Recent guest reviews for The Oval Dunster

“Our sixth time at The Oval – it all started in 2013! This holiday we wanted to try something different so we walked to the top of Dunker Beacon. We lost a wellie along the way by Molly managed to retrieve it then when we reached the top we realised we’d chosen the most challenging route as the road is far easier! We drove out to Tarr Steps and the stone bridge is a wonderful sight and great to walk over. We did the circular walk, the weather was sunny and it was a perfect Autumnal day. Every evening we visited the Forresters Arms for a game of pool and to say hello to Nelson the parrot. The food is good here. We visited Kilve beach which is a gem for fossil hunting and we collected fossils and then had a drink, cakes and ice cream in the Chantry Gardens. You ring the bell to be served and eat in an outside gazebo. On our last day we headed to Lynmouth and the Valley of Rocks but we didn’t make it as we had a car sickness incident! Maybe one day…Thank Lucy and team for another memorable stay.”
Jez, Mandy, Ruby (13), Harry (9) and Molly (5), November 2023

“What a wonderful holiday home! We were enthralled when we arrived on Tuesday evening to discover this exquisite cottage. Not just a piece of history, but equipped with everything (including a Nespresso – much appreciated) you could possibly wish for. It’s certainly a home-from-home (although I wish I had your range cooker!). We really made the most of the cottage. From trips into the village for lunch, dinner and even breakfast (we can recommend Tessa’s Tearoom) to a glorious walk around Dunster Castle. The Little Book of Walks is a delightful touch. We headed off to Tarr Steps for a perfect afternoon. Can also recommend Lynmouth with its funicular railway and a spectacular walk down again. We can’t believe our luck at finding this gem. We will definitely be back. A huge thank you to Lucy for all her advice and time. See you again soon.”
Dawn, Paul, Hayley, Kevin and Amelia, October 2023

“It was even better than we remembered from our last visit nine years ago! Many thanks for letting us stay in your beautiful home. Thank you also for the doggie extras which were a lovely touch.”
The Langfords, October 2023

“This was an amazing stay. We loved it here and hope to be back. Thank you so much.”
From Gabrielle (aged 11), and the Perrier family, September 2023

“We loved Dunster. This is a wonderful home heaped with history and in an equally amazing village. We loved the walks in the area, Horner Woods, the coastal route along the cliff from Porlock Weir (a lovely place), to Culbone Church. Stepping inside the church was like stepping back through time. Two very happy ‘paws up’ from Fraser our lab for the 10km walk around Dunkery Beacon. We also really enjoyed and would recommend Cleeve Abbey. The cottage was wonderful, thank you Lucy. Everything has been thought of and every need anticipated. Thank you so much for allowing us to bring along our dog to experience this area with us. Lastly thank you for the great restaurant recommendations – Reeves, The Stag’s Head pub, The Royal Oak – all wonderful. We’ll visit Hathaway’s next time. Somerset has surprised us. We really love it here. Thank you for everything.”
Diane, David and Fraser, September 2023

“Wow, what an amazing place! When I walked through the door it took my breath away! I fell in love and didn’t want to go home. We will have special memories of this wonderful holiday spent with our mum and dad in their late 80s. We would love to come back as we adore this part of the country.”
The King family, September 2023

“The Oval is a beautiful place to stay. We were so comfortable here with everything we needed. It felt like such a luxury. Dunster is a special place and we have visited many times over the years as a family. Most recently we walked from Dunster Beach to Blue Anchor which was a lovely walk. We stopped to eat at the Driftwood Café where the coffee and food was very welcome after a such a long walk. We also visited Watchet which is a beautiful quaint town with the East Quay Arts centre which we recommend visiting. A little jewel inside the centre is the Two Rivers Paper Mill where you can watch the talented team make traditionally hand-crafted paper. Thank you to Lucy and the team for taking such are in keeping this cottage so well-equipped and comfortable for your guests.”
Danielle, Jackie and Paul, August 2023

