Inspiration

Explore the Jurassic Coast from our coastal cottages in Dorset

Guest Expert

5 min read

It’s hard to resist the call of the sea, and the Dorset coast is as alluring as it gets, home to the awe-inspiring Jurassic Coast’s jumble of hidden bays, towering cliffs and fossil-filled beaches. Sailors and paddle boarders will be in heaven and there’s much to delight walkers with superb coastal paths rewarding the determined with stunning sea views. Sublime seafood can be found at beachside cafés, fish and chip shops and in smart gastro restaurants, while keen cooks will love selecting a fresh catch of the day and whipping up a fruits de mer dinner at one of our utterly charming coastal cottages. There’s nothing more quintessentially English than a Dorset seaside holiday.

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Little Boutique Club

Two attractive, beautifully designed apartments, each sleeping two, in a Georgian building next to the Arts Centre. You’ll find large, light-filled living rooms, pretty blue velvet sofas, funky vintage furniture and lots of interesting books. Sleek kitchens run along living room walls and bedrooms have sumptuous linen from Harrods and gleaming bathrooms. Not only can you immerse yourself in happy, bustling Bridport, you’re just a mile and a half from gorgeous West Bay beach. The coastal path is here for bracing walks in either direction along the stunning Jurassic Coast. Dip down to beachside cafés, the best fish and chips or a cocktail at Seaside Boarding House.

Owner Katie: Nearby West Bay (home to the popular TV series Broadchurch) has a small fishing harbour and the best fish & chips, from Rachel’s.

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Old Watch House

Coastguards once kept watch here. Now you can sit at the big sash window and gaze at the bustling harbour. This whitewashed building, whose thick cob walls have been part of Lyme’s harbour front for 300 years, now houses a pretty flat with lovely fresh décor in the form of comfy sofas, a neat kitchen and a bedroom that catches the afternoon sun. You don’t need to go far for your supper either. Pop downstairs to the award-winning fish shop and cook your catch of the day at home, or set off for a steaming bowl of river Exe mussels at Hix Oyster & Fish House, where it’s bliss to dine on the terrace with a view of the sea.

Owner Sarah: With your boots on, the wind in your hair and sun on your face, walk to Charmouth, on over Stonebarrow to Golden Cap, and along the Fleet to Portland.

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The Sundial

A bright, airy, Arts & Crafts house just made for seaside socialising. Swim from the shingled beach below you or a sandy one a few hundred yards along, sail and paddle board from the nearby watersports centre, or shell out for a deep-sea fishing trip. The kitchen, with its long table, is grand for gathering over morning coffee or cooking for a crowd with a bottle or two. Keen foodies will be up with the lark and off to the harbour to bag the freshest catch. The less lively can idle on the sofa with a book or simply gaze out of the mullion windows at the mesmerising views. Drift off in fresh, big bedrooms after all that sea air.

Owner Mark: Fossil hunting on your doorstep and along the shoreline to Charmouth and beyond in Mary Anning country.

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Short House Chesil Beach

Drive through swaying pampas grass and umbrella pines to this bright pink cottage where the deep blue sea shimmers behind the house, sheep graze the surrounding National Trust farmland and you’ve only an unspoilt meadow between you and Chesil Beach. Find a large, sociable, open-plan kitchen, plenty of comfortable furniture, piles of DVDs, a swanky TV with Sky Q, good WiFi, all the kit you might need for cooking and a Bose speaker. Bedrooms have glorious sea views and open onto a west-facing private terrace overlooking the garden, quite safe for toddlers and dogs.

Owner Andrew: Walk 45 minutes along the beach to the magical Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens. Tea & scones are very good in the cafe restaurant there, with a great terrace amongst the palm trees.

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Greenbanks Chesil

A spacious seaside house on Chesil Beach, treasured for generations and filled with family history. A working open fire and uninterrupted sea views mean on rainy days time spent simply gazing out of the window is far more than just bearable. Walkers can join the coastal path from the door, the garden has a lovely terrace with tables and chairs, a swing looking out to sea, a lawn for games and a barbecue for summer nights. Walk straight down to the sea for spectacular sunsets and pebbly strolls. Return to neat bedrooms and a convivial kitchen that you can stock with local produce from Bridport’s independent shops and bi-weekly market.

Owners Sophie & Kate: There are so many beautiful walks front the front door, along the coast and through the fields on the National Trust dedicated routes.

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Carmen McCormack

Guest Expert

Carmen is a freelance writer specialising in travel. She once lived in a bus in north Wales, skipped off to study in Barcelona, and now calls Bristol home. When she’s not tapping away on her laptop, she can be found reading (a lot), lake swimming (a little), and pottering on the allotment with husband and two kiddos. She’s currently dreaming about cold cerveza and torta in Mexico.

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