Withycombe Cottage, Near Dunster

Exterior
Living area
Private kitchen
Exterior
Property grounds
review stars
7.0Good
(10 Ratings)
Lovely setting with great onsite facilities including an indoor pool, tennis courts, and dog-friendly environment. Comfortable accommodations with beautiful views and thoughtful touches.
From real guest reviews summarized by AI
Don't miss out! Price and availability may change
7.0 / 10.0
Good(10 Ratings)

Cottage in West Somerset District

6 guests · 3 bedrooms · 2 baths

Reasons to book

Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones
High-end valueWell priced for this area
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About this cottage rental

Property Summary
Withycombe Cottage near Dunster is part of a complex of charming country cottages in a beautiful setting of the Avill Valley between Dunster and Timberscombe, within the Exmoor National Park. This property sleeps up to 6 guests in one double bedroom and two twin rooms.

Main Description
Withycombe is an 'upside down' cottage that is situated in the the South Barn, a large stone building that used to part of the old farm, housing several cow stalls, and a bull's house!

Sleeps up to 6 guests in one double and two twin rooms
Dogs welcome (2 max) for £20 per dog
Bed linen provided
Towels can be hired for £3 per person
Cots and high chairs available on request
Shared indoor heating swimming pool, spa bath and games room
On-site car park
Wifi, heating and electricity is included (heating provided by Biomass Boiler)
Idyllic location with 9 acres of land to explore
Saturday changeover
Short breaks available outside of the main school holidays
Arrive between 3 pm and 6 pm
Depart by 10 am

The 4-star complex of cottages consist of a variety of cottages with varying numbers of beds to best suit your needs whether that's sleeping 2 guests or up to 6 per cottage, making this an ideal place to holiday as a family, with your children, as a couple or in a larger group.

During restrictions, the pool will be open and each cottage will have the opportunity to book a private slot. The pool was operated like this last year during restrictions and it worked very well.
The games room will be open with the door left open for ventilation, with hand sanitiser will be available outside.

Indoor Description
There are two entrances to Withycombe Cottage, one from the main courtyard and the other from the back of the South Barn.

Entering from the courtyard, there are several stone steps to get to the front door. Once inside, straight ahead is a corridor leading to the double bedroom. On the right is another corridor that leads to the two twin bedrooms, the bathroom with shower and the separate shower room. At the end of this corridor is also the back door. From here a staircase leads up to the open plan lounge/kitchen/diner which is light and airy and had good views.

Bed linen is provided, towels can be hired for £3 per person.

Central heating and electricity is included

Outdoor Description
The cottages are set within 9 acres of land that you are welcome to explore, there are picnic areas and a safe river for paddling - in warmer weather!

The cottage also shares with the other cottages:
Hard tennis court which operates on a "turn up & play" system (racquets & balls available to borrow)
Indoor heated pool and spa bath - open all year round with changing and shower facilities (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult). The pool is 36′ × 16′6" (11m x 5m) with a depth of 1.15 m (the pool is flat-bottomed, there isn't a deep end as it's unmanned). The pool is intended for adults and children's use.
Games room with pool table, table tennis table, table football & mini trampoline
A large trampoline which is 14ft round and has a protective barrier netting (adult supervision required; please remove shoes)
Football net is situated in the "play paddock" where guests often play cricket or badminton, fly kites etc. There are also two picnic benches (please keep dogs on a lead in this shared area)
Gate Lodge Play Centre is a two-story playhouse with swings, slide, fireman’s pole & assault course
The owner's Shetland ponies, Freddie and Phoenix, are often grazing in the nearby paddock
There is also a shared information room where guests can find a payphone, information brochures, children's books, videos and DVDs.

Parking
There is an on-site car park so plenty of room to park your car. It is possible to drive down to the cottage to unload/load your vehicle but please park in the car park.

Pets Description
This has not been completed by the owner.

Restricted mobility
This has not been completed by the owner.

Exit in case of emergency
This has not been completed by the owner.

Christmas / New Year
This has not been completed by the owner.

The region

Dunster is a medieval village on the edge of Exmoor National Park in West Somerset, dominated by its magnificent castle perched on a wooded hilltop above the High Street.



