Best picnic spot
Make for Golden Cap cliff: the highest point on the southwest coast of England. You can reach it from the village of Seatown near Chideock. It’s worth noting that the Anchor Inn, beneath Golden Cap, is a great spot to catch the sunset.
Best beaches
West Bay, just 10 miles away, is the nearest watery stretch. Fish and chips and ice-cream huts clinging to the harbourside, benches that are great for sipping hot chocolate on while you watch the bobbing fishing boats… this place is all swooping seagulls and 1970s vibes (rumour even has it that a lady at one of the ice-cream stands has worked there for 50 years). The family-friendly Burton Bradstock, just five minutes beyond West Bay enjoys a dramatic drive down to the sea, and there’s even a ‘Beware of Adders’ sign to greet you by the little sandy/pebbly mix beach. The charming Lyme Regis is half an hour away from the house, and the dramatic Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door are also nearby.
Shopping
For self-catering supplies, there is a Sainsbury’s on Ludbourne Road in Sherborne, 12 miles away. For late-night shopping emergencies, the One Stop Convenience Store in Crewkerne (10 minutes away) is open until 9.30pm, and the Co-op on the square in Beaminster (five minutes away) is open until 9pm. Bridport is good for farmers’ markets, Frampton & Sons delicatessen in Beaminster (next to HSBC) is worth a visit – and don’t forget the Duchy shop in Dorchester. There’s a farm shop on the left, just as you enter Beaminster.
Activities
Massages and pampering sessions in a spa can be arranged for hen weekends. For hot-air ballooning over the epic patchwork-quilt Dorset scenery, Cameron Balloon Flights (0845 456 4202) is based in nearby Sherborne. The house can also arrange helicopter rides along the Jurassic coast (or even just to ‘jump the hedges’ of the farm) for guests. There are golf courses nearby: Bridport & West Dorset Golf Club (www.bridportgolfclub.org.uk), Chedington Court Golf Club (www.chedingtoncourtgolfclub.co.uk) and Sherbourne Golf Club (www.sherbornegolfclub.co.uk). There is also a children’s farm and swannery at Abbotsbury – see www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk. Meanwhile, Mapperton Gardens at Mapperton House in nearby Beaminster are particularly impressive.
Smith Tip
Fool people you’re Dorset-born-and-bred, with these local locutions:
‘Where’s to?’ = ‘Where is it?’
‘Aggy’ = to gather eggs.
‘Ballyrag’ = to scold.
