Ashcombe · West Dorset
A welcome
The Wrenhouse has been standing at the end of this lane since 1884, and for most of that time it has fed and sheltered people who arrived tired. We have changed very little: five bedrooms, one long table, thick walls, good linen. You are not a guest in a hotel here. You are someone staying in a house that knows how to look after you.
Marianne & Edward Vale, keepers of the house
The rooms
Each room has been left to be what the building made it. Choose by light, by stairs, by how far you want to be from everybody else.
Top of the house, under the eaves
The smallest and quietest of the rooms, tucked beneath the roofline with a deep window seat and a view over the orchard. Made for one guest who reads late.
South-facing, first floor
Morning light arrives here first. Lime-washed walls, a brass bedstead and two armchairs set square to the window, where the old greengage trees still fruit.
Ground floor, own entrance
Once the cool room of the farmhouse, now the calmest bedroom in the house. Flagstone floor, thick walls, and a door that opens straight onto the walled garden.
First floor, west wing
The largest room, running the width of the west wing with windows at both ends. Beams overhead, a wide sofa, and the best light in the house at six in the evening.
Above the old stables
A separate stair from the courtyard leads to a room of its own weather — pitched ceiling, wood-burner, and a slot window that frames nothing but hedgerow and sky.
Breakfast
There is no buffet and no menu card. We ask the night before what you'd like, then cook it while you come downstairs. Most people stay at the table longer than they meant to.
The house
Beyond the bedrooms there is a morning room, a garden that has been walled since before the house had electricity, and a kitchen you are welcome to wander into.
Two sofas, a great many books, and a fire lit from October. Guests take tea here at four, or don't — nobody keeps count.
A hundred and forty years of brick holding the warmth in. Herbs, soft fruit, and the greengages that end up on your plate.
Where breakfast happens, slowly. One long oak table, mismatched chairs, and whatever the garden gave up that week.
Nearby
Eleven minutes by car to the cliff steps, then as far along the path as your legs allow.
Thursday market, two good butchers, a bookshop that keeps odd hours and better stock.
Straight from the gate: four miles of beech woods, a chalk stream, and one very old pub.
Three National Trust properties within half an hour, all quieter on weekday mornings.
Practical information
Everything else can be settled at the door, or over breakfast.
Rates
Two-night minimum on Friday and Saturday. Single occupancy is £20 less on any room.
| Room | Sun–Thu | Fri–Sat | Seven nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wren | £145 | £165 | £880 |
| The Orchard Room | £185 | £205 | £1,150 |
| The Dairy | £195 | £215 | £1,210 |
| The Long Room | £225 | £245 | £1,390 |
| The Garden Loft | £210 | £230 | £1,300 |
Rates include breakfast, afternoon tea, parking and all taxes. Dogs £15 a stay in The Garden Loft. Full refund up to fourteen days before arrival.
Guests
“We came for two nights and stayed four. The Dairy is the best night's sleep I have had in a decade.”
“Breakfast was the event of each day. Nothing is fussy here, and everything is considered.”
“A house that trusts you to enjoy yourself without being managed. Rare, and very welcome.”
Enquire
We take bookings by hand rather than through a machine, so you'll hear from Marianne or Edward directly. Nothing is charged until we've confirmed the room.
The Wrenhouse, Lower Wren Lane, Ashcombe, Dorset DT6 4QA
01308 442 119 · stay@thewrenhouse.co.uk
From £145
Breakfast included