Here we are. Nearly on the other side with July 4th and an easing rapidly approaching. With flour demand up a mighty 40% nationally, the mill has been beyond busy these past weeks particularly with online sales, this is as well as our regular wholesalers and commercial bakers. Everyone's been baking! In between homeschooling, I've taken the opportunity to give the huts a lick of paint. John's Hut now has smart painted floor boards and this weekend we're erecting some handcrafted hurdles to provide additional privacy in the paddock. We've strung up a stripy hammock too. Miller's Hut has a freshly painted front door as well as the inside walls. But it's the paddocks that the huts sit in that required the real hard work; clearing brambles, nettles, docks and thistles as well as trimming back willow branches. Not wanting it to be manicured, who wants to tame nature, but tidy all the same. It's been an opportunity to listen to some great podcasts whilst getting stuck in and I've relished the physical activity. I'm also proud of our 'weed free' veggie garden (always a battle with bind weed and nettles). Rarely heard of here!
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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
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