The Old Reading Room

The Old Reading Room is a renovated semi-detached stone cottage on the edge of Langton Herring, a Dorset village. It is laid out the other way up from most houses: the bedrooms are downstairs and the living space is on the first floor. Oil-fired central heating is fitted, and fuel and power, bed linen and towels are included in the rent.

Two bedrooms on the ground floor hold a king-size double and a twin, next to a bathroom with a bath and a shower over it. Upstairs, a single bedroom with its own en-suite shower, basin and WC leads off the kitchen. The first floor is one open-plan room combining kitchen, dining area and lounge, and the lounge has a log burner. Guests supply their own fuel for it. The kitchen has a microwave, a dishwasher, a washing machine and a fridge with a freezer box.

The garden is built in tiers: a decked area and patio, steps down to a lawn, and steps up to a second patio with a picnic table and bench. There is a small uncovered pond in the garden, which matters for anyone with young children. One car can be parked off the road. Fleet Lagoon is a 10-minute walk away, and the area has very low light pollution, which suits stargazing.

One well-behaved dog is welcome and smoking is not allowed. With bedrooms for five and a garden on several levels, it suits a family or a group of friends who are comfortable with stairs and a pond.