Dunkery Cottage near Wheddon Cross

Property Summary
Dunkery Cottage is perched atop Exmoor National Park with divine views of the valley, surrounded by gardens & fields, yet only a ten min bridleway walk from a pub, shop, and petrol station. Very dog friendly, it is perfectly suited to families and friends wanting to explore all Exmoor has to offer.

Main Description
PLEASE NOTE - FROM JUNE 7TH TO JULY 4TH WE ARE HAVING THE GAMES ROOM EXTENDED AND RENOVATED - FOR SOME DAYS ACCESS WILL BE LIMITED. THIS ONLY APPLIES 0900-1700 WEEKDAYS.

Dunkery Cottage faces West and gets gorgeous views from the kitchen and double bedroom. It has a spacious, open-plan kitchen / diner / sitting room with two bedrooms upstairs - a double and a twin.

The beds are made up with luxury linen and the gorgeously plush towels are from The White Company. The toiletries are from Tyneham Luxury, made over in Norfolk, with soap, moisturiser, shampoo, and shower gel all supplied. There is an iron, ironing board, and hairdryer too. Please note, there isn't space for a travel cot, so we recommend those with small children look at Stable and Rose Cottages as an alternative.

The kitchen is fully equipped with all the essentials included - Tetley tea, Nescafe Gold Blend coffee, and a selection of Pukka Herbal teas. We also supply half a dozen eggs from our own hens and locally made Cream Teas on arrival.

There is an oven with grill and hob, a full size fridge freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster, dishwasher, and a washing machine - perfect for the longer stays. We supply dishwasher and washing machine tabs, kitchen roll, cling film, foil, cutting boards, cooking oil, and all the cookware, cutlery, and crockery you'd ever need.

The dining area comfortably seats four, as does the sitting room. There is a 32inch TV with FreeSat and DVD player, as well as an electric cast iron flame-effect stove heater, for those cosy nights in. The cottage has it's own combi boiler, providing endless hot water and near-instant heat throughout the rooms.

There is no hard limit on the number of dogs, but if you have more than five, please contact us so we can help you select the best cottage. Dogs are £5 each per stay, and we provide a pack that includes a water bowl, blankets for the furniture, treats, toys, collar tags with our details, and more to make your four-legged friend(s) feel at home. Dogs are allowed throughout the cottage, and while they are on-lead in public areas, we have a number of fields they can be run off-lead in.

Outside, you have your own walled off gravel area with outdoor furniture, where you get the most beautiful sunsets. Parking is right next to the cottage with a brace of EV chargers, and this opens out to 2 acres of shared garden with breathtaking views. There is a selection of garden games and vast BBQ available for guests on request.

We have a hot and cold dog & boot shower and picnic benches dotted around the garden. You will likely see our hens too - all colours and sizes - scurrying about the gardens, while we also have pygmy goats that occasionally make a break for it from their enclosure!

Furthermore, we have a games room with table tennis, pool, table football, and selection of board games and jigsaw puzzles to keep everyone entertained. This has a large decked area looking over our ornamental pond with cafe style furniture for lazy afternoon reading in the sunshine. We can convert the games room into a dinner party venue that you can hire for an evening if you'd like to have a larger get together.

You are surrounded by our fields, which you can access and let your dogs run free (though sometimes some will have sheep in) - and through these fields you can access a number of bridleways and footpaths without touching a road. You can also amble up to the Rest and Be Thankful pub, which is only ten minutes away, and there is also a large village shop and petrol station nearby for any last minute essentials.

We have a TouchStay App that has loads of local information about places to go and visit, we are slap bang in the middle of Exmoor so everything is within an easy drive - highlights include:

Dunkery Beacon (2 miles)
Tarr Steps (8.5 miles)
Clicket (5 miles)
Dunster & Dunster Castle (7 miles)
Wimbleball Lake (8 miles)
Bossington Beach (8 miles)
Porlock Weir (9 miles)
West Somerset Steam Railway (9 miles)
Exmoor Pony Centre (9 miles)
Dulverton (10 miles)
West Somerset Coast Path (10 miles)
Exmoor Distillery (11 miles)
Tropiquaria Zoo (13 miles)
Torre Cider Farm (13 miles)
Cleeve Abbey (14 miles)
Watchet (15 miles)
Doniford Farm Park (16 miles)
Watersmeet (18 miles)
Lynton / Lynmouth with the cliff railway (19 miles)
Exmoor Zoo (19 miles)
Valley of the Rocks (21 miles)
Watermouth Castle (27 miles)

Indoor Description
This has not been completed by the owner.

Outdoor Description
All guests have access to two acres of gardens including a lily pond, lawn with picnic tables, giant BBQ and games room with table tennis, small pool table and table football. There is car free access across our fields to the bridleways and footpaths of Exmoor National Park. Dunkery also has a small enclosed yard with outdoor furniture.

Parking
There is plenty of parking is available on site, we also have space for larger vehicles (camper vans, horseboxes etc) on request. For those travelling with motorbikes or classic cars, we can sometimes offer garage space by prior arrangement.
EV Charger points available just outside Dunkery - one tethered, one un-tethered - both use the VoltShare App available on Apple and Android smartphones.

Pets Description
We are super dog friendly and supply a water bowl, furniture blankets, collar tags with our details, treats, and more for your dogs. We also have a hot and cold outdoor dog shower. There is no hard limit on numbers either, but please get in touch if you have a particularly sizeable pack so we can ensure you, and they, can be properly catered for. The public areas are strictly on lead as we have free range chickens, pygmy goats, plus other guests and our resident dogs.

Restricted mobility
Due to the sloping nature of the site unfortunately we don't recommend Little Quarme for wheelchair users.

Exit in case of emergency
Safety instructions will be provided in our online welcome book sent to you upon booking. If you would like to see a copy of our Fire Risk Assessments please get in touch. Exit from the cottage is out through the front door. There are also three ground floor windows if the front door should be inaccessible.

Christmas / New Year
Cottages are tastefully decorated for the festive period.

The region

Wheddon Cross is often called the 'crossroads of Exmoor' -- a friendly village at the junction of the A396 and B3224, right in the heart of the National Park.

Standing at around 300 metres above sea level, Wheddon Cross is the highest village on Exmoor. It sits in the parish of Cutcombe, with the ancient parish church of St John just a short walk away in the neighbouring hamlet. The village grew up around its important crossroads, where travellers on the old coaching routes between Dulverton, Minehead and Simonsbath would stop to rest.

Village Amenities

The Rest and Be Thankful Inn stands at the centre of the village -- a 19th-century coaching inn serving food, local ales and accommodation. Wheddon Cross also has a well-stocked village shop with post office services, a petrol station with ATM, free public toilets, a children's play park, and an active village hall hosting regular community events.

Nearby Towns

Minehead (8 miles) -- The main town of West Somerset, with larger supermarkets (Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl), high street banks, a sandy beach, and the terminus of the West Somerset Railway.

Dunster (7 miles) -- One of England's best-preserved medieval villages, dominated by its castle and famous yarn market. Excellent independent shops and places to eat.

Dulverton (10 miles) -- Known as the southern gateway to Exmoor, with a National Park Visitor Centre, independent shops, a butcher, and several pubs and restaurants along the River Barle.