*Book Now, Pay Later is available for holidays departing at least 6 weeks from the date of booking.
The remaining holiday balance is payable 6 weeks prior to departure.
Please note that if you cancel your booking, you will have to pay the Deposit Balance, which includes the Booking fee.
Book Now, Pay Later cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Please refer to T&Cs for full details.
Just Show Me
Shaftesbury Cottages
Anyone who was around in 1973 will immediately recognise
Shaftesbury as the setting for that famous Hovis Bread TV
commercial, where a young boy pushes his bike laden with loaves up
a steep, cobbled street (watch it on YouTube if you missed it!).
This will give you a good inkling of what to expect when you
book a Shaftesbury cottage as
nothing much has changed - indeed, not much since the 18th
Century.
Brimming with fine historical buildings, the best way to explore
this hilltop Saxon settlement is to follow the Shaftesbury Heritage
Trail. Start anywhere in town and look out for heritage panels and
blue plaques displaying local information. Gold Hill (or 'Hovis
Hill') plays its part and you can visit Gold Hill Museum at the
top, as well as Shaftesbury Abbey Museum and Garden, set on the
site of a Saxon Benedictine Abbey. The views from the top are
amazing, sweeping over Blackmore Vale and neighbouring counties of
Wiltshire and Somerset.
There are lots of shops to potter and browse, from antiques and
second-hand books to quirky gifts, plus a selection of pubs,
cafés and restaurants. Thursday is market day and there's
a monthly farmers' market. It's also worth checking out any
local festivals and carnivals, or plays and exhibitions at the
Shaftesbury Arts Centre.
Days out from your Shaftesbury cottage
Bath, Bournemouth, Stourhead, Stonehenge and Longleat are all
within an hour's drive, while Compton Abbas Airfield and
Aviation Museum is closer still. Or head deep into glorious
countryside along the many walking and cycling trails of Cranborne
Chase and Blackmore Vale.
Find out for yourself and book a Shaftesbury cottage soon!