This weekend, we spent a couple of hours walking around Cadbury Castle, above the beautiful village of Corton Denham.
It’s only about twelve minutes from home, yet every time we visit, it reminds me why we chose to live in this part of the world.
The boys took a cricket bat, the dog disappeared off ahead of us, and we spent the afternoon exploring the ancient hill fort and taking in the views across the Dorset and Somerset countryside. There aren’t many places where you can see quite so far and feel so completely removed from the pace of everyday life.
On the way home, we stopped at Teals to pick up a few things for supper. It’s become one of those places we often call into, not because we’ve planned a day around it, but because it’s simply part of living here.
As a buying agent, people often assume my role is to help clients find the right house.
In reality, I’m helping them find the right place.
The walks you’ll take every weekend.
The village you’ll become part of.
The schools your children will grow up in.
The local farm shop you’ll call into without thinking.
The pub that becomes your favourite.
The countryside you’ll never tire of exploring.
Those are the things that rarely appear on a property brochure, yet they’re often the reasons people fall in love with an area.
This corner of Dorset and Somerset offers all of that in abundance. Beautiful villages, wonderful countryside, excellent schools such as Hazelgrove and Sherborne, and a quality of life that feels increasingly rare.
Buying a home isn’t just about bricks and mortar.
It’s about imagining the life you’ll build once you’ve unpacked the boxes.
For me, that’s always the starting point.
The house is important.
But it’s everything beyond the garden gate that turns it into a home.