Hardy country hotel sold
The Yalbury Cottage hotel at Lower Bockhampton, near Dorchester in Dorset, has been sold for more than £650,000. The thatched eight-bedroom property, which is within a mile of Thomas Hardy's birthplace, was bought by first-time hoteliers Roy Fiddemont and Mark Collyer. It includes a 26-seat restaurant and a two-bedroom apartment for the owners. The agent was Colliers Robert Barry.