We spent five days down in Dorset last week, it's such a familiar routine for us as year after year it's generally the same. I've been heading "home" for Easter ever since I left to go off to art college when I was 18. I remember with great clarity and fondness my very first visit with J in 1994 (we were both 25) when I introduced him to my home turf and also my parents (isn't that a heart-jumping, memorable thing?!) Like I say we've been back pretty much every Easter since, it's always great family time for us and I look forward to it loads.
We never quite know what the weather is going to throw at us at this time of year, it can be very unpredictable. We pack a whole assortment of layers and footwear and try to cater for extremes of temperature and wetness. Some years it has been scorching hot, other years wet, cold and gloomy, but mostly we end up with something of a mixed bag.
On the morning of our first day we always head to straight to the sea no matter what the weather. We treat ourselves to breakfast at the Watchhouse in West Bay which is one of my most favourite cafes in the whole wide world. The food is delicious and the atmosphere casual, relaxed and perfectly holidayish. Breakfast is followed by a stroll around the familiar harbour and a promenade out along the pier to breathe in the salty sea air and take in the beautiful coastline.
As is our usual style, we never make plans for our week in Dorset. It's such a luxury to start each day with a completely free agenda. I love to wake up each morning, throw open the curtains, take in the weather and feel completely free to use the day in whatever way takes our fancy.
If the weather obliges, we spend as much time as we can outside. We like to pootle and amble, stroll and wander as the mood takes us. We prefer gentle activity and relaxation to full on days of excursions and activities. We love sea views and eating as many meals as possible al fresco, enjoying life's simple pleasures. And I'm happy to say that the Dorset coastline provides all this in abundance, it is such a happy, relaxing, joyful place to spend time.
As you can see, we were terrifically lucky with the weather last week and were treated to days of clear blue skies and gorgeous Spring sunshine. The above photos were taken on Easter Monday when we decided to walk the short coastal path over the cliff tops from West Bay to one of our favourite beaches at Eype. The cliffs are pretty high in places and the views out along the coastline are incredible from up here.
I love love love picnicking, it makes me so happy! The idea of walking somewhere simply to find the perfect little spot to spread out a blanket, sit, relax and eat lunch is such a simple, lovely thing to do in my opinion. When we packed the car up in Yorkshire ready for our trip, I couldn't resist sneaking in my coastal ripple blanket to come along with us, it felt a weeny bit crazy to be treating a blanket like an additional member of the family, asking it kindly if it would like to "go home for a visit?"! But home it came, back to the place where it's yarny life began last year and it gave me a ridiculous amount of pleasure to lounge about with those ripples whilst listening to the sound of the waves.
West Bay was looking as lovely as ever in the late afternoon sun, but my goodness me, it was absolutely rammed to the gills with visitors during Easter Weekend. I don't think I've ever seen it quite so busy and I'm thinking the "Broadchurch Effect" has indeed happened. I truly love this little harbour though, it continues to have a special place in my heart.
We visited some of our favourite picnic spots last week, taking full advantage of the glorious weather.
Abbotsbury village is a real Dorset gem, picturesque and quaint and bursting with visual charm....
....and no trip to Dorset is complete without a climb up this grassy slope to the ancient and scenic St Catherine's Chapel.
We love it up here, it is such a peaceful and unspoilt place to while away an hour or two. We spread a picnic blanket out on the grass, lean our backs against the sun warmed old stone walls and take in the vast sea views. When I say "we", I generally mean J and I as the Little Peeps do not sit up here at all. They swoop in for picnic food like three hungry seagulls, tearing off and away, shovelling food into their mouths as they go. It's always the same, the open space and breezy skies up here seems to activate a strong desire to run and make a rather embarrassingly large amount of noise, yes, always the same each and every year.
