The Orchard Country House in Rousdon | Stunning Dorset Group Cottage

About The Orchard Country House

The Orchard Country House is a massive self-catering holiday home near the Devon/Dorset border. This detached property sleeps 26 guests across 13 bedrooms, making it perfect for large group bookings. All bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms and the property offers parking for 15 cars. The house includes two fully equipped kitchens, eight TVs and a popular bar area.

Located just 10 minutes from Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, the area offers stunning coastal walks and spectacular sea views. The property sits in wraparound gardens with lawns, orchard areas and patio spaces for outdoor dining.

Accommodation includes ground-floor twin bedroom, various twin and double rooms, plus king-size and super-king options on upper floors. Two kitchens with dual cooking facilities feature electric and gas ovens, two dishwashers, full-sized fridges and freezers. The large dining room seats everyone together, whilst separate sitting room and snug provide additional social spaces.

Groups can visit Lyme Regis (10 minutes), Charmouth Beach (3 miles), Axminster (6 miles) and Bridport (10 miles). The famous Cobb Harbour and fossil hunting beaches offer excellent group activities along this World Heritage coastline.

The Orchard Country House delivers exceptional space and facilities for large groups. Perfect for family reunions, celebrations and multi-generational holidays wanting coastal access with ample room to spread out.

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At Sykes Cottages

Need To Know

✓Oil central heating with open fire
✓Electric oven, grill and hob, gas range cooker with oven, grill and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, 2 x dishwasher
✓Eight tv's, cd player, wifi
✓Fuel and power included in rent
✓Bed linen and towels included in rent
✓Off-road parking for up to 15 cars
✓Wraparound gardens, lawns, orchard, patio areas, furniture
✓Up to three well-behaved dogs are welcome
✓Sorry, no smoking
✓Shop 3 miles, pub 3.1 miles
✓Note: logs are not supplied

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What Guests Love

What do previous guests think about their group stay at The Orchard Country House

Spacious accommodation for large groups

13 en-suite bedrooms sleeping 26 guests with plenty of space for everyone to spread out comfortably.

Two fully equipped kitchens

Dual cooking facilities with two ovens, dishwashers and fridges make catering for large groups much easier.

Popular bar area for socialising

Dedicated bar space becomes the social hub where groups gather for drinks and entertainment.

Excellent parking facilities

Off-road parking for 15 cars means no worries about finding spaces for large group arrivals.

Perfect location near coast

Just 10 minutes from Lyme Regis and Jurassic Coast with easy access to beaches.

Large dining room for gatherings

Spacious dining area where entire groups can eat together with ample crockery and cutlery provided.

Getting To The Orchard Country House

Find your way to your perfect countryside retreat

By Car

To reach The Orchard Country House by car, follow the A35 towards Lyme Regis and take the turning towards Uplyme. The property is easily accessible from main roads and you'll have convenient off-road parking for up to 15 cars upon arrival.

By Train

For those travelling by rail, the nearest station is Axminster, approximately 6 miles away from the accommodation. From there, it's a short taxi ride to your group accommodation near the Devon/Dorset border.

Off-road parking for 15 cars

Axminster station (6 miles)

Easily accessible from the A35

Group Attractions & More Nearby

Stuff for larger groups and families to try!

Lyme Regis Museum

Distance: 3.2 miles (6 min drive)

DT7 3QA

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum

Distance: 3.2 miles (6 min drive)

DT7 3PY

Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium

Distance: 3.3 miles (7 min drive)

DT7 3JJ

Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs NNR

Distance: 0.9 miles (3 min drive)

DT7 3XU

Wessex Ridgeway

Distance: 4 miles (10 min drive)

Golden Cap

Distance: 9.9 miles (19 min drive)

DT6 6EP

The Rousdon Village Bakery

Distance: 0.1 miles (2 min walk)

DT7 3XW

Ammonite

Distance: 3 miles (5 min drive)

DT7 3JB

Tesco

Distance: 4.7 miles (9 min drive)

EX12 2US

Axminster Station

Distance: 6.7 miles (11 min drive)

EX13 5PF

Honiton Station

Distance: 15.6 miles (23 min drive)

EX14 2DA

Exeter Airport

Distance: 21.1 miles (37 min drive)

EX5 2BD

Lyme Regis Museum

Distance: 3.2 miles (6 min drive)

DT7 3QA

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum

Distance: 3.2 miles (6 min drive)

DT7 3PY

Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium

Distance: 3.3 miles (7 min drive)

DT7 3JJ

Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs NNR

Distance: 0.9 miles (3 min drive)

DT7 3XU

Wessex Ridgeway

Distance: 4 miles (10 min drive)

Golden Cap

Distance: 9.9 miles (19 min drive)

DT6 6EP

The Rousdon Village Bakery

Distance: 0.1 miles (2 min walk)

DT7 3XW

Ammonite

Distance: 3 miles (5 min drive)

DT7 3JB

Tesco

Distance: 4.7 miles (9 min drive)

EX12 2US

Axminster Station

Distance: 6.7 miles (11 min drive)

EX13 5PF

Honiton Station

Distance: 15.6 miles (23 min drive)

EX14 2DA

Exeter Airport

Distance: 21.1 miles (37 min drive)

EX5 2BD

Is The Orchard Country House Right For Your Group

Discover why this cottage is the one for your party or family reunion...

