Toller Hut, Lake Farm: Dorset Shepherd’s Hut with Wild Swimming in the Lake

One shepherd’s hut, one private spring-fed lake, and a pontoon to get in from. Lake Farm sits in a quiet West Dorset valley inside a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, and the swim is a few steps from the door rather than a drive down a lane.

The stay

Toller Hut is a single hut built for two — the owners are clear they cannot accommodate children. It has electricity, wifi, central heating, a log burner, a flushing loo and a basin, with a private shower hut a few steps away stocked with Bramley products; bath robes are provided, and sandals are a sensible pack for the short walk. Outside there is a private all-season outdoor kitchen with a gas barbecue, a tripod and fire pit for cooking over wood, and a wood-fired bath to sit in under the stars. The hut is dog friendly and comes with a private enclosed garden. Parking is undercover, a short walk along a gravel path. Self check-in from 3pm, out by 10am. Crewkerne station is a 20-minute drive and Yeovil Junction 30; taxis need booking in advance.

Swimming on site

The hut is named for the springs that collect to create the Toller, the stream that feeds the private lake before joining the river Hooke down the valley. Lake Farm list “wild swimming in lake” and “boating on the lake” among what the stay includes, and describe the choice in their own words: “Get a rush of adrenalin dipping into the private spring fed lake or slow down and soak in the surrounding nature from the pontoon.”

So it is spring water, it is private, and it is yours while you are staying. You get in off the pontoon rather than sliding down a bank, which makes a cold-water dip before breakfast a much easier sell. There is no lifeguard and no supervision — this is a two-person hut on a farm, not a managed swim venue — so bring a swimming costume for both the lake and the outdoor bath, and treat unmanaged water as unmanaged water.

Worth knowing

Adults only, two people, one hut: this is a stay for a couple or a solo trip, not a group. The hosts provide cookware, salt, pepper, olive oil, tea, coffee and milk, so you only need to bring food, and there are good farm shops nearby. The Jurassic Coast, ancient bluebell woods and miles of trails are within reach, but the honest pitch is that most guests do very little: the pontoon, the fire pit and the bath fill a weekend on their own.

Bookings and full details: lakefarmdorset.com.

The rowing boat on Lake Farm’s private spring-fed lake. Photo: Lake Farm Dorset.