Symondsbury Estate

a family estate of sunken lanes and characterful cottages

Bridport, Dorset, DT6 6HG

Ancient sunken lanes, a pine-crowned hill you can see from half of West Dorset, and a village of golden sandstone cottages where the whole estate becomes your back garden once the day visitors have gone home. Symondsbury has been in the Colfox family for four generations, and dogs are welcomed in all eleven of its holiday homes and on every path across the estate.

For dogs...

Dogs are welcome in every house and across the whole estate, with four waymarked circular walks starting from Manor Yard – from the 1.6-mile climb up Colmers Hill to the 4.1-mile Axen Nature Trail.

Treats, bowls and towels are waiting when you arrive, and the dog charge is a flat £45 per dog for the whole stay, however long you are there.

All breeds are welcome and there is no fixed limit on numbers – just give the team a call if you are bringing more than two, and pack a cosy dog bed, as sofas and beds are kept dog-free.

For humans...

There is a house for every kind of trip, from thatched Duck Street Cottage for two to Crepe Farmhouse, with its indoor heated pool, sauna and cinema for 17, and Allington Court, a Grade II* Georgian townhouse in Bridport sleeping 21.

Four of the houses have their own hot tubs – Crepe Farmhouse, Crepe Farm Cottage, Axen Lodge and Eagles Nest – and every one of them welcomes dogs.

Manor Yard is on the doorstep, with the Symondsbury Kitchen cafe, a deli, independent shops and a gallery, and the dog friendly Ilchester Arms is a short stroll through the village.

BBQ

Children Welcome

Coffee Machine

Dog Bowls

Dog Treats

Good Food

Hot Tub

Log Burner

Multiple Dogs Allowed

Open Fire

Parking

Refreshments

Rural Walks

Swimming

Welcome Hamper

Good to know

Overview

Symondsbury is a working agricultural estate rather than a holiday park, and the houses are what is left of its farming and village life – a former village school, the old post office, a shooting lodge built by the current owner’s great-grandfather, a dairy farmhouse and a clapboard cabin above the beach at Eype. Each one has been restored by the Colfox family, who own and run them all, so the person you speak to when you book knows exactly which garden suits a young spaniel and which house suits a dog who likes plenty of space.

For two, there is Duck Street Cottage, a Grade II thatched hideaway with an inglenook and a super king bed, or one of the three room-only barn rooms at Crepe Farm, ideal for walkers and wedding guests (two-night minimum, no kitchen, breakfast at the cafe). Families and small groups have Barton Cottage, Oak Cottage, The Old Post Office with its wraparound garden and games room, and Seaspray, a two-bedroom cabin with fenced decking above Eype beach. For more space and more seclusion, Eagles Nest, Crepe Farm Cottage and Axen Lodge sit out in the hills with hot tubs and miles of footpaths from the garden gate.

The big houses are where Symondsbury really comes into its own. Crepe Farmhouse sleeps 17 with an indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, cinema and a walled garden, and books together with Crepe Farm Cottage next door for 24. Allington Court in Bridport sleeps 21 in nine bedrooms, with a games room, cinema and a garden running down to the River Brit. The estate also hosts weddings in the Tithe Barn and at Crepe Farmhouse, and dogs are welcome at every wedding on the estate, so the family dog can be part of the day and the whole wedding party can stay on the one estate.

Perfect for: big family reunions where the dogs are on the guest list too.

For The Dogs

Dogs are welcome in all eleven of the estate’s holiday homes and across the whole estate. There is no official limit on numbers, but please contact the team if you would like to bring more than one or two, and all breeds are welcome. Dogs are asked to stay off sofas and beds, so bring a comfy dog bed from home. Several houses have enclosed gardens – ask the team which suits your dog best. There are sheep in the estate fields, so keep dogs on leads and close gates behind you.

Price

From £103 per night. Dogs are charged at £45 per dog, per stay. For current prices and availability across all the houses, please visit the Symondsbury Estate website.

Practicalities

Check-in from 4pm. Check-out by 10am.

Parking is available at the properties, and there is a large free car park at the Visitor Centre in Manor Yard.

The estate owns and manages every house itself, so you can book direct and talk your choice through with the team on 01308 424116 (option 2) or [email protected].

Crepe Farm Barns are room only, with no kitchen, and have a two-night minimum stay.

Special Instructions

Please keep dogs off sofas and beds, and on leads in fields with sheep.

The Area

Symondsbury sits just outside Bridport, and its two holloways – Shute’s Lane and Hell Lane – are the reason many people come. Worn deep into the sandstone over centuries, they are cool, green tunnels of ivy and tree roots with carvings etched into the walls, and the 2.4-mile Holloways Trail takes you through them before opening out onto views of the Jurassic Coast. Colmers Hill is the other must, a steep 40-minute loop through sheep fields (leads on, gates closed) to the pines on top. The coast is a few minutes’ drive away: West Bay, Eype and the South West Coast Path to Golden Cap, with Cogden Beach a little further east. Some local beaches have seasonal dog rules, so ask the estate team which are open when you visit – they know them all.