For Families

The property offers excellent facilities for children with a separate snug room that works perfectly as a play area. The wraparound gardens provide outdoor space for running around, though supervision is needed as the garden isn't fully enclosed. Eight TVs throughout the house keep different age groups entertained.

Groups Will Love...

The standout group feature is the dedicated bar area that becomes the social heart of any large gathering. Combined with two fully equipped kitchens featuring dual ovens, dishwashers and extensive crockery for 26 guests, plus a massive dining room where everyone eats together, this creates perfect group holiday dynamics.

Pet Friendly

Up to three well-behaved dogs are welcome at The Orchard Country House. However, pet owners should note the garden is not fully enclosed and the property sits on a main road, so constant supervision is required when dogs are outside for their safety.

Dining & Cafes

Taste the local flavours during your stay at The Orchard Country House

The Talbot Arms

Located 3.1 miles from your accommodation.

Postcode: DT7 3HX

Local Café near property

Located 2 minutes walk from your accommodation.

Postcode: DT7 3XW

Lyme Regis Harbour Inn

Located 10 minutes from your accommodation.

Postcode: DT7 3JF

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to our most common questions about The Orchard Country House

Is The Orchard Country House suitable for large groups?

Yes, this property is specifically designed for large groups sleeping up to 26 guests across 13 bedrooms. Every bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom and there are two kitchens plus a large dining room where everyone can eat together.

Is the property pet friendly?

Yes, up to three well-behaved dogs are welcome at The Orchard Country House. However, the garden is not fully enclosed, so pets will need supervision when outside as the property is located on a main road.

What cooking facilities are available for large groups?

The property features two fully equipped kitchens with electric and gas ovens, two dishwashers, full-sized fridges and freezers, plus microwave and all cooking utensils. There's ample crockery, cutlery and serving dishes for 26 guests.

How many cars can park at the property?

The Orchard Country House provides off-road parking for up to 15 cars. This makes it ideal for large group bookings where multiple families are travelling separately to the same destination.

What entertainment facilities are available?

The property includes eight TVs throughout, a CD player and a popular bar area that guests particularly enjoy. There's also a separate snug room that works well as a children's play area.

How close is the property to the beach?

Lyme Regis and its beaches are just 10 minutes away by car from The Orchard Country House. Charmouth Beach, famous for fossil hunting, is only 3 miles away making coastal activities easily accessible.

What heating is provided in the property?

The property has oil central heating throughout plus an open fire in the sitting room. The main living areas are kept warm and comfortable for large group gatherings.

Are there good transport links to the property?

There's a bus stop right outside the driveway with regular local bus services available. Having a car is recommended for exploring the area.

Popular Stays Near This Cottage

The Orchard Country House Reviews

The house is in a great location and easy to get the bus to places to walk back from. The dishwashers were not very good and the house could do with a bit of love. But for a big get together the layout was good. There were no children friendly plates or a high chair which would have been helpful.

A wonderful big house for a family holiday. Plenty of room, nice and clean with all facilities thought of, with a lovely and useful welcome pack. The house is quite worn and we itched to do a bit of painting, finishing etc but it is perfectly adequate for our large family of 23 and dog. It is in a great position for all the local beaches and places of interest. Masses of parking, and room to do everything.

The house is spacious, clean and in a great location for visiting lots of lovely places along the South coast. We were particularly impressed with the bedrooms, and appreciated having a large car park. As others have mentioned, some of the showers need attention and the lights in the dining room are too bright and it was disappointing that the garden furniture was too old and dirty to be usable but overall we had a lovely holiday, thank you.

Amanda

This house was absolutely ideal for our annual family gathering, and had all the space and facilities we needed. The decor is a bit tired, but we didn't expect luxury for the price that was paid, and with the house in an ideal location for exploring that part of Dorset, we all had a great week. The only thing that let it down was that we didn't have any hot water for 3 days to most parts of the house. We had seen previous reviews about the state of the plumbing in the building, and had been assured by Sykes that this would be dealt with before our stay, and yet it wasn't. That is not acceptable, and it really needs some serious investment so that it doesn't impact on other people's stays in the future.

This was the perfect property for a family gathering as each room had its own bathroom facilities. The kitchen was well equipped for cooking, prepping and serving, dining room and sitting room vast. The shower pressure in some of the rooms is very poor and the gardens are not secure as there are no gates so you may need to keep an eye on your dogs and children. Overall though, we all thought it was very good and we had a great time.

Rosanna

This was the perfect place for a family party to celebrate a 90th birthday. It had everything we needed, with enough space for adults and children alike. The company were so accommodating, allowing us an early check in and late check out to ensure we got the most out of our weekend. The location is fantastic for accessing both Lyme Regis and Seaton. We would definitely look to stay here again for another family event.

When we arrived the heating hadnt been put on in the property which wasnt very welcoming and smelt really musty throughout every room. Most of the showers didnt work properly , some toilets didnt flush . One of the bedroom curtain rail came down. The Fire door to the lounge couldnt be shut as the settee was in the way. The Fire door to the kitchen was wedged open with fire extinguisher one bedroom had the shelf hanging off. The plates and cutlery were all dirty and had to be put back through the dishwasher before use . We had to call a maintenance man out in the morning after arriving at the property. We then went out for the day only to find that after he had been when we returned to the property water was dripping from the ceiling in the entrance Reception room so we had to get an emergency plumber out. On the last evening one of the microwave ovens started smoking and thought it would catch fire. Overall the property needs a good overhaul. The property itself has plenty of room and the added benefit of ensuite bathrooms to each bedroom, however due to the lack of maintenance it completely lets this property down.

Rebecca

Amazing property! Effortlessly accommodated our group, offering loads of privacy, yet large social rooms where needed. Beds comfy, everything clean. Outside space great, especially for parking all the cars. Location close to beautiful seaside. We had a perfect winter escape and the Christmas tree was a lovely touch, thank you!

Accommodation was as expected with plenty of room. We had a meal prepared by others for 19 and it worked well. Could not get one boiler to run so some bedrooms were on the cold side. It is impossible to speak to a person at Lyme Bay Holidays by telephone!

The property was absolutely perfect for our group of 19. Great that all the bedrooms were ensuite. Kitchen really well equipped. Living room and dining room large and all the group plus dogs had loads of space. Car parking great. The only thing that would be good was if the garden or part of the garden was enclosed. It would have been nice to let the dogs out safely, without one of us having to be there. Overall though a great house

Catherine

This house completely met our brief for what we wanted. The good things the place was very clean, the bed linen was a very good quality. The kitchen was very well set up for catering for a large number of people, and there was plenty of crockery and cutlery. There was lots of hot water. Lots of space for socialising. Plenty of parking, and while not extensive, the gardens and outdoor spaces were large enough for a few games. The niggles decoration wise, the place was a little tired. A couple of the chairs in the dining room were wobbly. There was no lock on the downstairs loo. One of the dishwashers had to be loaded carefully as otherwise the bottom traydrawer sank onto the spinning arm and dishes etc didnt get washedrinsed properly. Some of the party thought the water pressure in their showers was a bit low, but it was fine in my room. WiFi didnt extend to all the bedrooms. To be properly dog friendly there really needs to be a gate across the main entrance. But the good points very much outweighed the niggles, which could be worked around or tolerated, and we had a great weekend.

Rosemary

There were quite a few things that were not in excellent order at the house and I am sending an email to Sykes explaining these things in more detail. Overall the house was perfect for the number of people and we all enjoyed our stay enormously. We just felt there should be a little more attention to detail. Thank you for the welcome pack that was unexpected. We hope we left the house to the owners satisfaction.

Philip

Sorry , but the big let down for us was the number of room tvs that didnt work . With our learning disabled group the room tvs are important and for a cost of over 7000 for our 10 night stay I would expect that all tvs would be working

Second time of staying at this property. . there have definitely been some improvements. The cleanliness was much better! The house was toasty warm and the garden was free of the massive weeds. Somethings still odd, Room 5 we couldn't open the main windows but the small middle window was locked open.. the bath in room 5 was also capped so you could only shower. There was another bath capped as well. No point in having capped baths, why not just change into shower rooms. Much safer than clambering into the bath for the overhead shower. The overall feel of the building is dated.. however the space is really good and we could all spread out and not feel on top of each other. Can I suggest some tongs in the kitchen for turning food.

What a lovely house. We were very impressed with the facilities, the layout and all the equipment provided. The welcome pack was a nice touch and it was nice to have so many pots and pans, cooking utensils, dishwasher tablets and tea towels provided as we always cook for the whole family. There was a bit of a problem in room 4 with the shower which was little more than a trickle but apart from that everything was fine. The house is a bit isolated so you definitely need a car as there are no pubs or shops that you can walk to and the bus service is very patchy.

