anchor inn

dorset

“When it comes to walking in the area, you really are spoilt for choice,” says Paul Wiscombe, the landlord of the Anchor Inn at Seatown, a pub on the beach overlooking Lyme Bay. “But, of course, it depends on how energetic you are feeling,” he adds with a smile, before listing the different options for “serious” walkers who bring their boots and waterproofs, or those simply looking for a gentle stroll after lunch. On the Jurassic Coast, this pub is next to a shingle beach

beneath towering cliffs, and close to the seaside resorts of Lyme Regis and West Bay (the location for the TV series Broadchurch).

One of the most popular walks in the area is a hilly one that starts at the Domesday village of Symondsbury and follows an old drovers’ route, the Dorset Holloways (‘sunken roads’) and Colmer’s Hill before ending at Golden Cap, the highest point on England’s south coast. The beach at Seatown is a popular spot for collecting

fossils, which can often be spotted after the tide goes out, and the family-friendly pub serves a range of dishes, from the malt-vinegar and sea-herb-battered fish with crushed peas, tartare sauce and chips, to chargrilled steak with samphire butter, creamed spinach and crushed hot-smoked potato salad. Wash it down with a pint of locally brewed Palmers ale and watch the famous sunsets over the bay. theanchorinnseatown.co.uk