Before Alien and Blade Runner, there was a little boy cycling up a street in Shaftesbury delivering bread. Now, one of the properties on that famous street is available for you to stay in.
In space, no one can hear you scream. On Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, I imagine quite a lot of people can hear you scream. The one thing linking the iconic line from the space horror Alien and the cobbled street made famous in the Hovis Boy on the Bike advert is its director: Sir Ridley Scott.
A cosier spot you will not find.
Before xenomorphs were bursting out of chests on spaceships, or blade runners were hunting down rogue robots in gritty neo-noir Los Angeles, Sir Ridley was making wholesome adverts about bread. You learn something new every day.
A view of Shaftesbury, Dorset’s most significant hilltop settlement.
Another new thing I learned today is that you can now stay in one of those iconic cottages featured on ‘the nation’s favourite advert’. Button Cottage on Gold Hill is a toasty two-bedroom luxury cottage that is now available to rent through holidaycottages.co.uk. It is adorably small and, much like a freshly baked loaf of bread (Hovis or otherwise, we have no dog in that particular fight), very wholesome.
The little garden, with the window that opens up the view to the Blackmore Vale.
The interiors of the property are arranged just so, combining the rustic charm of Gold Hill and Shaftesbury with all the modern conveniences anyone could need. It also offers perfect views of the Blackmore Vale, while all the amenities of Shaftesbury are on your doorstep.
It even comes with a cosy little garden. Heaven. A seven-night stay starts from £1,265.
James Fisher is Country Life’s deputy digital editor. He lives in London.
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