It might be winter, but that's not going to stop me from going to the beach, no way! There's no better place to be on a cold, crisp, clear day and when you live in a county that is home to some of the best beaches in the country, it seems stupid not to take advantage of what's on my doorstep.
Don't believe me? Just look at this…
I love it! That picture was taken just last week, and the beach was just as beautiful today. The sun was glinting off the sea, there was hardly anyone around, I could enjoy the stunning views of Old Harry Rocks and the Isle of Wight. On days like today, there's nothing better than wrapping up warm and taking a stroll by the seaside.
And it's so easily accessible, even with a buggy. If I wanted to, I could walk from Poole to Bournemouth to Boscombe. I'm not likely to do that, I've only got little legs, but it's nice to have the option if I want to. And even better, there are plenty of places to stop on the way, whether it's a pub or a cafe you're after.
There's also something incredibly therapeutic about being by the sea. It calms me, it puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face. As well as putting colour in my cheeks and giving me a some exercise, of course.
So when people ask me what I love best about Dorset, I'll always say the beach.
That's wicked in the good sense of the word, people, not because it's evil!
So yesterday saw our family venturing a little further afield to meet up with some Devon-based friends in a mutually convenient location. We arranged to meet in Chideock, situated to the south-west of Bridport. We took a bit of a gamble and chose a pub we found online (although it had good Trip Advisor reviews). Luckily the gamble paid off!
The pub in question was the George Inn (http://georgeinnchideock.co.uk). We'd reserved a table (ALWAYS a good move when you have children and want to eat on a Sunday) which had plenty of space around it for the kids to play without disrupting anyone else.
But the main attraction was the food. The menu's seasonal and depends on produce availability, which means it's always changing. The kids devoured pasta, tomato sauce and cheese (a favourite with little people), while the grown-ups (with the exception of yours truly) tucked into roast beef or roast lamb with homemade Yorkshires, roasties and veg. I don't eat meat so I enjoyed a delicious squash, spinach and chickpea curry with coriander cous cous, a flatbread and crème fraiche. It was superb. And such good value. I love it when pubs give you a decent plate of food and don't charge you an absolute bomb for it. There's nothing worse than getting a barely-there plate and knowing you've just forked out a small fortune!
The staff were all friendly and courteous and when we left, the pub was heaving - always a good sign. We'll definitely be going back.
With full bellies, we then hopped in the car and drove back east to West Bay for a walk on the beach. As you may know, it's where they filmed TV drama Broadchurch (the second season is currently being filmed there too). But it's also part of the Jurassic Coast, which is a World Heritage Site. And that makes it pretty special.
It's one of those places where the coastline is just so breathtakingly dramatic that you can't help but be awed by nature in all its glory. I don't think words can do it justice - you need to see it to believe it.
The beach is shingle which, I'll be honest, is kind of tricksy to walk on, so next time I'm going to tackle it with decent shoes and give my legs a REAL workout.
But the lack of a beach walk meant we could just indulge in another one of my favourite things - tea and cake! Again we were really lucky and stumbled across the West Bay Tea Rooms (http://www.westbaytearooms.co.uk). Cosy, inviting and still selling ice creams, we were happy, the kids were happy and the coffee and walnut cake my friends shared looked gorgeous! (Which isn't to say that my millionaire's shortbread wasn't, I just had a touch of cake envy…)
Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse while we were out, but I'll definitely be headed back to West Bay when it's sunnier to have a real look around this pretty harbour village. And I suggest you do the same!
So last weekend was a very exciting one for me as I finally got to experience my first Bournemouth Air Festival - and what an event it was!
I'd been looking forward to it for months - mainly because The Red Arrows were flying every single day - and I wasn't disappointed.
I'm no aviation expert (I don't even really like flying that much), but the Festival is such a big event in Bournemouth (an estimated 1.2million visited the town over the 4 days this year) that I felt I had to go. So on Sunday we packed up the children, a picnic, a rug and headed for the beach. Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day on the Dorset coast - perfect for flying and observing.
I'll be honest and admit that we didn't see many of the stalls because the walkways were fairly congested. And for me, the day was all about the Arrows (I've become a bit obsessed!). My favourite flying squad opened the day with a display that gave me goosebumps and bought a tear to my eye. Twists, turns, hearts, fly pasts - they drew gasps of surprise and delight from the watching crowd. And, of course, the display with peppered with flashes of the famous red, white and blue smoke. There's just something amazing about the Arrows - they are so quintessentially British, so entwined with our country's history, that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them - they still delight.
But the Arrows weren't the only treat Sunday had in store. We also saw displays by the Vulcan, Spitfire, Lancaster, Miss Demeanour, Chinooks, Black Cats, Typhoon. The sheer beauty of some of the planes - and the history behind them - was just incredible. How some of them managed to get in the air was beyond me – they looked way too heavy to take off. Not to mention the noise some of those bad boys made - wowee!
We inevitably stayed longer than we intended to, but thankfully we managed to avoid any traffic chaos, returning home sunburnt, sandswept, slightly sweaty and shattered. But it was worth it.
And to top it all off, the event is entirely FREE. Yes, that's right. FREE! I'll definitely be back next year – and I hope to see you there!
I've lived in Dorset for 10 months now and I can honestly say that moving here was one of the best decisions I ever made.
My husband's from the area, so it wasn't totally alien to me, but what's amazed both of us is the fact that in the 18 years we've been together, there are so many parts of the county we have never visited. So now we're Poole residents and parents, we've become determined to get out and about and explore - not only will it leave us with a 'bank' of places to go, but it also means we have places to recommend to visitors.
So with that in mind, this weekend we decided to head to Arne, an RSPB nature reserve just outside Wareham. We packed a picnic, our walking boots and the rucksack baby carrier and off we went. As first-time visitors, we decided to walk the red route – a 90-minute trek (that's if you're walking normal pace, not with a 4yo in tow…). No sooner had we set off than we saw a peacock basking in a driveway (as you do) and much to my eldest's delight, a bunny rabbit in a hedgerow.
The walk takes you through some of Arne village, which was used as a decoy during the war to steer enemy bombers away from where the Royal Navy was manufacturing shell propellant near Poole Harbour. In fact, in one evening, the village was bombed by almost 300 explosions. Wowsers!
But it's after the village (which is picturesque, don't get me wrong), that the real beauty of Arne lies. Along fields and through woodland, over heathland and along the coast, it captures some of the stunning Dorset landscape at its best. And if you're a nature lover, you're in for a treat.
Home to many birds, animals and insects, part of the pleasure is seeing what you can
spot – and then reporting back to the RSPB staff so they can add your find to the 'spotted today' list. It's also a great way of keeping kids entertained! We were fortunate enough to see a buzzard in flight, several unidentified birds (I'm a Tweeter, not a twitcher!) and a herd of deer.
We picnicked on the beach, taking in the views of Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and Long Island while feeling the sand under our feet. With the sun shining, a gentle breeze blowing and the waves lapping the shore, it made me realise just how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful county.
All in all, we were at Arne for 3 hours, which cost us the grand total of £4 in parking fees. It might have been our first visit, but it definitely won't be our last!
For more information about Arne, head to https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/
