Notes from the host
Character Home
A cosy pet friendly family house that straddles the river Lym, set in the historic centre of Lyme Regis. 3 minutes level walk to the beach and shops. Comfy seating for 12 in the large main lounge, with exposed 200 + year old Blue Lias stonework and wood beams. The large dinning room has 2 expanding tables for up to 14 people and additional lounge seating, an open log fireplace (wood supplied) with a unique glass floor panel to view the river below, which can be lit at night. West facing 'sunset' garden with patio and covered outside kitchen/wood fired pizza oven/BBQ and dining facilities. Perfect for evening cocktails/glass of wine, with cooking herbs growing in the garden. Rear access to the Town Mill, micro brewery/bar, river walk and short cut to the shops. Parking for 4 cars in our long but narrow yard. Well behaved pets welcome.
We have alcohol hand sanitisers and cleaning products available for guests to use.
To ensure our weekends are available to as many people as possible, we prefer weekend stays to be Fridays to Mondays. Mid week stays should start or end on a Monday or Friday, with a 3 night minimum stay. Week long stays should start on a Friday or Monday. Requests for a Saturday or Sunday arrival/departure will need to be negotiated with us, which will include an additional cleaning fee.
All 5 bedrooms are on the first floor. Room 1 has a king size bed with an en-suite shower room. Room 2 has an en-suite bathroom with a super-king bed that can be separated into 2 singles. 3 non en-suite bedrooms have sinks and all rooms have cupboards with hangers. There is a communal shower room and a separate communal toilet and sink. We have a travel cot with bedding, a high chair and potty. On the ground floor, we have a large lounge, dinning room/lounge and kitchen. Our front room is a second lounge and can be used as a quiet space, children activities or an extra bedroom with its comfortable sofa bed for 2 people if required. The main lounge has a side door to the yard with a convenient basic outside toilet 2 steps from the lounge, via a covered porch. The house has various levels, is not suitable for wheelchairs but has grab rails on stairs and level changes. We have smoke and CO detectors, foam fire extinguishers and emergency lighting on all stairs and exit doors.
We have Sky TV & Netflix, a DVD player (with some DVDs for children and adults) and WiFi. Reception for mobile phones is not always good inside the house due to thick walls and our location at the bottom of the valley. Use WiFi apps for good connections, or go outside for reception. We have a well equipped kitchen, a 2 level grill BBQ (replace fuel after use), wood fired oven suitable for pizzas, casserole, roasts, bread making and smoking fish etc. We supply wood and kindling and instructions for use. Garden table and chairs on the garden patio (move dinning chairs outside for extra 'al fresco' eating space). Herbs in the garden can be used for cooking. We have some books, children toys and books, board games and a piano. We have plenty of buckets and spades for the beach. Central heating in every room has thermostatic controls on each radiator. Our open log burning fireplace can be used - wood supplied.
Founded over 1,200 years ago, when monks from Sherborne set up a sea salt works by the mouth of the river Lym, Lyme Regis sits on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast. Known as ‘The Pearl of Dorset’, it is rich in history, the arts and leisure activities and has a growing reputation as a 'food' destination. There are a number of annual cultural and community festivals throughout the year. River House is in the heart of the 'cultural quarter' and oldest part of town, next to the restored Town Mill - its working water wheel produces flour and hydroelectric power and hosts a cluster of craft producers and regular art exhibitions. We are a few metres away from the Philpot Museum, Dinosaurland, Marine Theatre and several art galleries. Excellent restaurants, bakery, cafes, pubs, interesting independent shops, 2 small supermarket branches and 2 cash points are close by. The historic grade 1 listed Cobb harbour facilitates numerous sea activities and the sheltered seafront has the only gently shelving sandy beach for miles around – perfect for young children. The coast is famous for fossils and Lyme is next to Europe’s largest active landslide, constantly exposing new fossils. Do not go close to the cliffs when fossil hunting or sun bathing, as rock falls can occur at any time! A children's sport and play park with pirate ship climbing frames etc is 3 minutes level walk inland. Skate and BMX park is 5 minutes walk up Charmouth Road, at the back of the large long stay car park. Coombe Street is narrow and partly one-way. Consequently, it has little traffic, is generally quiet and pedestrians normally use the whole street.
Once you have settled in River House, everything in Lyme Regis is within walking distance. There are good road connections in and out of Lyme. Trains stop at Axminster, 6 miles by bus or taxi. Buses generally connect with trains. There are many trails and bridleways to explore the surrounding Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Jurassic Coast, either by foot, bicycle (some steep areas) or horse riding. Kayaks, sea taxis and local fishing boats all can be hired to give different experiences of the sea. Visiting sailing and powerboats can hire moorings and parking. Guided fossil and cultural/literary walking tours share expert knowledge. Airports are in Exeter, Bristol, Bournemouth and Southampton. Ferries sail from Weymouth, Poole, Southampton and Plymouth.
Some facilities and businesses may have changed their normal opening hours or operating procedures during the Covid19 pandemic.