock -Fantastic!!

The house is in a tucked away position away from passing traffic halfway between the town and West Bay. All the shops and amenities are within easy reach and the beach at West Bay can be reached on foot via the old railway line. The house, built on the grounds of the original farm house dates back to the mid 1800s. It enjoys views over rooftops to the town as well as Colmers Hill to the West and Bothen Hill to the East. To the front of the house is a porch with folding doors, leading into the living room through a beautiful coloured glass panelled door. This spacious room centres around a substantial log burner, and has windows on two elevations, maximising the potential for natural light. The kitchen has a gas fired Rayburn for central heating and hot water, and a dishwasher. The garden lies to the front of the house. There is a paved terrace area which runs the length of the house to the garage, whilst the rest is laid to lawn with various seating areas and flower beds. In each corner of the garden is a seating area, allowing for the sun to be enjoyed at different times of the day. The garden is planted with a vast range of mature trees and shrubs, with a gravel path running through the middle. There is off road parking for up to three cars in the front. To the rear, there is no garden but a tiny raised path along the back of the house. Follow this footpath and you can go for the most beautiful walks. The path brings you out to the bottom of a tarmac surface road. You can either walk up this road between some beautiful homes and keep going straight till you find yourself in the Nature Reserve. Many paths are offered off to the left and are all very peaceful and inviting. However, keep going straight, walking past the sheep grazing in the fields you will find yourself up high, on a bench with amazing views of West Bay and cows grazing below. An alternative is to walk up the footpath behind the house but stay left along a grassy path beside a fence. If you follow this path as straight as possible, you will eventually drop down into Bothenhampton, a pretty Dorset village nearby. If you’d rather walk to the sea, harbour and shops of West Bay, it will not take long. It is only ¾ mile along what used to be the old railroad track but has now been paved for cyclists, pedestrians and buggies. Walk down Wanderwell Farm Lane and turn left into Chestnut Road and then left again onto a main road but cross the road and not far along you will find the footpath to West Bay. At the end of the footpath, as you arrive in West Bay there are some fabulous swings for younger children, and many options for food, drink and entertainment. The harbour offers canoeing, paddle boarding and sea excursions for all ages and if you’d rather travel inland you can take a canoe up the River Brit. The beach is split, either side of the harbour and I recommend that you visit both sides. Further East is my favourite, Burton Bradstock which does not have all the facilities of West Bay but is a beautiful beach with the excellent Hive Beach Cafe for meals overlooking the sea. A keen walker can get there on foot either along the bridle path from the top of the West Bay path or along the cliff top path from West Bay itself but if you need to drive, there is a large National Trust car park at the beach in Burton Bradstock itself. There are also a couple of rather lovely pubs in the village itself and the Hive Beach café will take evening bookings for dinner in their marquee by the sea . If you’d rather be visiting a garden centre; once again you can walk there. At the end of Chestnut Road, turn right instead of left and walk to the roundabout. Beyond the Crown Inn, you will find Grove Nurseries. Finally, you can walk ¾ mile into the centre of Bridport but if you’d rather drive there is plenty of parking. If you just need supermarket shopping or fuel, Morrisons is even closer ( a 12 minute walk) on the approach to the town centre. Personally, I’d recommend time in Bridport on Wednesday mornings or on Saturday’s till mid-afternoon. It’s a thriving town all year and you will find many stalls on the pavement selling plants, bric a brac, gifts etc. There are 3 fabulous bakers, a stunning cheese shop, antique shops, ironmonger, gift shops, restaurants, pub, Waitrose, museum etc. It will be worth checking online to see what markets are happening on other days as there is also a local farmers market and a large antique market. Bridport is a bustling and vibrant market town with a history of rope-making and is now a gateway to the Jurassic World Heritage coast at nearby West Bay, which was the location for the TV series Broadchurch. It has a variety of shops, public houses and restaurants and is well placed for walking, golfing, water sports and riding. I truly do not think you will not need to go far and your car will stay parked outside the cottage most of the time. There is a paved driveway outside the cottage which offers enough space to turn the car around and potentially park 3 cars. Further parking can be found in the side roads nearby. The lane itself is only about 100 yards long but do beware that the actual sign for ‘Wanderwell Farm Lane’ is rather old and weathered so don’t miss it! The lane is quite steep but only serves 7 houses so is very quiet with no through traffic. I hope you will love it as much as I do.