Magical memories of sun-kissed Dorset
DORSET has always held a special place in my holiday memory-book.
For several years when I was young, my family went to a small village called Burton Bradstock for our twoweek summer holiday, staying in a pink, thatched cottage on the top of the cliff. There was a crumbly, unstable walk down to a sandy beach.
Walking down the hill into the village led to a playground with an impressive seesaw and a chintzy teashop with a garden shaded by tall trees, where you shared your raspberry jam with a host of wasps.
Our cottage was owned by an old lady who lived in the adjoining building, and had a terrifying Chihuahua that barked relentlessly.
She kept sheep, and offered to let me and my sister help hand-feed the lambs but we could never drag ourselves out of bed early enough.
I remember sun-soaked days on the beach, collecting seashells.
The towering cliffs had benches on top and the total darkness at night gave a view of the stars which was unbelievable to someone from London.
Fast-forward 20 years, to Hastings, my husband and I visiting the south coast together for the first time.
I’d also holidayed there as a child, and while some aspects of the town were looking tired, there was something quaint and beautiful about the tall, seafront houses, the pier, the crazy golf course.
We found a boutique hotel where the rooms were themed around different countries.
We stayed in Japan, which had a futon and a spa bath, and we had champagne breakfasts in the suntrapped garden.
Campion Bay, the setting for The Once In A Blue Moon Guesthouse, is a combination of those two holiday locations, the beach with the towering cliffs and the picturesque seafront.
It’s seven years since we went to Hastings and around 25 since I was in Burton Bradstock, but the memories came flooding back.
I hope I’ve been able to capture some of the magic of those places in my book.