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

Dorset Holidays Part ::4

Hello Lovelies,

I've skipped over Tuesday, which was nice enough but I'm aware you might be getting holiday overload!
I need to record Wednesday though as it was another highlight for me.

I woke early and decided to go for a little run before breakfast.
Past the pretty flower boats around the harbour........

And old stone buildings...........

Back round the harbour and past my favourite boat with it's lovely early morning reflections........

Past the ice-cream coloured houses on the beach..........

and along the pier...........

To see the sun is rising over East Cliff.............

and the tide is high, waves splashing over the wall...........

The coastline looks wonderful in the low sun...........

I've run far enough now and head for that short cut back to our caravan, but then I decide to take a little walk up the West Cliff..............

It's such a beautiful morning and I'm not ready to go inside just yet..............

The path is mostly well away from the edge of the cliff, I'm happy about that.

After a while I squeeze through this narrow gap..........

and I'm rewarded by the glorious view............

I walk along the path a little further and I'm so tempted to carry on to Eype, but I think the boys will be wondering where I've got to, so I take one last photo then turn around ............

The views inland are gorgeous too..............

I go "home" for breakfast.

We had a week of sunshine and showers. It did make it rather difficult to plan the day but it didn't spoil our holiday. The weather was mild when it rained and hot when the sun shone.

But by late morning the clouds had rolled in so we decided to walk up the East Cliff.........look at it.....a beautifully curved hill, chopped clean in half by the sea as it raises  straight up out of the beach

It's steep, really steep............

But that gives a wonderful view from the top...........

I zoom in on the harbour and I can even make out our caravan in the background..........

We walked along the flat top of the cliff, but wary of getting drenched in another downpour, decide to turn around when we get to the dip............

Back down in the village the boys are amused by an enormous egg in the food store...........

Once again the day turns out to be lovely in the afternoon and we head back to Lyme. It may not be very adventurous but the children love the beach here and if they are happy we are.

This visit there are colourful boats sailing around the bay.

and look, you can see the distinctive shape of East Cliff in the distance........"we were walking along the top of that earlier" I tell the boys...............

I'm very happy that we are getting more  time in this pretty place....and happy that the sun is shining today.............

Everywhere I turn there are more beautiful pictures...............

and the atmosphere is relaxed and happy on such a warm day. Lyme has some pastel coloured beach huts (that I didn't photograph) and I loved this collection of things outside one..........

Look, they are painting pebbles on that dinky fold out table.......I love this place.

In one shop I came across some old post cards for 20 pence each. I bought this one....looking at the cars and the fashion I'd guess it was from the seventies............

And here's the scene today.......hardly any different...........

I was surprised to see the same hardware shop on the right. I went inside and bought a Dorset tea towel :0)

Lyme is so pretty, and very busy on this sunny day. I'm sure you can see why............

After my little exploration I wandered back to the beach. I could see the boys and their cousins in the sea and decided to join them.

I try and have a swim in the sea at least once every year, but it's got to be a nice warm day to tempt me. The late afternoon sunlight and the beauty of Lyme bay made this years swim a memorable experience. Just a bit of breast stroke......I'm not a very good swimmer, but the added buoyancy of the salt water helps.

The best bit of this dip was actually standing in the water holding my boys, like I did when they were little. They are too heavy for me to do that any more, but in the water it was once again possible.......such a happy moment.

I love the light on the beach as evening arrives. The long shadows make everything look special. we loved this sand sculpture some clever people had made..........

We really didn't want to leave, so  ate an alfresco meal that was DELICIOUS...........

Another day FULL of simple pleasures and happy family times in a gorgeous part of the world.........how lucky I am.

Jacquie x