Beaminster Vacation Rentals

Set in the rolling hills of West Dorset BEAMINSTER has views to the coast for Chesil Beach, Weymouth, Lyme Regis and Bridport to name but a few of the truly delightful quaint fishing villages on our doorstep. BEAMINSTER itself is a small market town with beautiful central square (useful for parking) The shops are set around the square and there is a good selection including 2 butchers, small supermarket, greengrocers, several gift and anqtique shops, ladies fashion house, a bank, hairdressers, bakery, French Patisserie, tea & coffee shop, estate agent, Post Office, Chemist, 2 Hotels and 2 Bistros a Pizza Parlour and a Chinese Takeaway. There are several very high class hotels in the surrounding area and two or three TV personalities live in the town.
Parnham House, the former home of John Makepiece ,is on the outskirts of town with many acres now open to the public at certain times to view both house and gardens. The entire area surrounding Beaminster is a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" and within a conservation area. The majority of the properties are built of the local mellow stone which symbolises this whole area.
It is basically a farming area with many dairy farms. Footpaths abound with several of them being nationally recognised. The Parrett Trail being one that starts just outside Beaminster at a little hamlet high on the hilll called Chedington. This is where Thomas Hardy wrote about Tess of the Durbervilles and reference can seen in the novel to all these lovely surrounding villages. The Thomas Hardy monument is on the coast road towards Weymouth and well worth a look. Another well known footpath is the Monarch Trail which again can be picked up in Beaminster. There are hundreds of smaller footpaths and bridleways all shown on the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder maps of this area.
Horse Riding is also very popular and several stables do encourage daily hacking for visitors. There are 3 golf courses all within 5 miles. Sutton Bingham Resevoir, just outside Beaminster, is the ideal place for coarse fishing and sailing.