Often described as one of the most intact medieval villages in England, Dunster has a rich history stretching back over a thousand years. The iconic octagonal Yarn Market, built in the early 1600s, sits at the heart of the village -- a reminder of its prosperous wool-trading past. The broad High Street is lined with independent shops, galleries, tea rooms, and characterful pubs, many housed in listed buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.



The village has its own Post Office with a cash machine, a deli, and a good range of places to eat and drink. For larger supermarkets, banks, and petrol stations, the coastal town of Minehead is just 1.5 miles away -- Tesco and Morrisons are both on the outskirts with long opening hours. Most shops in Dunster keep traditional hours of 9am to 5pm, often extending in summer.



Dunster hosts a lively programme of events throughout the year, including the Dunster Show, Dunster Country Fair, and the much-loved Winter Festival in early December when the village is lit by candlelight with music, dancing, and medieval re-enactments in the streets.


Amenities at Withycombe Cottage, Near Dunster

Non-smoking
Pets allowed
Family friendly

Map of West Somerset District


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Ratings and reviews

7.0 / 10.0
Good(10 Ratings)
review starsSummary of reviews
Lovely setting with great onsite facilities including an indoor pool, tennis courts, and dog-friendly environment. Comfortable accommodations with beautiful views and thoughtful touches.
From real guest reviews summarized by AI
4.0 / 10.0
Amazing location and really friendly owners. Disappointing holiday as there was no hot water or central heating working for first 2 nights. Heating back on working Wed evening. This was not fault of owners as fallen tree had taken out cables, however we were staying in February half term and it was freezing. Single (noisy) fan heater in lounge. Nothing provided to heat bedrooms down stairs (freezing). Had hoped owners would supply some additional temporary heaters, ended up buying our own to use with bedrooms hovered around 8-10 degrees. Also pool temp to cold to enjoy. Property ticked all boxes in paper with great. location, facilities etc. but let down seriously by poor hygiene cleanliness. Very dusty and dog hair needing vacuuming. Overall In desperate need of serious deep clean. Outdoor facilities very attractive. Lovely grounds and tennis court. Really good information room that also had a tumble dryer for guest to use. Swimming pool looks amazing (would like to use it when heater working), great looking hot tub (unfortunately out of action during our stay), games room was a big hit with our boys but could do with some TLC and also cleaning. I do believe an investment in replacing the beds is needed, twin rooms had small singles (2’6”) which are great for kids and twin bedrooms could fit anything larger , however children complained they were not comfy so we padded them with spare duvets. The Master bed was also lumpy and disappointed to find a small double in a room that would easily accommodate a king size bed. Overall we are divided as a family, boys want to go back but I’m not convinced. Value for money was reasonable out of season but given experience would definitely not consider the higher in season prices quoted on system.
10.0 / 10.0
Nice touch to have tea and coffee as well as delicious biscuits on arrival. Site facilities are great whether you have children or not. On site pool, games room with table tennis, pool and football table a great hit, trampoline great size for older children and tennis court a plus. Just some things to while away the hours. Also Echo/Alexa installed for playing music. The gardens are kept in lovely condition with paths run to various activity areas. Shetland ponies in the fields are an additional extra that kids young and old enjoy watching. House was clean and had all necessary appliances in good working order. Easy drives to Porlock, try La Gelato ice cream! They also do pizzas and there is a small eating outside area. We went twice. Dunster Beach 10 minute drive away is good for playing in the sand, taking dogs for a walk, and letting kids have a run around. Minehead has old fashioned holiday staples, arcades, candy floss, fish and chips, but also some brilliant hill walks at the Quay end of the Esplanade. We ate at The Ship Aground in Minehead and the Lions Inn in Timberscombe both very good. We enjoyed our stay as a family of 6 with a 13 week puppy!
4.0 / 10.0
Good central location, cottages were quiet with large secure grounds to wander in which was ideal for children and pets. The ponies were popular with children. The owners were friendly and helpful. We stayed at Withycombe cottage which was musty, in need of a deep clean and makeover. We had to clean all switches, bannister, door handles and velux window handles which were dirty. Crockery, cutlery and oven were not clean. Some essential utensils were missing. No provision of basics other than one toilet roll per bathroom and hand soap; there was no washing up liquid, salt and pepper, oven gloves, extractor fan for cooker and colander. The pool was a nice facility, but sadly so chlorinated our children developed dermatitis after several days. The games room was in urgent need of investment and dirty. The tennis rackets for communal use were not fit for purpose. The internet was poor and a solution to manage the demand from 12 cottages simultaneously is needed. Considering we are in a pandemic and paid 1600 for 6 nights, the standard of hygiene was seriously lacking, so we will not be returning. With some decoration, a deep clean and more attention to detail this could be a great holiday venue.
