Inspiration

Where to stay to explore pretty Bridport and the Jurassic Coast

Guest Expert

5 min read

Charming Bridport is a vibrant market town just a mile and a half from the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s pleasant to spend a few days pottering about town, where there’s an art centre, live music, theatres, an art deco cinema to check out, and great food. Plus there’s a popular bi-weekly market (Wednesday and Saturday) where you can browse antiques, retro furniture and stock up on delicious goodies from local food producers. Hang out in Buckydoo Square (no one is sure where the name came from) and watch life flow by, then grab your bucket and spade and head to gorgeous West Bay beach.

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Dorset

Little Boutique Club

You’ll feel glamorous inhabiting these beautifully designed town apartments, both sleeping two. Immerse yourself in art, great food, live music, theatres and a cool, independent, cinema – all just a mile and a half from gorgeous West Bay beach. Bridport is a happy, bustling little place with twice weekly markets of antiques, retro furniture and stuff from good local food producers. Whip up meals in your sleek kitchen or stroll out for dinner, the owner recommends Rachel’s in West Bay, before deep sleeps in sumptuous bedrooms. The coastal path is here for bracing walks in either direction and just inland are miles of gentle, rolling hills.

Owner Katie: On the door-step is a thriving arts centre with its very own film festival in April (Page-to-Screen). Bridport Arts Centre is a Dorset-based contemporary arts venue, running over 300 events a year.

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The Hut

Enfolded in gentle Dorset hills and surrounded by trees, this romantic, wooden retreat is only 20-minutes from charming Bridport. Nip in for supplies from the bi-weekly market (Wednesday and Saturday), potter around the independent shops, perhaps lunch in The Bull Hotel, then scamper back for a sundowner on your veranda and watch the stars, and bats, come out. Inside is warm, unfussy and welcoming with plenty of squishy seats, a sweet kitchen area with a warming Aga (lit in cooler months) and all the stuff a cook could need. Spend your day cycling, walking, visiting micro-breweries, gin distillers and vineyards. A wood-burner with plenty of logs makes rainy days happy too.

Owners Susan & Mark: Fabulous local restaurants, including Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage which also offers cookery courses and Mark Hix’s Oyster and Fish House.

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30 South Mill Lane

This row of Victorian cottages has barely changed in 100 years and there’s a calm feel to this three-storey cottage, with a clematis and wisteria swathed garden close to the centre of Bridport. Step out the front for the river and sandy paths down to the centre of town. Buy Dorset-fresh produce from three weekly markets, rest in Buckydoo Square and watch life flow by, or wind up having lunch at The Bull. Hop on the bus or walk twenty minutes across the fields to West Bay for outstanding beaches towered over by majestic cliffs. Here you can swim, boat, kayak and go coasteering – there’s plenty of space and children will love the special play parks in summer.

Owner Belinda: Colourful Bridport is right on the doorstep with its regular street markets, festivals, art deco cinema, bookshops, museum, arts centre and theatre.

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North Eggardon

You can climb Eggardon Hill behind the farm for views of Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, head to the sea or find treasures and fresh local produce in Bridport’s antique and foodie market. Inside everything has been recycled or built from wood from the owner’s own coppice, the walls are lime-washed, terracotta tiles have been reclaimed and the furniture hand-made. The entire house is a showcase of Victor’s passion for the environment and the incredible workmanship from him and his artisan friends. A Swedish wood-burner and richly coloured sofas invite lazy evenings, and the farmhouse kitchen’s Esse range cooker and electric hobs make cooking a joy.

Owner Victor: Vibrant busy street market (Saturday and Wednesday) and vintage market most days, all in Bridport.

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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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