Guard House Cottage

Guard House Cottage is roughly 300 years old, used in the past to catch smugglers off the Dorset coast and more recently as the HMRC officer's accommodation. It stands in the small village of Seatown, near Chideock, and sleeps 6. The beach and the pub are each 50 yards from the door, and the shop is 100 yards away.

The cottage is stone-built and furnished with painted antique pieces, and the panelled sitting and dining room has a woodburner and glimpses of the coast from its windows. Logs and coal are included from October to the end of April; kindling and firelighters are not. The kitchen has a Belfast sink, an induction hob, an electric oven, a fridge, a freezer and a microwave. The dishwasher is in the utility room, while the washing machine and dryer are in a separate wash house outside. Oil-fired central heating runs through the house.

The staircase is steep, low and winding. At the top are two double bedrooms, each with a window seat looking out to sea, and a twin with a view of Golden Cap, plus a bathroom with a handheld shower. A shower room is on the ground floor. Outside, the enclosed garden has seating and a front terrace with a chiminea. Parking is for two cars, and the driveway is very steep. Mobile signal and Wi-Fi can be intermittent here.

Children under 5 are not accepted, and dogs are not allowed. The pub can deliver pre-ordered meals to the cottage outside the high season. The house next door sleeps 7 and the two can be booked together. It suits a family with older children or friends who want to be on the shore.