Going mad in Dorset (With lashings of adventure)
It boasts dramatic coastlines and sandy beaches, but as ALAN CROW discovers, Dorset has a hidden vibrancy...
YES, I’d seen the Comic Strip’s hilarious TV series Five Go Mad in Dorset back in the ’80s. Didn’t think I’d be playing it out in real life, though. Yet here we were: two adults (big kids, really) and three young children yomping (as best you can yomp in water) down a rockstrewn Dorset trout river, all of us shrieking in delight as, one by one, we lost our balance on the slippy river bed and plunged into the icy water.
We emerged from our two-hour river ‘adventure’ soaked to the skin, splattered with mud – but deliriously happy.
All back to the house for lashings of ginger beer, then... Well, maybe something a tad stronger!
Dorset really is delightful. And, yes there still is something of
Enid Blyton’s Famous Five about it. As if little ever really moves on – and if it does, it does rather grudgingly.
I’d never visited this wonderful part of south-west England before, but it lives up to its ‘picture postcard’ tag perfectly. Amazing country pubs, thatched roofs, quaint villages with greens manicured to within an inch of their lives. Dorset makes you want to write an address on the back of it and post it off to the folks at home.
We were staying in one of these ‘perfect’ villages – Maiden Newton – in a cottage called Riverside.
And that’s exactly where it was: three steps from the riverbank (the River Frome in this case).
Feeding trout occasionally broke the surface, and, for the keen angler, there is even a wooden fishing platform built on the cottage’s patio from which you could dangle a hopeful rod. Life is lived at a slower pace in Maiden Newton. There’s a village post office, a grocery store, a pub and a chip shop which, rather eccentrically, only opens on a Thursday and a Friday night – and for just four hours at that.
Yet the village is perfectly placed to visit the many attractions in Dorset, particularly the dramatic Jurassic coast which is a 20-minute drive away.
And if you’re heading for this coast then you have to include a fossilhunting expedition in your itinerary. There’s no better location for this than Charmouth Beach. Nominated by BBC Countryfile Magazine as one of the UK’s five best beaches, it is great for the family – lots of sand especially at low tide, safe swimming, picnic areas, cafes and beach shops.
But the main lure is fossil-hunting along the dramatic coastline. There is no need to chip away at the rocks with fossil hammers (the authorities discourage you from doing so anyway) as they are remarkably easy to find with a bit of rooting around at the foot of the cliffs.
Also, the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre has fossil displays and organises fossil-finding walks on the beach at certain times of the year.
On the way home you can stop off at West Bay and wonder at the breathtaking backdrop to the popular ITV crime drama Broadchurch.
From there it’s a short seven-mile hop to the charming market town of Bridport.
Be sure to try to visit Bridport Street Market (on Wednesdays and Saturdays). The market has an amazing selection of stalls selling foodstuffs, clothing and hardware, flowers and plants, pictures and paintings, books and IT goods… and much more.
Many of the traders are long established and use the distinctive Bridport Market bags when selling their goods.
For a more relaxing beach trip with the children, the beach at Lyme Regis is a must. It may be a less dramatic shoreline than Charmouth, but the sea gently laps the sandy beach for miles – and it’s perfect for paddling and swimming.
There are also lots of fantastic pubs and restaurants within walking distance of the main beach. Just one small tip: during peak season make sure you book lunch in advance to avoid the queues.
But after a busy day out there was nothing better than heading back to our ‘refuge’ at Maiden Newton
– to the charm of our cottage by the water… and to recharge our batteries for another adventure on the river.
Pip pip!
Riverside, 67 Dorchester Road, Maiden Newton (ref: 1070251) Sleeps six and a one-week stay costs from £532.
To book, visit www.sykescottages.co.uk or call 01244 617683