Reviews

“We have had an enjoyable stay here at The Oval. A very well-equipped cottage, comfy beds, great kitchen, good Wi-Fi! We enjoyed several days on Minehead beach with lunches at Café Cream and some crazy golf at the Jubilee Café. We did the Dunster circular walk and saw ponies by Bats Castle up on the moor. Visiting Dunster Castle was very interesting with lovely gardens and the watermill was working. We ventured further afield to Withypool, Winsford and the river walk at Tarr Steps, capped off with dinner at Woods in Dulverton. We also recommend Hathaways and Reeves in Dunster as well as China Garden in Alcombe for takeaway. There are still lots of places to visit to visit in the area so maybe we will be back one day!”
The Barnes Family, August 2021

“What a wonderful place Dunster is, and The Oval sums it up perfectly – we love the history, and this is living history. The walking has been wonderful. We have visited the Lake District on many occasions and the walking here is on a par – with more variety in terms of woodland, water and open moorland all on the same walks, with views of the sea too. We loved Dunkery Beacon, the highest spot-on Exmoor, the ridge walk across the Quantocks and the truly beautiful Doone Valley. If you want a real challenge, try reading Lorna Doone while you are staying here! For an Indian takeaway, The Alcombe Tandoori is excellent, and Dana’s Fish & Chip Shop in Minehead is also good. We loved the whole experience here – oh and try the cider at Torre Farm!
James, Maryam, Freddie and Walter the dog, August 2021

“We enjoyed our two weeks stay in the stunning village of Dunster and were very comfortable in this beautiful cottage. We were very blessed with the weather and were able to enjoy lots of walks with our two dogs. The Little Book of Walks was very handy to have and we managed most of them! The people of Dunster were so friendly and welcoming and we enjoyed many cream teas in the village – Cobblestones was our favourite! We highly recommend Reeves restaurant for food. The staff were so accommodating – managing to fit six of us in there times! Thank you to Lucy and the team!”
Lesley, Kenny, Lorraine, Ricky, Sophie and Jenny plus Poppy and Lucy the dogs, July 2021

“We had a lovely stay. Walked to the Castle, visited the local pubs, strolled around the village. Ate at Reeves restaurant, a great meal! Love the house – very well-equipped, and the terrace – I NEED some of those lovely coloured chairs! See you again Dunster.”
Chris, Leigh, Sam and Paul, July 2021

“Although we’ve stayed here a number of times, I cannot seem to find any evidence of any Guest Book entries – so these comments are covering many years of coming to The Oval during 30 years of visiting West Somerset. Of all the places we’ve stayed since the late 1980s, The Oval is the one that offers the fullest Somerset flavour! It’s welcoming, comfortable, beautiful – and just ‘shabby chic’ enough to allow you to relax completely in any of the rooms! Seriously, The Oval is a complete delight in a stunning village in the most beautiful countryside in England. We will be back again, and again.
Phil, Rebecca, Tilly and Bailey, July 2021

“Great to be back in The Oval. It was as comfortable as ever. Dunster is a good location from which to explore the beautiful Exmoor countryside. The weather was hot and sunny, so we enjoyed the local walks between archery competitions, plus our geocaching trips. We had a lovely meal at Reeves on our last evening. Looking forward to returning again next year for the GWAS Dunster Archery Week. Thanks to Lucy and her management team for a great stay.”
Val, Dave and Andy, June 2021

“Another lovely stay at The Oval. A trip down memory lane for my husband and his parents who used to stay here when my mother-in-law’s cousin Claire Hoare ran this house as a B&B back in the late 70s and 80s. We had a great Sunday lunch at Reeves in the village and returned for a fabulous evening meal. Lovely cake at Tessa’s Tearoom. Brilliant walks from Gallox Bridge. For days out, go to Bossington and have the best coffee at Kitnors Tearoom. The kids loved Minehead. Dunster Castle is good, and the gardens are amazing. We love the deck at the top of the garden. It was nice to have such lovely weather to enjoy the sundowners! We forgot our dog’s food bowls, but no matter, as there were some here. Thank you.”
Kate, Jon, Alan, Mel, Daisy, Matilda and Margot the dog, June 2021

“What a wonderful week we have had. The whole place was completely catered for and nothing was needed at all! Thank you for a lovely stay, we will definitely come back for more rest and relaxation.”
Mark, Sam, and Fudge the dog, May 2021

“All credit to Lucy and her team, a wonderful place to stay with everything well thought-out. We used to visit Exmoor eight years ago or so, and this has just reminded us how much we love it.”
The Butler family, May 2021

