The Ilchester Arms Hotel, Abbotsbury

Our passion is to provide fantastic food at an affordable price, wrapped up in a comfortable and stimulating environment. Whether you choose to have a cider and snack by the fire, a home made afternoon tea after a country walk, or a freshly caught sea bass supper, we’ve created nibbles through to informal a la carte dining for all occasions.

With on-site parking, 9 en suite bedrooms and beautiful views from the garden up to St Catherine’s chapel, The Ilchester Arms is the perfect destination to enjoy precious time with friends and family. Well behaved dogs on leads are very welcome and please also ask about our pet-friendly bedrooms.

Join us for acoustic music evenings, farmers markets, beer festivals and plenty of other exciting evening and weekend events spread across the year - we’ll keep you up-to-date with details on this website.Take a walk along the stunning coast path, explore an iconic ruined castle, or go donkey riding on the beach. There are so many things to do in Dorset, from touring quaint towns and villages to wandering untouched countryside, that you won’t know where to start.

Never fear – help is at hand. Our obliging and knowledgeable staff will advise you on local activities. Perhaps you’d like to take your monkeys to Monkey World – Europe’s largest ape sanctuary – where you can watch the rescued orangutans, gibbons, tamarinds and many of our other closest relatives. You might prefer to explore the dramatic ruins of medieval Corfe Castle – and add to the excitement by taking a miniature steam train from Swanage to the charming village of Corfe. Or maybe marvelling at an array of military vehicles at Bovington Tank Museum is more your thing – during school holidays, the tanks can be seen in action in the outdoor arena.

Nature-lovers can spend an outdoorsy day at Abbotsbury Swannery with its 3,000 swans, or visit the Subtropical Gardens or Children’s Farm – complete with pony riding, indoor play.
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