We were a big group of all ages meeting over New Year and we very much appreciated the two working dishwashers and the two kitchens. The house was lovely and warm downstairs and we had plenty of space in the dining room to all eat together, with ample crockery, glasses and cutlery. The bar area was a particular hit! We have booked again for next New Year.

Candice

This was a great property for 20 of us mix of adults and kids for our annual Christmas get together. Good sized bedrooms, each with their own ensuit, which was very helpful. Great sized living room, dining room and kitchen. Bar area was a lovely bonus. Everything was clean, tidy and spacious. Some beds were less comfortable than others and overall the property is a little tired and could do with some redecorating, but that didn't stop us enjoying the place. Warning to dog owners, or those with younger children, the garden is not closed in secure, so they would need supervision outdoors. Would still highly recommend and return some day.

Victoria

Had a fabulous stay with family and friends. House was well equipped for a large gathering. The bar area was a big hit and the small sitting room was perfect as a play room for the children. Only things that need improving, no wifi in the small sitting room we had to use a guests hot spot, and the showers need looking at in rooms 4 and 7 as the water was dribbling out. It would be good if the cleaners checked the remotes had working batteries as we had to go out and buy some. Overall we had a great time and would recommend the house for celebrations

Stephen

With the evenings turning cooler we tried to take the chill out of the house. Unfortunately, despite turning the thermostat up and adjusting individual radiator thermostats, we couldnt get any heat into several rooms which appeared to be on a separate heating system. The instructions provided werent much help either. This was slightly annoying and did affect some guests comfort.

Gillian

The house suited our large party well but it was tired the shower in bedroom 2 was either scalding hot or cold and a trickle. There was no clear signposting of the house so spent 20 extra minutes trying to find it. The house needs modernisation in the plumbing department and a thorough deep clean. Otherwise it was a lovely stay.

Having read previous reviews we were sceptical but on arrival were pleasantly surprised. The property is tired in places but that didn't worry us. The house was roomy enough for us all to be apart if needed. It was well stocked and plenty of seating for everyone. The heating was lacking in some bedrooms but we didn't need it anyway. We knew from reviews that the gardens were not secure so made provisions to enclose children and dogs but maybe this could be made clearer in the property description. Our only 'complaint' would be that maybe the house could have more grass at the rear and less gravelcar park now that it is no longer a hotel.

Elizabeth

We had a good holiday but we felt it needed a general overhaul. Paintwork in places was bad. Settees were not comfortable especially the ones by the TV. The worst thing was that nearly all the bedrooms had no heating it was just as well it wasn't frosty.

Very disappointed to be charged for carpet stains that preexisting our visit. The property is only on average condition and we were not asked to photograph and note any such issues. Poorly dealt with by Sykes as well. While we would love to return we are looking elsewhere as this left the whole party feeling like we were liars.

Stephen

We had an issue with a loose banister it was sorted quickly.

Catherine

A truly wonderful large house perfect for our extended family gathering. It was lovely and warm when we arrived in the main area but the dining room and most of the bedrooms were cold as the heating wasnt on. We phoned the contact number, an engineer came out and then the heating worked everywhere. We were very surprised, and disappointed, to find no provision for recycling, just one large general rubbish bin. Overall, we had a great weekend, the house is well equipped with everything you could possibly need.

Fantastic property, for size allowing several families to stay under one roof. Can accommodate the amount of people easily, plenty of crockerycutlery, huge dining space. Lovely lounge for socialising bar area is a nice touch. Great size kitchen with access to all pots and pans. Big fridge and freezer for food storage. Improvements could be in internet availability and an Enclosed garden would be an improvement, especially as its dog friendly, but there was no gate and fences had fallen down at the back of the property. Also Gas bottles had run out, first time using the cooker. This should have been checked prior to the stay, although they were replaced very quickly once reported.

The house is very tired and would benefit greatly from decorating & some garden maintenance A bonus to have so many ensuite bedrooms which worked for our large party . Another bonus to have a bus stop literally outside the driveway giving a very enjoyable bus ride into lyme regis .

Leave a Review

The Orchard Country House, Rousdon

About The Orchard Country House

Need To Know

More Group Cottages You May Like

What Guests Love

Spacious accommodation for large groups

Two fully equipped kitchens

Popular bar area for socialising

Excellent parking facilities

Perfect location near coast

Large dining room for gatherings

Getting To The Orchard Country House

By Car

By Train

Group Attractions & More Nearby

Is The Orchard Country House Right For Your Group

For Families

Groups Will Love...

Pet Friendly

Dining & Cafes

The Talbot Arms

Local Café near property

Lyme Regis Harbour Inn

Frequently Asked Questions

Location Name

Popular Stays Near This Cottage

The Orchard Country House Reviews