“Many thanks, we’ve had a lovely holiday. The Oval has character and is very quirky! The kitchen equipment is second to none, absolutely everything we’ve needed!”
Jeff, Stella, Sarah, Adrian and Olivia, August 2023

“We had a lovely time at The Oval with friends coming to visit for a few days. The cottage was delightful and exceeded our expectations. We visited the Castle, Lynton and Lynmouth and Exmoor and really enjoyed the visits. Lunch at the Luttrell Arms was very good and so was dinner there the same day. We had dinner at The Forresters – a bit basic but excellent value.”
Pete and Clare, August 2023

“We all had a wonderful time staying at The Oval. We tried to fit in so much including a 12k walk and it was great to come back to The Oval. It was great to pop over to The Stag’s Head for a ‘quick one’ before having a fabulous out-of-this-world meal at Hathaways – worth giving it a try. Again, thank you for allowing us to stay and all being well, we’ll be back again.”
David, Stephen, Josh, Laura, Jane, Grace, Nipper and Peg the dogs, August 2023

“Clean, tidy, excellent facilities, host excellent with good communications and very informative. No issues of concerns about recommending or staying here in the future.”
Carol, Mark and friends, July 2023

“What an amazing cottage! So well-equipped and nothing you could want for. There is so much to do in the local area. We would highly recommend the Ploughman’s Lunch at The Copper Kettle in Dulverton and fish and chips on the harbour at Lynmouth. We had a wonderful week, sad to be leaving but hopefully we will be back. Thanks for everything.”
Beth, Paul and family, July 2023

“We had a great time at The Oval! What a lovely house and so well-equipped, especially the kitchen. Lots of interesting places to visit locally – Dunster Castle and Gardens are amazing and the church is well worth a visit. The Luttrell Arms is highly recommended for food and drinks. Thanks for a great stay.”
Dave, Lin, Paul and Alison, July 2023

“A very comfortable stay, thank you. What a beautiful village Dunster is! We loved visiting Dunster Castle, Cleeve Abbey (amazing), Watchet (for the steam train), Minehead (v good Tesco), Lynton and Lynmouth (and the water train), Mortehoe, Coombe Martin and Exmoor – all lovely for walking. The house is very well-equipped which we were grateful for and made use of most items! We were three adults and found the beds comfortable. Fab to see you had plug-in fans in case it was very hot – you really have thought of everything.”
Kenneth, Lesley and Craig, July 2023

“Thank you for providing us with a wealth of information. We followed many of your recommendations and had a wonderful visit. We felt that we were able to explore Exmoor very well. We were absolutely delighted with The Oval. The house is magical to stay in. The children delighted in staying in a house that is nearly 700 years old – this is amazing for us as we come from Australia. Thank you also for the delicious afternoon welcome pack.”
Jason, Catharine, James (12), Clare (10) and David (6), June 2023

“What an amazing house, we loved it, well-equipped too. So nice to sit outside after our day’s travels to unwind with a glass of wine or two. The children’s equipment was brilliant, Olivia (2) loved the books, toys and highchair. It’s such a lovely village to explore, and the surrounding area, beaches and countryside are outstanding. The welcome cake was delicious. We will definitely be back, thank you.”
Lisa, Andrew, Olivia, Sue and John, June 2023

“What a beautiful house! We enjoyed our stay so much. The children loved exploring the garden and relaxing on the top terrace, as did the adults! We were so blessed with the weather and so were able to enjoy the beach and lovely Exmoor. Thank you so much – we would happily recommend The Oval to anyone – a perfect place to stay.”
John, Pat, Liz, Jose (7) and Rafael (4), June 2023

“We’ve had the best time in your beautiful house. From the welcome cuppa, and cake to our own happy hour! We had morning coffee at Tessa’s Tea Room, then a stroll around the village, and a visit to the Castle is not to be missed. We can also recommend a trip on the open top bus to Lynton and Lynmouth for a great day out. We will treasure our memories of Dunster and in particular our stay at The Oval. Thank you so much.”
Dot and Mike the Aussies, May 2023

