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Manor Barn - Child Okeford

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A stylish and relaxed B&B in the heart of the Blackmore Vale

The pretty Dorset village of Child Okeford is the perfect retreat for anyone looking to really escape it all. Surrounded by rolling countryside and pleasingly off the beaten track, it’s close enough to lovely Shaftesbury and Sherborne to keep you occupied if you need a distraction, but far enough away to feel hidden. And if it’s a retreat you’re after, the village’s Manor Barn B&B is the perfect place to stay.

The house, owned by the lovely Peter and Cari and their family, is a beautiful, wisteria-covered country classic, with two gorgeous guest rooms and a stylish guests’ sitting room in a recently converted barn to one side. The barn has its own entrance, so it’s easy to relax, without that awful feeling of being in the way. The layout also makes Manor Barn spot-on if you fancy teaming up with friends to book the whole place for a weekend.

The feel inside is decidedly country contemporary, with big oak beams, a wood-burning fire and views out to the Blackmore Vale mixed with light, airy furnishings and fabrics. Both bedrooms have king-sized beds, with squishy White Company bed linen, lovely toiletries, views over the garden and smart en-suite bathrooms. Cari’s breakfasts are a relaxed (lie-ins until 9.30!), but impressive affair, with loads of local produce, fresh juices and big portions. There’s even a delicious, home-cooked evening meal on offer if your adventures in the countryside proves too exhausting - enjoy it in the cosy sitting room with a glass of wine, a roaring fire and a good DVD for an extremely pleasing way to end the day.

Where is it?

Child Okeford sits in the northern part of Dorset in the heart of the Blackmore Vale, eight miles from Shaftesbury and just 22 miles to the coast at Poole. It’s a quiet village, with a couple of pubs and a post office, and makes for a great base for abandoning the car and exploring the countryside on foot, so bring your wellies/walking boots (depending on how serious you are...). The beautiful Blackmore Vale and the lush Stour Valley - miles of rolling hills and farmland that famously inspired Thomas Hardy and featured heavily in Tess of the D’Urbevilles, are right on the doorstep. Hambledon Hill, which overlooks the village, is a good place to start, with its prehistoric hill fort, nature reserve and stunning views from the top. But for a slightly less gravity-defying amble, walk the 6-mile round trip along the River Stour to the impressive medieval Fiddleford Manor. For details of this and lots more walks in the area, log on to www.walkingworld.com.

The famous cobbled Gold Hill in the pretty town of Shaftesbury - just a 15-minute drive from Child Okeford - is another must-visit, if only to pretend that you’re the small boy with his bike in the Hovis advert (the Ridley Scott-directed ad was filmed here). The steep, cobbled street of picture box loveliness, lined with thatched cottages and offering fantastic views across the Vale, is definitely Shaftesbury’s piéce-de-resistance, but the rest of the small but very attractive hilltop town is a great place for an aimless potter. Log on to the Shaftesbury heritage website (www.shaftesburyheritage.org.uk) for a walking map pointing out the big jumble of historic sites in the town centre. There’s also a brilliant farmers’ market selling loads of delicious Dorset grub on the first Saturday of each month - perfect for picnickers.

Seven miles from Child Okeford are the beautifully green Larmer Tree Gardens, home to two of the most leafy, laid-back music festivals in the UK. The Larmer Tree Festival (www.larmertreefestival.co.uk Tel: 01725 552300) is held in July and offers five days of the most eclectic line-up you’re ever likely to come across. Well-established acts (this year Jules Holland is headlining) mix with musicians from all over the world on stages amongst the trees. If the sun’s out, it’s bliss. The End of the Road Festival (www.endoftheroadfestival.com Tel: 01342 892 664) in September is just as chilled, with the emphasis on longer sets that you’d get in the country’s major festivals - so you can just lie back, relax and hear some fantastic music.

A little further afield, but certainly lovely enough to be worth the effort is Sherborne. A medieval market town built in honeyed Dorset stone, with a gorgeous, bustling main street - Cheap Street - two castles and, right in the middle, stunning Sherborne Abbey, it’s about 15 miles from Child Okeford. 

Sherborne Castle (www.sherbornecastle.com Tel: 01935 813182) is one of the town’s claims to fame. Built in 1594 by Sir Walter Raleigh, the handsome Elizabethan castle sits in 40 acres of glorious Capability Brown gardens and next to its own enormous lake. Sherborne itself is a potterer’s paradise, with a maze of little alleys, stunning Georgian facades and the Abbey grounds to explore, plus great shops and places to eat (one of our favourite places to browse aimlessly is Walkabout Books (Tel: 01935 817 451), a tiny bookshop specialising in all things travel-related).

And don’t forget that the sea is within spitting distance. The vast expanse that is Poole Harbour is less than 40 minutes’ drive from Child Okeford, with boat trips to the gorgeously peaceful Brownsea Island (www.nationaltrust.org.uk Tel: 01202 707744) and top basking opportunities at the long and sandy Studland Beach (internationally renowned for its lack of pebbles, and in some designated areas, lack of bathing costumes...). The beginning of the dramatic Jurassic coastline, that stretches towards Lulworth Cove and Lyme Regis, you need only travel a few miles west to find some really breathtaking and far-from-the-madding-crowd places to escape. Thomas Hardy would have approved.

Where can I eat?

There are a couple of nice pubs in Child Okeford, which are great for pub grub and, more importantly, are within stumbling distance of Manor Barn. The pretty Saxon Inn (www.saxoninn.co.uk Tel: 01258 860310) serves up the classics, with an extremely cosy bar and roaring fires for winter afternoon sojourns.

Travel a short distance outside of Child Okeford, however, and you are spoilt for choice where foodie pubs are concerned. For some really special pub food, drive the three miles to pretty Iwerne Minster and the award-winning Talbot Inn (www.the-talbot.com Tel: 01747 811269). A rustic, British menu using the freshest local meats, seafoods, veg and cheeses has made this a popular haunt with local foodies. Or venture a little further afield to the famous Museum Inn in the gorgeous village of Farnham (www.museuminn.co.uk Tel: 01725 516261), a bit of a local gastro legend. Experienced head chef Matthew Davey presides over an elegantly rustic menu of British treats, with just as strong an emphasis on local produce. Our other favourite is the Stapleton Arms (www.thestapletonarms.com) in tiny Buckhorn Weston, ten miles in the other direction. Mouth-watering lunch and dinner menus using loads of local ingredients, including fish caught on the Dorset coast that day, meat from animals grazed on Dorset grass and vegetables grown less than 20 miles away, are brilliant - the perfect complement to lungfuls of fresh air. The home-made pork pies that are stacked on the bar are a particular favourite, while the puddings are to die for.

If it’s a “proper” restaurant you’re after, Shaftesbury is home to Le Chanterelle (Tel: 01747 852821) - a cosy and popular French dining room in a pretty 18th-century cottage. Experienced head chef Ryan Lamb uses loads of mouthwatering local produce to put together a deliciously un-pretentious menu.

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If it’s a retreat you’re after, the village’s Manor Barn B&B is the perfect place to stay. Surrounded by rolling countryside and pleasingly off the beaten track, it’s close enough to lovely Shaftesbury to keep you occupied if you need a distraction, but far enough away to feel hidden.