Smugglers Cottage

Smugglers Cottage: Bed and Breakfast; 16th Century thatched overnight accommodation between the New Forest and the sea.

Smugglers Cottage, situated in Ferndown, is over 400 years old, and, as its name suggests, was frequently used by smugglers many years ago who had landed at Poole Harbour as a waypoint on their journey to the mainland. Smugglers Cottage at Ferndown was one of many such places along the south coast.

Concealed by woodland, the cottage was the perfect place for smugglers to meet, drink, share and fight without disturbance from others who may be less inclined to agree with their practices. The cottage was featured in the BBC Home & Gardens magazine, and many of the older timbers are aptly from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon, at St Albans Head. After many years in the sea, the wood has absorbed the sea salt and is now as hard as ebony.

The Cottage has featured on the new Channel 4 Three in Bed program.