On our drive back from Abbotsbury, we took a very spur of the moment detour off the main coast road, winding our way down to the little village of West Bexington. I recalled a distant memory of coming here a few times as a teenager to dog-walk with my friend's family, but couldn't remember an awful lot about the village. Turns out that it's tiny and rather lovely, with a stunning hotel/restaurant and an extremely quirky little beach side cafe run by an equally quirky little lady of maturing years. There is a small car park and rather wonderfully when you have children and also are rather full of coffee oneself, some Public Conveniences in which to take a pee (!) Yes, these things do make all the difference you know, as this is a super-wide unspoilt expanse of exposed shingle beach with nowhere to hide if you need to go (which is the distinct downside of my other favourite beach at Eype)
The beach here is part of Chesil beach, which is a pretty special place. It is 18 miles long and apparently contains 180 billion pebbles, of which I delighted in holding a teensy fraction in the palm of my hand. The sound of the waves moving in and out over the shingle is so mesmerising and soothing, it's one of the most beautiful sounds I know. During our stay in Dorset, we visited West Bexington beach three times, we couldn't get enough of this newly discovered, special slice of coastline.
When in Dorset, the sea air always takes me by surprise, it has a very particular scent which I adore. You can honestly smell the sea on the breeze and it happens to be extremely soporific. Oh my goodness, Dorset air makes me sooooo sleepy! Not just me either, but the whole family, and during our week we fall into an early to bed, early to rise routine. Waking early (5.30-6am) means we get to sit in bed sipping mugs of steaming hot tea whilst crocheting/reading and waiting for the sun to rise. It's a wonderful way to start the day.
I did loooooooooooooads of crochet last week, oh it was bliss! During the early mornings and early evenings I would sit in my Mum's old chair by the back door, or in bed in my old childhood bedroom, hooking up squares for my new Harmony blanket. These are such cute squares to make, I'm loving doing them. I'm working in groups of 14 (which is one vertical strip), with each square having five rounds.
The above picture shows the first 28 squares (2 strips), although I've since added two more strips, it's looking good! There will be 9 strips in total (126 squares), then a lovely colourful border to finish it all off.
On Wednesday last week we were met with another gloriously sunny Spring day and decided to pack up a picnic and head along the coast as far as Weymouth.
I've not been here since my childhood days and my memory of it was a little hazy. It's a bustling, traditional seaside resort with a long promenade and wide sandy beach and I thought the Little People might enjoy it.
We parked the car near the marina and strolled down to the harbour admiring the many boats and expensive looking yachts.
The town was as bustling as I remembered it, crowded even.
There were parts of the harbour that were charming....
....but truthfully the busy beach and abundance of Tourist Attractions didn't really do it for us. The Little People didn't like it either, which surprised me but secretly, deep down I gave a little whoop of joy to myself. Just like me, it seems they had fallen in love with the quiet, unspoilt West Bexington and couldn't wait to leave the hustle and bustle of Weymouth behind.
Weymouth is a sizeable town, and behind the facade of the busy promenade there are some very nice little shopping streets.....
....pretty cute for a main shopping street don't you think?! There was some holiday spending money burning a few holes in little pockets, so after one or two (miraculously speedy) shop stops we came out with a Lego book and a charm bracelet and two smiley Little Peeps. J and I stopped to purchase a traditional wind break and wooden mallet (don't we know how to spoil ourseleves), and Little Man wisely chose to keep a hold of his precious cash in his pockets, saved for another day.
Ah yes, here we have the classic stripes of a good ol' windbreak - an essential bit of seaside kit here in the UK. It turned out to be a very good purchase indeed on this bright and breezy day as we were back at the lovely West Bex beach for an evening of this..........
.....sunset appreciation.........
