Journeying Through Dorset - & The Jurassic Coast

The county of Dorset on England's south coast is a county of great contrast but one that will reward the determined traveller again and again. Take a break from driving and jump the three-hour rail journey from London Waterloo to Bournemouth. Deer can often be seen as you pass through the New Forest after Southampton, so keep one eye open.

Bournemouth is a clean and prosperous seaside city with hundreds of hotels ranging from the tiniest, to large international standard establishments. The beach is long and sandy, and though it may be busy on the weekends in the summer, it is long enough to accommodate all comers.

Five miles to the east you will find the pretty ancient town of Christchurch where the Priory stands cheek by jowl with the ruined mediaeval monastery. Stroll beside the twin rivers of Avon and Stour as they head for the sheltered harbour and onward to the sea at Mudeford Quay. The Quay is well worth a visit too, if only to watch the kids of all ages pulling the crabs from the fast flowing Run as it dashes through the channel.

To the west of Bournemouth is the revitalised town of Poole, and the huge natural harbour, second in size only to Sydney. Take a boat trip to Brownsea Island and spot the rare red squirrels. Visit Sandbanks too, and millionaires row, where film stars, pop people and sportsmen and women like to take a fancy to the modern art deco homes.

From the end of the Sandbanks peninsula take the old chain link ferry to Studland Bay. There is a beautiful sandy beach here too and you can walk along the shore to the pretty village of Studland, but be aware that this is a nudist beach. And it's used, at all times of the year, making the patrons much hardier souls than I! It's not unknown for them to approach strangers too. Methinks they hide a weird sense of humour!

From there, head south towards Swanage. Stop off at Wareham and take a drink at the Inns on the picturesque quay. Take the Swanage road and pass the impressive ruin of Corfe Castle. Spend a while climbing the fortifications, and experience the feel of what it must have been like defending a fortress in the middle ages.

Swanage is a small typically English seaside town, almost unchanged in the last fifty years, and no less attractive for that. You can arrive there by steam train on the Swanage Railway from Wareham. Travel west of Swanage and the terrain becomes wilder. This is Purbeck country, the Purbeck Hills, Purbeck stone, and the Jurassic coast.

Towering cliffs, strange rock formations such as the Durdle Door, and Lulworth Cove are worth seeking out. This coast is known as the Jurassic coast for the vast number of dinosaur remains that have been and still are regularly discovered. The original Jurassic Park! Continue westward to Weymouth, another English seaside town. But Weymouth has much more to offer than most. The quayside that boasts working fishing vessels coming and going on every tide, the nature reserve, and the monk's swannery at Abbotsbury. Buy fresh fish and crabs from the boats moored at the quay, take the seasonal quick ferry to Jersey and Guernsey. It's a four hour trip but you can be there and back in a day. And don't forget to visit the strange place that is Portland Bill to the south and west of the town. It is here in Portland harbour that the Olympic Games sailing events will take place in 2012.

Continue westward to Lyme Regis on the Devon border. It was here that Meryl Streep filmed the famous scenes from A French Lieutenant's Woman on the Cobb, the old stone quay that curls out into the channel. Walk on it at your peril in high winds, for it is slippery, and not flat!

Time to turn inland. Beaminster and the old church, before continuing on to the county town of Dorchester. This is Thomas Hardy country, there is a statue to him at the top of the High Street. Dorchester is Casterbridge in his books, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and there are memories of him everywhere.

Continue northward to Shaftesbury and Sherborne, home of Sir Walter Raleigh. Visit the Abbey, the castle and the antiques shops that abound in the town. In the north of the county the countryside and the people differ markedly to the costal strip. A slower pace of life, more time for everything. The land is rolling, green hills on chalk downland that is home to rare breeds of sheep. In places huge sculptures have been carved from the hillside where the thin topsoil has been removed revealing the white chalk beneath. White horses, riders on horses, and the mediaeval pornography that is the Cerne Abbas Giant. Visit Blandford Forum too, another riverside town that can trace its heritage back to Roman times, and beyond.

Take a slight detour over the border into Wiltshire and see the county capital of Salisbury and the beautiful cathedral with the tallest spire in England.

Dorset is a fine county to explore, full of quaint thatched cottages, and beautiful pubs that anyone can enter at any reasonable time. Rest your feet for an hour, you don't need to buy alcohol if you prefer not, you'd be made just as welcome buying soft drinks and hearty crusty rolls. For the most part the food is good and fairly priced. Distances in Dorset between the towns are small and you can see a great deal in a week, but hey, two weeks would be all the better!

You will find thousands of holiday cottages, villas and apartments, worldwide on my holiday home website www.pebblebeachmedia.co.uk

David Carter has written hundreds of published articles. His latest work is the 244 page property letting manual SPLAM! Successful Property Letting And Management. Check out extracts on www.pebblebeachmedia.co.uk. His holiday home website boasts over six thousand holiday cottages, villas and apartments worldwide and you can view that at www.pebblebeachmedia.co.uk

high-end home cleaning Morton Grove ..
In The News:

Aigen's Element robot uses solar power and AI to provide farmers with a sustainable alternative to herbicides, working efficiently in cotton and soy fields.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Cybercriminals accessed Medicare data of more than 100,000 Americans by creating fraudulent accounts, prompting CMS to deactivate accounts and issue new Medicare cards.
China's battery swap technology from CATL lets electric vehicle owners exchange batteries in under two minutes, with plans to expand to 1,000 stations across 31 Chinese cities by 2025.
Analysts at Silent Push have uncovered a widespread scam that uses counterfeit retail websites to steal the credit card information of online shoppers.
Chrome users need to update their browsers immediately as Google addresses a critical vulnerability that hackers are actively exploiting. Additional security measures are recommended.
A study found teens glance at phones for dangerous two-second intervals while driving, using devices primarily for entertainment, texting and navigation despite crash risks.
Security researchers uncovered a flaw in Windows 11 that allows attackers to disable Secure Boot using Microsoft-signed tools, requiring manual updates to protect against bootkits.
Carnegie Mellon's noninvasive brain technology allows users to move robotic fingers by thinking about the motion, offering new possibilities for people with motor impairments.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. Instead of relying only on a password, MFA requires you to verify your identity using two or more methods.
Scientists from Duke, Harvard, and the University of Otago have unveiled a game-changing tool called DunedinPACNI. It uses a single AI brain scan to reveal how fast a person is biologically aging.
A disturbing wave of fake agent phone scams is sweeping across the United States, catching people off guard and draining their savings.
Emojis aren't just playful add-ons; they're powerful tools for building stronger connections in our increasingly digital world.
Google has taken a major step toward the future of clean energy by partnering with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors.
If you create and share art online, you might have seen messages warning that Facebook's parent company, Meta, claims the right to use or even sell anything you post, whether it's pictures, poems, or artwork.
Cybercriminals hit Qantas in a major data breach that exposed information from up to six million customers.
Having reliable, loud, and timely emergency alerts on your phone or device is important because when severe weather strikes, every second counts.
Here's how your daily brew is becoming the foundation for greener buildings.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are transforming how we learn. But what does this mean for AI and learning retention?
Modern AI data centers use much more electricity than traditional cloud servers. In many cases, the existing power grid cannot keep up. One innovative solution is gaining traction: repurposed EV batteries for AI data centers.
Microsoft 365 and Outlook users are being targeted by a tactic that injects fake billing alerts directly into their calendars.
Researchers are now showing us that old smartphones as data centers could be the next big thing in sustainable tech.
Scientists have created micro-robots for sinus infection treatment that can enter the nasal cavity, eliminate bacteria directly at the source, and exit without harming surrounding tissue.
Let's examine how your data is collected in everyday life, who is buying and selling it, what happens to it afterward, and, most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation.

Disney World Lodging Options in Orlando Florida and Nearby Cities

At the heart of Central Florida lies one of the... Read More

Top Family Vacation Destinations

Planning a family beach vacation? Looking for destinations with family... Read More

Ten Reasons to Move to the Costa Brava

After France, Spain is Europe's most popular holiday destination, and... Read More

What Not To Wear

What makes certain styles of pants so popular? One reason... Read More

You Only Have One Life, Let Your Caribbean Dream Come True

Turning your dream to Reality?Buying in the CaribbeanBuying a home... Read More

The Cape Town Wine Route Wonders

Just drive out to one of these delightful wine estates... Read More

European Car Rental - Top Ten Tips for Europe Travel - Tip #2: The Price is Right

When it comes to shopping for something on-line, we tend... Read More

French Property - Looking to take a holiday in France ?

Aquitaine with its 5 departments; Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques.Weather:... Read More

Vacation Rentals on Lake Tahoe?s South Shore

South Lake Tahoe vacation rentals are particularly in demand with... Read More

Finding Vacation Rentals in North Lake Tahoe

The main difference between North and South Lake Tahoe is... Read More

Visit Western Australia and Stay in Fremantle - Holiday & Short Term Accommodation

Enjoy your own luxurious lifestyle in our beautifully furnished, air... Read More

Visiting the Best Orlando Timeshare Resorts: A Report on My Familys Trip to Central Florida

Visiting the best Orlando timeshare resorts: a report on my... Read More

Finding Travel Deals

If your vacation time is coming up and you are... Read More

Vacationing in Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a pristine recreational lake area. With high-stake... Read More

Vacation / Honeymoons 101 - Planning for Perfect Weather on Your Trip

Did you ever worry when traveling about the weather? Most... Read More

Dare to Dream: The Vacation of a Lifetime In A Timeshare

What are your chances of getting the vacation of a... Read More

A Fabulous Guide to Floridas Best Rentals: Condos for Rent, Rental Houses, and Rental Condos

A Fabulous Guide to Florida's Best Rentals: Condos for rent,... Read More

Heres How: How To Get The Perfect Florida Condominium Rental

The typical scenario goes something like this: your casual mention... Read More

A Guide to Punta Cana Beaches

Punta Cana Beaches are among the most beautiful in the... Read More

Summer Vacations: 7 Universal Laws for Survival

Summer vacations - what better topic could there be for... Read More

Why Visit Magical Cape Town?

People often ask me why we keep returning year after... Read More

Owners Dont be Scammed!

Scam artists pose as potential renters everyday on many different... Read More

A Closer Look at Pigeon Forge Real Estate

Those looking to invest in real estate should not overlook... Read More

How to Plan a Cheap Vacation in the Bahamas

A trip to the Bahamas does not have to also... Read More

Caribbean Pearl Secret, Margarita Island is Not So Much a Secret Anymore

Margarita Island is one of the lesser known Caribbean islands.... Read More

spring cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..