Family Holidays in Dorset (and Getting Here)

Apple Cottage is a proper old Dorset cottage — stone and slate, built in the 1700s — with the space families actually need. It sleeps five across three bedrooms (a kingsize, a double and a single) with one bathroom. The real winner is the very large enclosed garden, complete with a BBQ and fire pit — safe space for children and dogs to play. Inside, a log burner makes the cottage cosy out of season, and there's a conservatory for reading. A 43" TV with DVD player and a stash of board games cover quieter evenings, and a washing machine takes the strain out of family packing. Linen and towels are provided. Free parking for up to five cars, WiFi throughout, and a dog-friendly, family-friendly welcome. There's a village shop about half a mile away, and a nature reserve directly across the road.

Anyone who's holidayed with young children knows the difference an enclosed garden makes: you can open the back door and let them out without watching a road. Apple Cottage's garden is generous enough for ball games, den-building and a proper barbecue, with a fire pit for marshmallows. For rainy spells, board games, DVDs, a warm log burner and enough indoor room to spread out mean the cottage doesn't feel small. Dog owners get a secure garden, walks straight from the door, and hosts who genuinely welcome dogs.

Dorset delivers plenty of wet-weather backup: Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, Dorchester (~10 min); The Tank Museum, Bovington (~30 min); Monkey World, Bovington (~30 min); and Dorchester town (~10 min) for cafés, pubs, cinema and shops. And when the sun's out, Weymouth's sandy beach is only about eight miles away, with Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door a short drive beyond.

Apple Cottage sits quietly between West Stafford and Crossways, in the countryside just east of Dorchester: ~4 miles from Dorchester, ~8 miles from Weymouth, ½ mile to the village shop, a nature reserve directly across the road, and Moreton railway station nearby on the main London–Weymouth line. It's rural and peaceful without being remote. For privacy, we share the exact address and directions once your booking is confirmed.

For most guests the car is simplest. Dorchester is well connected by the A35 and A37, and the final approach is straightforward country lanes. There's free parking for up to five cars at the cottage, handy for larger groups meeting from different directions. Bring wellies and dog towels; you're in real Dorset countryside.

You genuinely can do this holiday without a car. Moreton (Dorset) station, which serves Moreton and Crossways, is on South Western Railway's main line between London Waterloo and Weymouth, with an hourly semi-fast service in each direction, including Sundays. The journey between London Waterloo and Moreton takes roughly 2¾–3 hours and runs direct. It's a small, quiet station — no ticket office, but ticket machines and WiFi — and there are no overnight trains, so plan to arrive during the day. From Moreton it's a short taxi or lift to the cottage. Once here without a car, the same line opens up easy days out: Weymouth (beach, harbour), Dorchester (two town-centre stations for museums, shops and Hardy sites), and Poole (gateway to the Brownsea Island ferry).