After weeks of unseasonably sunny, hot weather we set of on our long weekend caravan break with the threat of a rainy weekend forecast hanging over us. We arrived at Bridport early afternoon and set up camp in the Bringham Grange camping site.
The weather was dry, albeit a bit chilly, and managed a walk in the woods and fields backing the site and bordering the river Brit. The countryside was beautiful and the woods were carpeted with swathes of wild garlic. We just managed to get back before it started raining, so there was nothing else to do but read the papers and drink wine (lager for the Man).
The site is very nice, not a Caravan Club site but similar in quality. Adults only, neat pitches separated by hedges and dotted with attractive stone statues. A little shop in reception and a restaurant on site that can do a takeaway. The dog walk is pleasantly pathed with bark chippings and a welcome abundance of doggy doo bins.
The plan for a BBQ meal was rained off so we grilled indoors and then settled down in the quiet with only the rain pounding on the roof to keep us from a fully deep sleep which we were looking forward to on our newly purchased memory foam mattresses!
Saturday 25th April
By morning the rain had exhausted itself and we completed morning ablutions and a very pleasant breakfast in misty but dry gloom. The town of Bridport was this morning’s destination and the Saturday market which was featured in many of the tourist pamphlets as ‘historic’ and ‘with chutzpah’. It didn’t disappoint. The market was spread across three town centre streets and was buzzing with interesting stalls, food, knick knacks and a folk band keeping us cheerful in Bucky Doo square.
Everyone was out with their dogs and Jim behaved himself with all but two similar sized terriers, but we reassured ourselves that the other dog started it! After a quick coffee we drove down to West Bay to have another wander round and look at the now famous cliff location for Broadchurch.
The beach was a lovely adventure for Jim who revelled in rolling in the softer sand by the pounding surf. We joined a number of tourists revelling in the Broadchurch connection with some brave souls climbing the cliff (perilously imposing and scarily unfenced).
West Bay was wonderfully dotted with bespoke shops selling all sorts of seaside tat that I find endlessly fascinating and I bought a fridge magnet, mug and postcards. The Custom House antique market was filled with an array of curios and also offered a sheltered dog friendly café where we enjoyed a rather good fish and chip lunch.
We drove down the coast to Barton Bradstock and had another walk on another beach under the crumbling cliffs with the weather closing in and the mist adding to the drama of the scene. Another coffee at Hive Bay – also dog friendly, and then home just as the rain started again. We had a wonderful day and the area has certainly gone into the top three retirement destinations.
Sunday 26th April
Today was supposed to be the worst day for rain, but apart from a brisk wind the weather stayed dry and relatively pleasant. After breakfast we went back down to West Bay to sample the weekly car boot sale but the stalls were a bit desultory, probably put off by the weather forecast. Back into town for a bit of shopping and then back to West Bay to tackle the climb up West Cliff.
It was a long slow climb, less dramatic than the ‘Broadchurch’ cliff but just as high and daunting. Near the top we were gratefully diverted away from the breathtakingly sheer drop by fencing due to the problems with cliff erosion. We plodded on through the meadows and hillocks and came down the other side to the quaint village of Eype.
The views were awesome and when we got down to the beach it was practically deserted. It is situated at the Northern end of Chessil beach so is a mass of small stones and pebbles. I collected a few for my various craft projects while Jim miserably minced along hating the feel of the pebbles on his little feet. When we got to the end of the beach back at West Bay we had to scramble up some large rocks to reach the out of bounds jetty, passing ‘no access to the beach’ signs – a bit too late for us by then – we certainly weren’t going to walk all the way back.
On the way back to the van we had a drive through the very picturesque town of Abbotsbury and had a quick look at the sea at the oddly cut off little hamlet of West Bexington. Glad to get back for the Sunday papers and a nap!
We went back to the woods for an evening walk with the Dog and collected some wild garlic to plant in the garden at home. I also picked up a great stick to be fashioned into a walking stick for future trips. We rounded off the evening with a lovely meal in Buzzards Restaurant, a 2 minute stroll from the van. A perfect end to our weekend break.
For more pictures of our trip to Bridport have a look here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clooneyloon/sets/72157649893540263/
Me, the man, our dog, and a van 