Little Firs

If you’re headed for Little Firs, make sure you bring board games, books, binoculars and buckets and spades. And that’s not just for the kids. This magical little hideaway will suit couples and families of up to four equally well. It’s a single shepherd’s hut that’s been handcrafted by its owners on the edge of a small woodland on the Dorset-Devon border. Private and self-contained, it’s the kind of glamping getaway where you spend quality time with the people you have come away with, rather than making new best friends.

So back to that packing list. You’ll want board games to play while you warm yourself by the log-burning stove on chilly evenings and books to read on sunny mornings outside. The binoculars will give you a sporting chance of spotting the owls you’ll hear in the woods around you each evening. And the bucket and spade? Those are the necessary tools for the fossil hunting you’ll want to do on the Jurassic Coast at Lyme Regis, just a 15-minute drive away.

This tiny glamping getaway in the Axe Valley has been lovingly put together by owners Laura and Matt who live right next door. It was a lockdown project that went right. While others among us pulled muscles emulating internet fitness gurus or failed to learn French, this creative pair set about building a lovely place to stay using as many reclaimed and recycled materials as they could find. The result is a very spacious, self-contained shepherd’s hut with a mixture of quirky touches (check out the driftwood lampshade and old forge barbecue) and mod cons that include an en-suite bathroom.

The hut has its own fenced garden area and and it's self check-in, which means you can keep yourselves to yourselves if you like but Laura and Matt are never far away if you need help or local tips. They can point you to doorstep walks or in the direction of the Old or (almost as old) New Inn pubs. They’ll tell you about the lovely local produce at nearby Miller’s Farm Shop and the Axminster Waffle House your kids will love. But, of course, it’s the coast that most will head here for. While the crowds will camp near the beach, this hidey-hole hut just seven miles inland from Lyme Regis will be yours alone to enjoy. After busy days by the sea, it’s a calm and quiet retreat – except, of course, for the hoots of the owls and the whoops of the latest board game champ.