.........and a barbecue dinner. This has become something of a family tradition for us when we visit Dorset, although as far as I can remember we've never had warm enough weather to do this at Easter before. We invite my Dad and Lady B to join us and J cooks up a very good beefy dinner for us all over white hot coals. I didn't take all that many pictures, but please do feel free to picture me wrapped up in crochet blankets with a cup of chilled white wine in one hand, a delicious jalapeno spiced burger going down nicely in the other hand, the sound of happy family banter on top of the sound of the sea, a glorious sunset and a huuuuuuuuge smile on my face. Talk about being in my happy place. AND best of all there was a place to go when I needed to go!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt a bit disloyal to Eype, but really, the convenience of the conveniences gives West Bexington the edge. Sorry Eype.
The Little People were beside themselves with our continuing tradition of making English S'mores when we cook outside (toast a marshmallow over the bbq coals until it is hot, golden and oozing, them squidge it between two chocolate digestive biscuits so that the chocolate melts....) they ate so many!! They are too sweet for me, but the LP absolutely adore them.
We stayed on the beach until 9pm, snuggled up in blankets and keeping warm around the barbecue coals, not wanting the day to end. At this time of year, 9pm is dark and the night sky is already sprinkled with stars. We made our wishes, and I know we will be back here again soon to while away some Summertime hours on our new favourite beach. Here's to the Good Times, may there be many, many more.
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Visited West Bay on Saturday afternoon and this blog came to mind. It was lovely and sunny and very busy.
I have visited before and felt that it was an unloved place. It definitely wasn`t on Saturday.
Posted by: Sue | July 27, 2015 at 09:38 PM
H Lucy, I've just come across your web site while trying to find out how to sew granny squares together as I am a novice at crochet. I found your web site really helpful. I so enjoyed your blog about your Easter break in Dorset. Our home is in Warwickshire but for 25 years we have owned static caravans in Swanage Dorset and spend as much time as we can there. I'm here now writing this while looking out at Swanage Bay. We have very fond memories of holidays in West Bay, Eype and Bridport before buying our first caravan. I will be following you for hints and tips on crochet and to follow your visits to beautiful Dorset.
Regards
Margaret
Posted by: Margaret Jones | May 08, 2015 at 08:21 PM
I read this blog just before a friend was off to
Dorset for a week. showed it to her and as a result they went to a
Abbotsbury and West bexington beach and loved them both..All thanks to you!!!
Posted by: Ann | May 01, 2015 at 10:32 PM
I am very lucky to live here myself, well just across the border in South Somerset, but your delightful blog has made me look at the places I visit frequently in a very different light!!! I believe you get comfortable where you are and just go about day to day routines without remembering or taking in the amazing world we have around us, right on our doorstep!! You and your blog are fab inspiration, thank you!!!
Posted by: Debbie Harwood | April 21, 2015 at 12:37 PM
Have you been to the cafe at West Bexington? It doesn't have regular hours but the interior is very 1950's, and part of it reminds me of my school tuck shop! They make good mugs of tea too! Sarah
Posted by: Sarah | April 20, 2015 at 08:00 PM
Lovely photos - looks like a lovely relaxing holiday! We packed so much into our recent break I think I need another week off to just relax... and crochet! Harmony blanket is looking fab too, can't wait for the ta-dah! xx
Posted by: Elsie Pop | April 20, 2015 at 01:48 PM
Cool week of fun! It couldn't be more different than my week away in London, but holidays are good wherever you go. And even though we were in London, we took things at our pace, didn't cram the days full (which is too easy to do in London!) and came back happy and relaxed. Can't believe the daily round of school starts again!
Posted by: Angel Jem | April 19, 2015 at 08:24 PM
Sounds heavenly Lucy. I'm a Cornish lass now living in Somerset and the sea calls to me too. I literally drink it in when I return. You've made yet more precious memories for you all to treasure, J9 x
Posted by: J9 x | April 19, 2015 at 04:57 PM
What a wonderful trip! The sea shore is good for the soul 😊. Looks heavenly! Thanks for sharing Lucy, I always just feel cozy after reading your blog 😊. One of my family's favorite ways to make s'mores is with a Reese's peanut butter cup! 😊 two graham crackers,one Reese's and a gooey toasted marshmallow equal heaven! 😊 💜 have a wonderful week! God Bless!
