Venn Farm Holidays
Chideock, Dorset
- Cottages
- More than one dog
- No dog charge
- Enclosed garden
- Walks from the door
1 to 6 bedrooms
2 to 13
Pigs, sheep and horses for neighbours, and footpaths straight from the farm. Venn Farm Holidays offers a dog-friendly holiday cottage in Dorset and two shepherd’s huts on a working farm about a mile north of Chideock, between Bridport and Lyme Regis, with the Jurassic Coast just two miles away.
Pet Perks
- Fenced garden areas at both shepherd’s huts
- A dedicated dog exercise field at Vintage Retreat
- Walks straight from the farm, as featured in Julia Bradbury’s Best Walks in Britain
- An outdoor hose and old towels for muddy paws at the huts
- A guide to local walks sent ahead of your hut stay
- Plenty of dog-friendly pubs nearby, including two in Chideock
Facilities
For your dog
- Enclosed gardenFenced garden areas at the huts
- More than one dog welcomeUp to three in the cottage
- No dog chargeAt the shepherd’s huts
- Walks from the doorWalks straight from the farm
For you
- Wood-burner or open fireAt the cottage, logs included
- EV charging
About Venn Farm Holidays
Some holidays need room for the whole gang, and others just need a bed, a fire pit and a dog at your feet. Venn Farm does both. Tucked into an unspoilt valley in West Dorset, this small working farm is home to pigs, sheep and horses, and it’s a brilliant base for anyone after a dog-friendly holiday cottage in Dorset or a shepherd’s hut for a quieter escape.
Venn Orchard Cottage is the big one, a single-level bungalow with six bedrooms and four bathrooms that sleeps 12, plus one more in a bunk. The main house has a king en-suite, two doubles and a twin, while the newer, wheelchair-friendly annexe adds a king with a Jack and Jill en-suite, a double with a bunk above and its own little kitchen area and patio. There’s a well-equipped kitchen with an electric Aga, a woodburner for colder nights with logs included, a smart TV, a library and a garden with a barbecue and seating for 12.
If there are just a couple of you, there are two shepherd’s huts to choose from. Vintage Retreat is an original 1870s showman’s wagon in its own field, with a king-size bed, a kitchenette, and a private shower and toilet next door. Hill View sits in its own paddock with a king-size bed, children’s bunks in a small end room, a kitchenette and a modern shower room inside, and it can suit a small family. Both have a barbecue, a fire pit and outdoor furniture, so evenings tend to take care of themselves.
Dogs are welcome in the cottage and both huts, with slightly different arrangements depending on where you stay. The cottage takes up to three dogs at £25 per dog per stay. The huts take one large dog or two small dogs at no extra charge, and each has a fenced garden area, with an exercise field for dogs at Vintage Retreat too. As it’s a working farm, dogs need to be kept on leads around the animals.
Whichever you book, the games barn is free for all guests, with table tennis, a pool table, darts, traditional skittles and mini golf for rainy days. There’s also a play area for children, animals to meet and a fairy tree to find.
The walking here is the real treat. The Monarch’s Way passes the farm, and the routes from the gate have featured in Julia Bradbury’s Best Walks in Britain, with Langdon Woods, Hardown Hill, Colmer’s Hill and Golden Cap all close by. Chideock is about a 25-minute walk away, the coast path is two miles off, and dog-friendly Charmouth beach is a 10-minute drive. Pubs in Chideock, The Anchor at Seatown and the Ilchester Arms at Symondsbury all welcome dogs too.