8.0 / 10.0
Great location and onsite facilities were very welcome for the family. The accommodation was comfortable but, as other reviews have said, in need of a refresh. There were no instructions for the appliances and we found the oven difficult to use at first as the writing on the dials was worn away. The washer/dryer didn’t dry but this was overcome by use of the tumble dryer in the information block. The dishwasher didn’t clean very well so we hand washed everything instead. The on-site facilities were good but the trampoline door zip is in need of repair. The swimming pool is brilliant and the system for booking it worked well enabling each cottage to have exclusive use. Overall we had a great holiday, helped by the weather, and would stay here again. This cottage now has a sieve as I purchased one for 50p from Morrison’s and have donated it to Withycombe Cottage.
10.0 / 10.0
Quirky and cosy vintage countryside accomodation in a beautiful and peaceful countryside setting. Each holiday home has a different character from each other. Our upside-down-house Withycombe Cottage was warm and comfortable, with beautiful views over the hills behind it, and the paddock with the owners' two friendly miniature Shetland Ponies grazing on it. We enjoyed a couple of evenings there on our stay, and the living room area was lovely, especially with the old fashioned lamps on. Very comfortable sofas, a large dining table, and a lovely little kitchen area which had everything in it that guests could need ; including a dishwasher, washing machine fridge freezer, and microwave. Lots of hot water, and working radiators throughout. Our double bed was very comfortable, and the room was a lovely size, too, and the 4 children loved their 2 small twin bedrooms and beds. The indoor heated swimming pool was clean and a huge hit with the children, as was the jacuzzi tub. It was very thoughtful of the owners to keep a collection of balls in the water for them to play with in the pool. Plenty of private changing room space inside the onsite building. It was very kind of them to say we would still be welcome to use the pool, and the other play facilities such as the big enclosed trampoline and seperate games room hut, after we'd checked out of the Cottage at 10am. We didn't as we had a long drive back home, but although the pool house isnt usually open each day till 9.30am Richard kindly opened it up for my husband and boys at 9am so they could have an hour in it before we left. (Just one suggestion....perhaps it could be opened daily from 8am or 8.30am for families on their final morning of their stay ?) The Games Room is a big asset to the site, with it's pool table, ping pong table and football table...all the balls, cues and bats included. And there is also a concrete tennis court, and a lovely large grassed paddock for children to kick the provided balls into a goal net, and lots of seating on the grassed areas, too. We saw the wooden adventure play structure, but our boys didn't use it. So, lots for children of ages to do before or after a day out, or for a morning or an afternoon relaxing on site ; even our two 16 years were kept entertained by these facilities. Great value. Highly reccomend, and would definately return if we holiday in Somerset again. A great online find, and a fab base for outtings to the beaches and Bays around Minehead, Glastonbury, and North Devon. Thankyou to owners Richard and Julie who live in a cottage onsite, and are reassuringly present during your stay.
6.0 / 10.0
Great location, lovely setting and indoor pool a real bonus. We stayed at Withycombe cottage, which was disappointing. On the upside the lounge is spacious and comfortable with plenty of room for six people dining. However, the whole place was very dated and in need of a refurb. Although the double bedroom was fine, the twin bedrooms were very musty and the beds themselves uncomfortable. It was great that they took dogs and there were lovely grounds for our daily walk.
6.0 / 10.0
Whilst the on site facilities are good the accommodation needs a bit of attention.
10.0 / 10.0
We enjoyed using the swimming pool and walking around the property with our dog. The house is comfortable and we had a very relaxing week.

FAQs

Is parking included with this cottage?

Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Withycombe Cottage, Near Dunster. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this cottage?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this cottage. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is Withycombe Cottage, Near Dunster pet friendly?

Yes! This cottage is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.

What amenities are available at Withycombe Cottage, Near Dunster?

We found 3 amenities for this rental. This includes non-smoking, pets allowed, and family friendly.


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