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I think you will all agree with me that we all need a bit of down time, to forget about lives worries and just relax. Well thanks to Kirsty and her amazing shepherd huts, Dither & Faff, I managed to grab the down time I needed, but I also got to spend it with a wonderful friend.
Dither & Faff can be found in the beautiful quaint village of Marnhull, North Dorset. If I’m honest, it’s in primary location for visiting Dorset and the surrounding areas. Wiltshire is a short drive up the road where your find Stourhead, the famous Gold Hill is just down the road in Shaftesbury, and the Jurassic coast is about an hours drive away. But to be fair you don’t have to venture out that far if you enjoy a good walk like myself.
Kirsty greeted Vicki and I at her family small holding, where we were able to leave the car. If you choose to visit in the wet or winter, pack some wellies as there is a 100 yard walk across the small holding to the shepherds huts. Dither & Faff are located at two different ends of a field, alongside Kirsty’s pet Valais Blacknose Sheep, Otto and Ludi. We stayed in Dither, the first hut that was part of the duo. A rustic wooden hut with a beautiful outside seating area and log burning hot tub.
Inside Dither & Faff
Both of the huts have the same facilities inside, the only difference is the colour themes. I like this as both are so different. Dither is more neutral pastel colours, where as Faff is more neutral deep colours. Despite this difference both are extremely homely, welcoming and relaxing.
Inside you’ll find an amazing king sized bed, which is kitted out with woolen duvets and lots of pillows and cushions. I had the most amazing sleep that I didn’t want to move from it. It’s also so big that even though Vicki and I slept toe-to-tail we never bumped into each other once. So if you don’t like sleeping next to your friend or partner, it’s great!!
You’ll find you have under the bed storage to hide all your belongings, but don’t forget to get out the board games supplied if that’s what you enjoy!
There is electric. Yes you heard me correctly! To be fair though I only used it to charge my phone, cook, oh and listen to the radio as I don’t like complete silence.
The kitchen, even though small, is amazingly equipt for a shepherds hut. All crockery, cutlery and cooking equipment is supplied. There are two electric hobbs, an oven, a fridge for anything cold and a kettle for those all important cuppas.
The log burner is a great eye catcher in the corner and all wood is supplied. We put this on thinking as it was a cold night we would need the extra warmth. Lets just say don’t underestimate these huts. It ended up so hot I had to open all the windows.
You’ll also be excited to find out you don’t need to venture outside for those midnight, ‘I need a wee’ moments. That is right, there is an ensuite bathroom in both huts with a proper toilet and shower. Towels and robes are also supplied so no need to pack extra.
The Hot Tub at Dither
Sadly only one of the huts has a hot tub at the moment and we were lucky enough to get to use it. Kirsty had been kind enough to get the log burner going before we arrived. To think a hot tub can be 100% eco-friendly is amazing. Made from wood and with cents to let the heat from the fire, the hot tub heats itself while the covers are on. Take the covers off and give the hot tub a stir and there you have it. Just make sure the fire is going strong until you get into it. As it was a miserable afternoon we hadn’t gone to check on the fire, so by the time we went to get in the fire was nearly out and the bottom was a tad on the cold side. We still managed to last half an hour chatting and stargazing inside it. Just the sound of nature. A bright moon and the stars is truly all you need!
Food Hamper
Included in the price is a food hamper prepared by the host, and can be found in places around the kitchen. We turned it into a bit of a game as everywhere we opened up we found something new.
What was included in our food hamper?Fresh bread // Eggs // Sausages // Bacon // Black Pudding // Condiments // Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate // Proper Milk // Flapjacks // Cereal // Marshmallows.
It was then perfect amount of food for our one night stay and we managed dinner and breakfast with it easily.
For me this place has everything and is something I’m looking to return to when I need down time, but don’t want to travel to far from home. To be able to actually stargaze and watch the moon with no light pollution is truly something that everyone needs to do at least once. To share a field with two of the lovest pet sheep, Otto and Ludi, just brightens up the day. Don’t forget to give then a scratch under the chin, they seemed to like that. To have everything you need in such a small space for such a great price. But lastly the small touches that made this for me are the small glass of sloe gin with a personal welcome message, and the fact that everything the hut is kitted out with is made locally in Dorset or by small businesses nearby.
If you’d like to book a stay head to https://www.canopyandstars.co.uk/britain/england/dorset/dither-faff-shepherd-s-huts/dither or https://www.ditherandfaff.co.uk. At £90 a night you really can’t go wrong!
ginandcoast.co.uk 