Sat - visited Lyme Regis. Had coffee and carrot cake at Town Mill Bakery - great place and worth a revisit during the week. Walked the Cobb. Then off to Bridport and lunch at The Green Yard cafe. Huge sandwiches with good salad. Lots of interesting shops in Bridport and worth a second visit.

Sun - after the Archers omnibus we set off on a walk from The Hut. We had a rough idea of where we wanted to go and used the View Ranger App on the phone to follow a route. There were some serious ups and downs so our average speed was less than our normal 3 mph. After 3.5 hours we had covered 7 miles. Sat outside on the veranda until it became too chilly.

Mon - it's such a good location we stayed at the Hut for most of the morning and then headed off to Chideok to follow a walk I did 20 years ago. Unlike Lincolnshire, Dorset is full of rolling hills and this walk found a lot of them. We walked over Eype Down, which isn't down at all, in fact it's a consderable up. Walked the coastal path to Seatown where we stopped at the Anchor pub for pints of Lime and Soda and crisps (the most expensive on the planet). Then we walked up Golden Cap - the highest point in Dorset. It's quite a hike and certainly got the heart rate up. Total distance 7 miles. We finished the afternoon in Bridport (had to be Waitrose) for some food for the evening meal. Home to a log burner, a cup of Earl Grey followed by a glass of Cava.

Tue - Spent the morning in Lyme Regis, coffee at a very special cafe (Amidst Giants and Idols http://www.amidgiantsandidols.co.uk/) that really goes to town on different types of coffee. Too much choice and my flat white tasted the same as a Costa. Lunch in a cafe next to the sea (http://www.thelymebay.co.uk/) but nothing special and the maitre d' was a little condescending about where people sat. Drove to West Bay and walked the beach then sat on rocks and put the world to rights as the waves lapped against the shore. We went out for dinner at Hawkchurch. It was reasonably priced, good food modern surroundings but a little souless.

Wed - drove passed Dorchester to a small village, Stinsford, to start a walk through rolling hills, beautiful countryside. We passed Thomas Hardy's birthplace and ate a picnic lunch on a memorial to him. Pine Farm tea rooms provided the Earl Grey tea and it was warm enough to sit outside - lovely friendly service.
After the walk we went into Dorchester for a browse around then back to Bridport for Mary to do some shopping at Mountain Warehouse. Finally home to a log fire, glass of Cava and a home cooked meal.

Thurs - Our final full day in Dorset and we wanted to go for lunch at the Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis however when we got there they had closed the road because they were filming a period drama for the big screen.It apparently stars Kate Winslett but we didn't see her. Disappointed we took a stroll along the front, sat had a strong, turkish coffee at a little cafe and then drove over to West Bay where we parked up. Our second option was to walk over the coastal path (lots of steep ups and downs) to Burton Bradstock (The Hive) where we promised ourselves locally caught fish and chips (the fish not the chips). It was Hake so I guess it might have been caught nearby but I'm a bit sceptical. We had to queue for 20 minutes to get a table because there was a silver surfers offer so the crinklies from all over Dorset were there. It was worth the wait. After lunch we walked back along the beach to West Bay where we sat outside at The Watch House drinking tea and then sat by the harbour watching the world pass by.
Home to tidy up, pack and prepare for our departure on Friday.