Reflections at Silverlake

The house was built as a holiday home for our family, able to cope with young children and dogs. We are happy to share it with other families who want to explore this wonderful part of the country, relax by a lakeside and also have a bit of luxury and pampering nearby if wanted.

Reflections is designed to be a net zero energy holiday home generating more energy each year than it uses. It is also designed to be comfortable at all times of the year, easy to live in and a delightful place to stay. There is underfloor heating throughout plus heated towel rails. The house has a permanent ventilation system that runs in the background. The most complicated technology is the television remote or possibly the cooker.

When you come to the front door there is a sheltered porch with space to take off boots and wash dogs, bikes, small children etc. There is a handheld hose and shower outside but under the porch. Immediately inside there is an entrance lobby with a good amount of coat hanging and boot space, a good sized WC, then a utility room with separate washing machine and tumble dryer, sink and cupboards. You then go into a living and dining area and kitchen with patio doors onto the deck. There is also a five metre long model of a plesiosaur skeleton on the wall. My excuse is that the grandchildren love dinosaurs.

The access from the living area floor onto the deck is flat i.e. no upstand or door frame. There is also a downstairs double bedroom with ensuite shower - ideal for those who find stairs difficult. Whilst we have not designed the house specifically to be wheel chair accessible in all areas, certainly not for large powered chairs, the downstairs bedroom and shower ensuite are easy to get into. Please get in contact if you have particular needs or questions. We do not have any dedicated hardware fitted for helping transfer from wheel chairs to the WC for example but a standing transfer would probably be possible. The shower has a small step so not a wet room. My Mum was quadriplegic for 30 years so we have some awareness and always happy to discuss.

Upstairs there is a double bedroom with en-suite, a twin bedroom and a children's room with bunk bed together with a large family bathroom that has a shower and large bath. The house has a travel cot, high chair and stair gates available.

Outside there is a large lakeside deck with glass balustrading to allow children and dogs to safely sit outside. The back is fenced with wire mesh along with two side gates. The fencing runs down to the water's edge (depending on lake level) so be aware that children and dogs can still fall in if unattended or swim round the ends of the fence. However if you are on the deck you can see both sides of the plot.

We walk Bertie on the lead round the estate except for areas where we can let him run free. There is a strong emphasis on encouraging wildlife on the estate so keeping dogs from disturbing wildlife is part of the deal. We have seen swans, herons, kingfishers, cormorants and ducks from our deck as well as ground nesting birds elsewhere. There are horses grazing in some areas to help regenerate the land and increase biodiversity so dogs on leads is the rule in those parts of the estate.

There are areas where dogs can be off their lead including a swimming lake. There is an app (of course) which can be found on the usual stores. Search for Silverlake Dorset.

Offsite, we have only just started to explore the area. The Silverlake link (https://www.habitatescapes.com/inspirations-offers/dog-friendly-holidays-in-dorset/ ) is a useful starting point as is the Dog Friendly Dorset Guide. We hope to add more information on the house website as we and guests find great places and leave details for those staying later. Weymouth beach is great.

If you have any questions go onto the house website www.reflections-at-silverlake.co.uk and send us an email or email via [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can. All booking and availability checking is via the Habitat Escapes website  https://www.habitatescapes.com/silverlake/properties/dorset-reflections/ and the link is also on our website www.reflections-at-silverlake.co.uk