About Us
We are Nicholas and Chrystall Goodden.
After 20 years working for some of London’s top hotels and in the broader travel industry, we’ve returned to our family estate and happy to offer a nature-focused holiday let just outside Sherborne in North Dorset at the edge of Somerset.
Our village, Nether Compton, regularly ranks as one of the most picturesque villages the nation has to offer.
The Lakeside Cottage
The cottage is located within our private estate in Nether Compton, outside Sherborne in North Dorset. Sherborne itself is 2h20mn from London Waterloo by train, whilst we are 2 hours West of Heathrow by car and 1h30 from Bristol. It takes 55mn to drive to the Jurassic Coast beaches and one hour to Stonehenge.
It is exceptionally quiet with plenty of space to park at the front and access to extensive grounds to enjoy nature walks or picnics. Reduced mobility access is excellent as it is a ground floor property.
It has three bedrooms (double/double/single) suitable for up to five guests.
The living room / dining area is spacious and bright with large windows overlooking the fields while offering direct access to the deck, an ideal space for a leisurely breakfast, a cold beer or a late afternoon barbecue.
During the colder months, the wood burner adds a touch of cosiness, we include a basket of firewood on arrival and can supply more on request at a reasonable price.
The kitchen is fully equipped with the expected microwave, dual fuel oven, large American fridge freezer and all you need to cook and enjoy a delicious meal like you would at home.
There is one bathroom, fitted with a bath/shower and a toilet. A separate toilet is also available in the cottage.
For laundry, we can wash your clothes overnight for a small fee.
Did we forget to mention the lake? The cottage is close to the edge of woodland and a lake stocked with Carp and Tench. It is usually possible to see the lake from the deck, although during the warmer months, tall grasses will get slightly in the way.
Driven by passion
Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values.
This isn’t just a business—it’s a heritage and a reflection of who we are and what we believe in:
To offer honest hospitality while supporting nature, living immersed in an environment we cherish every step of the way.
Wildlife is being squeezed on a global scale, we do our best on a local level. We plant trees, install many bird boxes while making sure birds and wildlife have water available when it’s hot and dry, we never use any garden chemicals anywhere to deal with problem pests or weeds, we run mostly on solar energy.
There’s more but we’re certain you get the picture.
We are just the current caretakers of this land.
In recent history, our family has planted thousands of trees, many hedgerows, and cared for wildlife and its shrinking habitat.
This wildlife sanctuary is what we want to preserve and share with you.
A Picture-perfect village
Over and Nether Compton are two halves of a beautiful and quiet village nestled in a North Dorset valley, at the edge of Somerset, just 3.8 miles outside Sherborne and 3.5 miles from Yeovil.
Conde Nast Traveller voted it number 4 of its “20 Most Beautiful Villages in the UK and Ireland” a couple of years ago.
The Gooddens, our family, have lived here since 1736.
Due to its rich soil, abundant wildlife and many springs, our village has always attracted people, since the neolithic, throughout the bronze age, Roman invasion, Medieval times up to this day.
A passion for metal detecting on our land has over the past few years unearthed a fascinating and rich history of Roman artefacts, Medieval coins and all sorts of exciting finds which often surprise locals themselves.
