Gorgeous thatched cottage in Purbeck - ideal for family holidays

Swallows Cottage is a stunning 18th century thatched cottage situated in Shitterton, on the outskirts of Bere Regis. This picturesque property has two bedrooms, one with a double and single bed, the other with two single beds. It can accommodate up to five people in comfort. The cottage has a large lounge with a woodburner in the fireplace, Smart TV, a large, fully modernised kitchen-diner that opens on to the garden and looks out over fields beyond, a modern bathroom and a cloakroom with second toilet and basin.

The cottage has modern electric radiators throughout and heated towel rails in the bathroom and cloakroom. It is well maintained and offers accommodation of great quality and character in quiet and very beautiful rural surroundings. Please note that the staircase is steep and winding, so children and the elderly should take extra care.

The garden is large and fully enclosed, and features a sun room/play room where guests can keep bikes, prams etc. Shitterton is a quiet lane that does not carry through traffic. There is free parking directly outside the property.

Swallows Cottage is professionally managed to exacting standards by the housekeeping team at GP Bespoke Cleaning, who are on call throughout your stay to assist as necessary. Freshly laundered and ironed bed linen in Egyptian cotton is provided throughout along with bath towels and a supply of logs for the fire. Changeover days are Friday in high season, flexible at other times. Check in is 4pm, check-out 10am.

This is an ideal property for family holidays and will appeal to walkers, cyclists golfers and those keen on angling and diving. There are numerous attractions and beauty spots within easy reach of the cottage. The nearest towns are Wareham and Blandford Forum, which both have a good range of shops and amenities. The countryside is stunning and as a result is extremely popular with walkers and cyclists, not least for the spectacular Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. Coastal beauty spots such as Lulworth Cove, Studland, Durdle Door and Swanage are all close by, as are world famous tourist attractions such as the Cerne Abbas giant, Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, and the stunning ruins of Corfe Castle, from which visitors can take a steam train to Swanage and back. This is also the heart of Thomas Hardys Wessex, and offers the opportunity to visit the real places that provided the backdrop to his classic novels.

Excellent walking maps for the Dorset coast can be ordered from www.croydecycle.co.uk

For younger visitors there are numerous activities within easy reach. Bovingdon Tank Museum is less than five miles away, as is Monkey World. The Jurassic Coast has some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving sites in England with outstandingly clear water ensuring great visibility. There is a sports centre in Wareham with a public swimming pool and tennis courts.

Bere Regis is about five miles from Wareham, which has the nearest local supermarket, Sainsbury's, and about nine miles south of Blandford Forum, which has a large branch of Tesco (both will deliver to this address).

A fish and chip van visits the village on Friday evening (Surf & Turf, parked on Elder Road, 4.45pm-last orders 6.30pm, 07763 861133) and Saturday evening (Blue Whale, on the road outside the Royal Oak car park at the far end of the village, 4.30pm to 7pm, 07741 159502). Both take phone orders.

On Wednesday evening, the Basilico pizza van is at the same place as Blue Whale. Tel. 07403 566808. Menu at www.basilico.uk

The village shop is a short walk away in the centre of Bere Regis, next to The Drax Arms.