The Snug at Caphays: cosy family retreat in nature

Entire home in Dorset, United Kingdom

  1. 4 guests
  2. 1 bedroom
  3. 2 beds
  4. 1 bath
Hosted by Kay
  1. Superhost
  2. 7 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 10% of homes

This home is highly ranked based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

Self check-in

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Peace and quiet

This home is in a quiet area.
Your cosy, private retreat at the end of a safe no through lane. With kitchenette, king bed and sofa bed, it makes the perfect stay for small families.

Explore the countryside, visit the coast and enjoy Sherborne and its historic castles: our guidebook is the place to start.

Take time together to wander, bike or scoot the lane and footpaths, explore the fields and spot wildlife all around (deer, hedgehogs, hares, foxes, bats, owls)...all from the doorstep. Meet the chickens in the garden too!

The space
The Snug is your own personal cosy spot in a rural idyll. It is small but perfectly formed, with an en-suite and a mini-kitchen (including a small fridge, portable hob, toaster and kettle). Enjoy a simple supper or decadent breakfast!

Your cosy retreat has been completely refurbished and we have tried to add a personal touch with some recycled and home-crafted elements. We hope you will love the space inside as much as we are sure you will love the space outside!

There is a king bed and a king sofa bed for lounging. The sofa bed is best suited to children or a close friend, since there is no division between the bed and sofa (and it is only a sofa bed, so we can't promise it is quite as comfy as a real one!). If you’re bringing an infant, the king bed is great for cosleeping and we provide a travel cot - please ask.

Outside, you'll find your own seating area and plenty of parking as well as our electric vehicle charger.

You are welcome to explore our garden and meet the chickens and cats. We would love to share the sandpit, huge meadow and climbing frame with you. There may even be berries to pick!

At the end of the drive are footpaths in three directions, one of which takes you through a woodland area which has been populated by fairies (or mice?). How many of their little doors can you find?

The quality of local independent pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops is second to none and you can even take one of our mapped walks to get to the local pub, the local brunch cafe or the bakery.

Upon booking, we will send you a guidebook with all of the details about the accommodation as well as lots of local tips, including events to look out for and seasonal change in our natural surroundings. We are very, very proud of our little corner of Dorset, so please do ask!

Guest access
Guests enjoy their own driveway and outside space, as well as a private entrance.

You are very welcome to explore our back garden and to meet the chickens and watch the sun set.

Other things to note
The climbing frame and all elements of the outdoor play available in the garden are used at guest's own risk.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Garden view
Valley view
Kitchen
Fast wifi – 81 Mbps
Free parking on premises
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm

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Rated 4.95 out of 5 from 76 reviews.

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This home is in the top 10% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability
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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 95% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 5% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Where you’ll be

Dorset, England, United Kingdom
This listing's location is verified.

Neighborhood highlights

This is a spectacular place to live. We have written a guidebook we will email to you at the time of booking, so please share your email address with us. There is also a printed copy in The Snug. There is so much to see and do but also so much space in which to do nothing at all!

With a footpath literally on our doorstep, there are fantastic walks to be had here and locally. We have created a walking guide for walks from the doorstep with varied distances that you can find in The Snug.

We have local pubs within a few minutes drive, or an hour or so walk, and a fantastic range of historical, cultural and leisure facilities, as well as a huge range of restaurants in Sherborne ten minutes away. Sturminster Newton, with it's historic mill, is also 15 minutes away. Historic Dorchester and Shaftesbury are both half an hour away, with even more choice, and a huge range of things to see.

Even more locally, you can find Oxfords Bakery on an hour long loop walk from The Snug (or less than 5 minutes drive!) and you can buy Dorset Blue Vinney from it's home at Woodbridge Farm just 5 minutes away.

For nature lovers, we are ten minutes from both Alners Gorse, a 35 acre reserve owned by butterfly conservationists, and Lydlinch Common, an exceptional haven for a number of rare butterflies as well as a nightingale hotspot.

It would be rare for beady-eyed visitors to The Snug not to see a deer or three or to hear an owl overnight. We have also enjoyed fox cubs, hares and badgers on our evening walks in summer.

Local attractions include a golf course at Folke (5 minutes drive), Henley Hillbillies for quad biking, The Toy Barn in Sherborne for children and a summer maize maze, the Cerne Abbas giant, Sherborne Castles and Gardens, Sherborne Abbey and Sturminster Mill. A walk on Okeford, Hambledon or Hod Hill is also not to be missed.

For National Trust properties, Stourhead House and Gardens and Montecute House are half an hour away, and Kingston Lacy House and Gardens is a short while longer. The hill fort at Badbury Rings also offers fabulous views and history.

We are also a great spot from which to visit events such as the Great Dorset Steam Fair, Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival, Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show or Larmer Tree Festival.

We are about 45 minutes from lots of spots along the Jurassic Coast (Weymouth, Lulworth and Durdle Door or West Bay, for example). Within an hour are lots of other options too: Longleat, Monkey World, The Tank Museum, Corfe Castle, Abbotsbury Swannery, Weymouth Sea Life Centre, Dorset Adventure Park, Wookey Hole, Splashdown Water Park.

With all this to do, it's also worth remembering that the best times may well be had wandering the paths down our no through lane, sitting out in your courtyard space in the evening, or watching the sun go down. If we can help with any of the above, please just let us know. You won't meet a bigger fan of Dorset than us!

Meet your host

Superhost
110 reviews
4.95 out of 5 average rating
7 years of hosting
Born in the 80s
My work: Host, Mentor, Cohost
Hosting is my job and my passion: I own The Snug, cohost for other properties and work as a mentor to new hosts too. Caphays is home to me, Frazer, our sons, our cats and chickens. We've been lucky to see lots of places around the world, but have decided that this corner of Dorset really is the best spot on this planet and we love sharing it with our guests. I’ve written an extensive guidebook that I love to share - I will email it to you.

Kay is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Frazer
To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Checkout before 10:00 AM
4 guests maximum
Safety & property
Climbing or play structure
Carbon monoxide detector not required
Smoke alarm