“Thank you for a very last minute break! Despite the weather we had a lovely time.”
Amanda, Emlyn and Molly the dog, May 2023

“A very pleasant stay that was over far too quickly. The house is very quirky but in a good way, very different to the normal run of the mill accommodation. We enjoyed Dunster and the surrounding area. Visited Dunster castle (highly recommended), also went to Lynton and Lynmouth, Exford, Blue Anchor and Minehead for breakfasts. We can thoroughly recommend the evening meals at the Foresters Arms just up the road. All in all, a very nice break. Thanks very much indeed.”
Steve, Jan Chris and John, April 23

“Another amazing stay here at The Oval and over far too quickly. Our youngest was in a cot when we first stayed at The Oval and he turns 10 in July! We’ve stayed here every Easter and still love it as much as we did 10 years ago. There is nothing we don’t love about this cottage, it’s just perfect! Our Easter break was very similar to other years, but why change the things you love doing? We’ve enjoyed many evenings at The Foresters Arms (still our favourite pub) and cream teas at Tessa’s Tea Room in Dunster and The Whortleberry Shop in Porlock. Dunster Beach is always a must while we’re here and our dog absolutely loves it. Now our children are getting older we did a bit of research into other activities we could do in the area and we discovered Wimbleball Lake. What a find! We loved kayaking and paddleboarding and Dunster the dog enjoyed the many beautiful walks around the lake. The icing on the cake, whatever we’ve done during the day while in Somerset has always been coming back here to The Oval, lighting a fire and opening a bottle of wine! We’re looking forward to seeing in 2024 here in December.”
The Fosters, April 2023

“We booked at the last minute for the Welsh half-term getaway. It was just what we all needed. Such a relaxing week in beautiful surroundings. Lucy truly had thought of everything to help make our stay comfortable. The Snowdrop Valley was well worth a visit. The kitchen and stove were a joy to cook on. We loved the wood burner.”
Cath, Steve, Morgan and Caitlin and Pepper the black lab, February 2023

“We booked The Oval as a last minute retreat, and arrived armed with easel, paints and music to get some work done. Once we lit the fire and started to enjoy the ambience and cosiness of The Oval, they all got left in the car! We just had a wonderful time and Pearl our whippet thought so too. Thank you Lucy and team for making it so perfect.”
Philip, Louise and Pearl, January 2023

“A fabulous few days leading up to New Year. We would love to come again to experience the warmer weather. We really enjoyed the log fire. Very impressed with how clean the whole cottage is. We would recommend the Breakfast and Brunch delivery – it was out of this world. Thank you for making the property so festive for our few days.”
Bruce, Liz, Kyran and Keri, December 2022

“Thank you for a lovely stay at The Oval. We have stayed in Dunster before but nothing has compared to the quaint and cost cottage so beautifully decorated for Christmas. We managed to hike up to Bats Castle and take a day trip to the River Barle and Tarr Steps despite the weather. We saw the first part of the Doone Valley in torrential rain and mist. I am now going to read Lucy’s Little Book of Walks! We highly recommend the Born Tearoom just up West Street where we had tea and mine pies and tasted the local gin.”
Wendy and Maggie, December 2022

“This was our second visit to The Oval at this time of the year as we enjoyed it so much the first time round. We extended our stay to 10 days to make the most of the wonderful local walks with our dogs. We recommend Grabbist Hill on a clear day for stunning views to Wales and along the Channel. The beach walk is also good, taking you past Dunster station. We were surprised by the size of the beach and its so clean. Best of all was coming back to the lovely cosy cottage and settling down in front of the log fire in the evenings. Thank you Lucy and team for a wonderful holiday.”
Linda, John, Dave and Lin, December 2022

“A fantastic experience stepping into a time machine with all the ‘mod cons’. Dunster by Candlelight was as bright and colourful as usual. Everyone was friendly and cheerful and helpful. The Oval is very clean and has everything one could wish for – well done!”
Christine, David, Emma and Izzabelle, December 2022

Check the availability of each of our cottages and book online.