Dahn Sarf
Most of a week spent in Dorset on a quickie family holiday in August 2013. It was the first time we’d been away to a hotel in a couple of years, for various reasons. We took the opportunity to explore some lovely corners of the Dorset coastline.
Travelling and Staying
Our base for the trip was the brand spanking new Premier Inn on the Brewery Square development in the centre of Dorchester. The only hitch was figuring out the parking. It wasn’t obvious whether you could stop outside to unload (you can), or where their underground car park entrance actually was. We ended up leaving the car outside the station, collecting keys, and getting pointed in the right direction.
The room was about what we expected — maybe a little better. It was a typical family layout with a bit of furniture reshuffling. That gave us two singles and a double. Not much floor space left over, but enough to unpack the kids’ stuff and stash the bags under the beds.
We travelled in the trusty old Peugeot bus, which was starting to show early signs of the mechanical issues that would eventually lead to its retirement later that year. Still, it did the job without complaint on this trip.
Activities
We spent most days touring around the coast and nearby countryside. Highlights included walks to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, both classic Dorset sights and well worth the effort. On the first day we drove out to Portland Bill, where we saw the impressive sweep of Chesil Beach from various angles. We visited Weymouth on our final day.
One morning we made it up to the Osmington White Horse, which is larger (and steeper) than it looks in photos.
The weather was mostly kind — warm enough for ice creams and coastal walks, though we had one grey day. All very standard for an English summer.
The Geocaching
We did a geocaching walk under the White Horse, but otherwise it was more a case of picking up a few here and there as we explored.
Individual Posts
Here are all the individual posts from our Dorset holiday in 2013:
