E

ver dreamt of running away to the circus but didn’t quite have the (ahem) balls to do it? Even if your juggling skills aren’t up to scratch you can still book a night in the old showman’s wagon, at The Old Forge B&B in Dorset.

Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, ‘Rosie’, as she’s more commonly known, was originally built in 1934 for fairground workers and performers, but has been lovingly restored by Tim and Lucy Kerridge.

They’ve painted her in the traditional Romany colours, burgundy and cream, added some stencilled cupboards, and the curtains are made from great granny’s lace tablecloth.

There are a few more modern luxuries, though – including a 6ft double bed (complete with vintage eiderdown duvet), very discreet heating and the old brass kettle is powered by wrought-iron electric range.

You can leave your alarm clock at home; resident donkey, Scrumpy Jack, will wake you up the next morning, by bringing you one of Lucy’s delicious breakfasts. In fact, ‘Scrumpy’ is so popular, he even has his own Facebook page. We don’t, however, recommend poking him.