A 3 minute drive away (or a pleasant walk down a quiet lane and across the bridleway), is the village of Ansty where you can purchase your provisions at the Brewery Farm Shop, selling meat, fruit and vegetables, newspapers etc. A post office is also open here on weekday mornings.
Opposite the farm shop is the welcoming village pub, The Fox Inn, serving excellent food.
Other good local pubs include The Hambro Arms in the beautiful village of Milton Abbas, 15 minutes' drive away; The Brace of Pheasants at Plush, aprox 20 minutes' drive away; and The River Arms at Cheselbourne, 10 minutes' drive away.
The coast can be reached by car in approx 35 minutes. We recommend Ringstead Bay, a pebble beach, popular with families and walkers. There is a cafe in the car parking field serving excellent, locally caught fish and chips. For a sandy beach, visit Weymouth Bay or a little further afield, Studland Bay in the Purbecks, which is a beautiful sandy beach with a car ferry across to Sandbanks.
For walkers, there are numerous opportunities and routes, with the Wessex Ridgeway literally on your doorstep.