Dorset Holidays :: Part 5

Hello Lovelies, 

are you still with me? I do hope you are finding something interesting in these marathon holiday posts.

I could write three more, but I'll make this the last.

On Thursday the weather forecast wasn't optimistic so we decided to drive along the coast, past Lyme Regis and into East Devon.

We ended up in a delightful village called Beer.

 It happened to be regatta day and there was a real party atmosphere............

It's was a shame about the showers. We ended up having lunch on the beach.....sheltering under these parasols to keep off the rain............

While a steel band played and the man on the public address system said something like.........

 " good news about the sailor who had to be rescued ........he's just got hypothermia and a couple of other issues....but he'll be fine in a few hours." 

 I'm glad it wasn't bad news!

The wetness did make the pebbles shine , and I had to smile when we spotted this one :0)

The Village it's self was very picturesque, and decorated with flags of all nations............

I loved the old cottages............

and the unusual sight of a stream running  down the side of the road...........

After our evening meal back at the "van" the children decided to go crabbing on West Bay pier again. We walked past the harbour and I was delighted to see the gorgeous glow of the sunset...........

But that didn't prepare me for the amazing beauty of the coastline at this time of day........WOW, it took my breath away.............

And just LOOK at the East Cliff..............

That stunning hot orange colour and the contours all displayed in stark relief by the evening shadows........

Those 140 million year old rocks, towering above the people enjoying an evening stroll.  I think you can see why this part of our coastline has been designated as Britain's first natural world heritage site.

And looking west as the sun sets is really special. Each bay is illuminated by the suns rays, creating the illusion that there is light shining out of each one.
I tried hard to capture it in a photo, but it's much more spectacular in real life...............

I wandered around revelling in so much natural beauty while the children enjoyed catching crabs, shrimps and tiny fish..............

West Bay was bathed in a mellow glow............

and many people enjoyed the atmosphere, both on land and sea............

Just look at that sky...........

East Cliff turned an even deeper orange, while fishermen landed their catch..............

And then the sun was gone..............

and soon the lights came on .........

Seeing this sunset was another highlight of the holiday for me.

On Friday we woke to sunshine and the weather forecast was good........

We headed back to Lyme, with MANY other people. When we got there the sandy beach was packed. It did feel a little claustrophobic, so I went for another walk on the harbour wall.............

The children spent ages in the sea and by evening the beach was pretty deserted, but again we didn't want to leave............

Further out in the bay a swimming club were doing circuits around the bouys..........

Beats a few lengths in a chlorine filled pool, don't you think.

This photo was taken about 7.30pm......the sun was just about to disappear behind the hillside, but still the children were  still in the sea. There was a Reggie party going on in one of the bars on the seafront and music drifted out across the beach. It was so calm and warm , the sea almost still with the tiniest of waves gently lapping the shore.......

The sort of moment you want to remember for a long time too.

That night (late at night) I attempted a little postcard sized watercolour of Lyme on a sunny day.......

It's not great, but it makes me smile.

Then Saturday morning arrived and it was time to say goodbye to our little caravan..........

The weather was good and we decided to squeeze a few more hours out of our holiday.

We drove past thatched cottages with Roses around the door..........

Along the coast road heading east. And what a stunning route it turned out to be. There were high places you could stop and drink in the view.

One last look at Lyme bay............

and a first glimpse of Chesil beach and the fleet lagoon...........

another wow

and look, there's St Catherine's Chapel.............

Somewhere else I feel I know from Lucy's beautiful posts

This whole road was stunning on a sunny morning....We loved the B3157 :0)

It had such gorgeous elevated vantage points and  it travelled through pretty villages........

It was a shame we didn't have longer to explore, but we had a plan to visit somewhere we holidayed when the boys were very small.

One last day on the beach.............

At Weymouth, where the ships are tall............

 the deck chairs are unique..........

The dingy got a last outing...........

And there was time for me to sit in our tent and do a little more crochet before the long drive home.........

 I'm so happy that I've managed to record our lovely week, before my memories fade. It was a really wonderful holiday.

Thank you for indulging me and leaving such lovely comments.

Jacquie x