“What a way to come out of lockdown – another holiday where we have made some amazing memories. Great walks with the boys and woofer to Hurlstone Point and Grabbist Hill, a night-time trip through the graveyard, duck racing and playing on the swings in the woods are just a few of the things we got up to. The terrace was beautiful in the evenings, wrapped up in blankets, drinking hot chocolate. We highly recommend Periwinkle Tearooms – after all our years staying here this was a new one for us. It’s a shame we were only here for five days instead of our planned two weeks, but we are already booked for next year and cannot wait to come back to the best cottage ever.”
Team Foster and Dunster the Dog, April 2021

“Thank you for the beautiful welcome cake – what a treat! As always, ‘The Oval’ was a delight to stay in, and even more beautiful at Christmas time. We are so fortunate to have moved our holiday from March to now – it has been a welcome break from the turbulent year we are all having. Fab weather, wonderful walks, roaring fires, good food, books, a little piece of heaven on earth – thank you to all the team for the incredible effort you have put in, we could not have felt more welcomed. May next year to be kinder to us all.”
The Strutts – Chris, Tina, Sue and Vicki and Poppy and Herbie the dogs, December 2020

“Gary and I were so pleased that we were able to spend three nights of our planned seven night stay here at our ‘second home’ as we call it for our pre-Christmas holiday. We did our bit and brought something in each shop to do our bit to help! Thank you again for letting us stay in your beautiful cottage.”
Kathy and Gary Woodruff, December 2020

“We had the most fantastic week. There are so many brilliant walks on the doorstep. Dunster is great! The walk to Bat’s Castle late afternoon was really lovely. Leaving feeling refreshed and relaxed. Thank you.”
Amanda, Andrew, Sue, Will, Katie and Teddy and Lola (the dogs), October 2020

“We have stayed at The Oval many times and every time its been just brilliant, even in these times of doom and gloom. The cottages itself is just the perfect place to be. It’s a shame we couldn’t have been in lockdown while here!!! We will be back again, that’s for sure. Many thanks to Lucy and the team as it was just perfect, even the weather.”
The Owen family, October 2020

“We have had a wonderful week at The Oval. The cake was a lovely touch, thank you. We had lovely meals at Hathaways and Reeves and enjoyed some good walks (often wet!). The cottage is lovely and very well-equipped – everything we could wish for. Very privileged to stay in such an old property. Thank you for a lovely week.”
Laurence, Andrea, Bailey and Oscar the dogs, October 2020

“Thank you to all at Exmoor Character Cottages for a superb stay. This was our first stay in Dunster, and the surrounding areas and it was superb. The Oval was a perfect break for us and Archie the dog, with its period features and modern tech. We loved our stay, we loved The Oval, we loved the village and Exmoor is a pure delight – we cannot recommend it highly enough. Thank you, Lucy and team, we will see you very soon.”
The Masons and Archie the dog, September 2020

“What a charming place The Oval is – it exceeded our high expectations after reading the reviews from guests online! Everything and more we could have wanted for an Autumn break. We know our two little dogs were totally at home here, and so safe for curious pooches! The four-poster bed was bliss and everything was so well organised for our arrival. Cake for us and doggie treats for the boys! We felt safe even in Covid-19. So clean, tidy, perfect. Thank you, Lucy and team for making our stay so lovely.”
Yvonne, Martin, Pip and Benji the dogs, September 2020

“Thank you to Lucy and the team for providing such a warm welcome on our arrival, and for the wealth of information. We’ve loved our stay at The Oval – the mixture of the old features of the cottage with all the mod cons.”
Libby and Phil, September 2020

“We have had a lovely holiday in Dunster. Somerset is special to us all and never disappoints. The Oval is a beautiful cottage, and the children loved the chocolate cake! In a world that is very different at the moment, we all felt very safe and happy to venture into the local shops. We were all made very welcome at The Forresters Arms pub. The cottage has everything we needed, and more, and we will be sad to be leaving. Until the next time…”
Stacey, Mark, Daisy, Matilda, Caroline and Winston the dog, August 2020

“We had a great stay at The Oval. Thank you very much for the welcome pack and all the information. The cottage had everything we needed. We hope to return another year!”
Katalin, Michael, Adam, Abigail, Daniel and Bert the dog, August 2020

“Our first time staying at The Oval has been full of fun and enjoyment. We love the cottage, its long history, character and reassuring cleanliness! Very well-equipped, and ideally situated as a base for Dunster and Exmoor. We look forward to returning to The Oval next year.”
Paul, Sarah, Daisy, Alexander and Poppy and Ridley the dog, August 2020

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