a PLACE in which to RETREAT.
Glamping in Dorset! Set in a pretty location, Miller's Huts Dorset is at the bottom of a valley a stone's throw from the Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury. Remember that 1973 Hovis commercial starring a bread delivery boy pushing his bike up a steep cobbled hill? Gold Hill, Shaftesbury was the setting for one of the most famous British television adverts ever. The ad evoked a forgotten England of morning mist and thatched roofs, an England in which everyone had time to talk to one another and there was fresh-baked bread on every table. From Miller's Hut walk across the fields and up the lane to Gold Hill and enjoy a coffee at the The Salt Cellar, perched at the top. With sweeping views across the Blackmore Vale, it really is quite beautiful!
the SPACE.
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. We are lucky to be close to Fontmell Down which has far-reaching views across the Blackmore Vale. 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.
the SPACE.
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. We are lucky to be close to Fontmell Down which has far-reaching views across the Blackmore Vale. 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.
SHEPHERD'S HUTS IN IDYLLIC DORSET
the MILLER'S TALE.
Both huts are idyllic retreats overlooking the millpond that feeds a late 19th century iron waterwheel, the centre of operations here at Cann Mills, Shaftesbury. Once the sole provider of energy the waterwheel now accounts for a quarter of the power. My husband's family business, N.R. Stoate & Sons, is one of the few independent stone mills still operating commercially in the country. The family have been milling since 1832, first in Watchet, Somerset and then Bristol, with my husband's father starting out on his own at Cann Mills in 1947. Cann Mills was recorded in the Domesday Book and was one of five mills within a mile on the River Sturkel, a tributary to the River Stour. Today the mill produces nine types of organic stoneground flour using traditional French Burr millstones primarily driven by the waterwheel. This is unlike the more commercial metal rolls used in mass flour production - which remove most of the goodness. Why not take a craft baking course with artisan baker Paul Merry in Panary (here at Cann Mills) and enjoy glamping in Dorset with us!