Posted by: Melissa Barnett | April 19, 2015 at 01:23 PM
Oh! A gorgeous post, and you are so clever! I'm always losing my needle between the sofa cushions, on the floor, in the blanket...
But your cute little attachment to your scissors is such a great idea! I will be making one very soon, and then there will be no excuse for not doing my ends as I go ;)
Posted by: Natalie | April 19, 2015 at 01:14 PM
Lovely pictures! I live a long way from the sea now, but my heart belongs there and I especially love British shingle beaches - they evoke my childhood so strongly.
Posted by: Sarah | April 18, 2015 at 07:58 PM
I love it when you share things that are specific to the UK. If I saw "digestive biscuits" in a store, I would have had no idea what they were! I certainly wouldn't have guessed they were yummy cookies! :) I like the idea of using them to make s'mores. The graham crackers and Hershey bars we use are a bit messy. It would be nice to have the chocolate already attached to the cracker/cookie/biscuit. :)
Posted by: Jenny B. | April 18, 2015 at 05:20 PM
Just wonderful as always Lucy. So glad you had a happy family time back in Dorset.
Jacquie x
Posted by: Jacquie | April 18, 2015 at 01:23 PM
I just love reading your blog, so full of inspiration and all the wonderful memories that you make, it is a joy to read.
Posted by: kimmi | April 18, 2015 at 04:15 AM
Aha! English s'mores are made with Chocolate Digestives, I see! I'm writing from Michigan but we can get McVities products at our local grocery store. Will definitely try! Lovely photos!
Posted by: Karen | April 18, 2015 at 12:53 AM
We spent the same week as you in beautiful Swanage. Dorset is indeed a beautiful county. Thanks for sharing with us
Posted by: GILLIAN CROWE | April 17, 2015 at 09:04 PM
My goodness, your blog is such a treat. It's great to see the seaside blanket out and about! I am going to try to make this for my father-in-law this Christmas to brighten up his bland bachelor style apartment. :) I especially love your blog as I feel like I am seeing so many delights and sights of the UK as I have never been there (but hope to, someday.) xo
Posted by: Farrah Lily | April 17, 2015 at 04:10 PM
Lovely photos of a lovely place. Thanks for the reminder of my "home territory" Lucy.
Posted by: Wendy Bassett | April 17, 2015 at 02:00 PM
We holidays between Bridport and Beaminsterr for many years, Burton Bradstock being our beach. But we visited the places in your photos. So lovely to be reminded of that beautiful county.
Posted by: Jane | April 17, 2015 at 10:00 AM
vicarious bliss
Posted by: Mary Sullivan | April 17, 2015 at 02:23 AM
Gorgeous seaside reflection post. Did you make your own little fishy scissor keep (I'm guessing, yes!!) and will this feature in a pattern......*said with a hopeful big grin*
Posted by: RedSetter | April 17, 2015 at 12:20 AM
Hi Lucy
Is it possible to purchase the baby ripple blanket pattern and yarn pack from you please?
Posted by: Jackie | April 16, 2015 at 10:43 PM
Sounds like an an idyllic week and very HFW. Dorset is a beautiful county, I holidayed there 15 years ago and remember walking from Charmouth up Golden Cap. How my legs ached the next day.
Have just started Jolly Chunky and loving it so far.
Posted by: fiona | April 16, 2015 at 09:55 PM
Lovely photos and descriptions of "I want to be there" places.
Were you able to spend time with your Mum? How is she doing?
Posted by: Judith Solecki | April 16, 2015 at 09:50 PM
Lucy, you make me homesick for Dorset and I've never even been to Dorset!! Would love a late afternoon barbeque on the beach, and what a brilliant idea for S'mores. Will have to try this next time I have a fire in the firepit on the deck.
Posted by: CL in CO | April 16, 2015 at 09:17 PM