Here’s our pick of some Dorset events over the Easter holidays.

With Easter coming up, have your children’s minds turned to Easter Eggs? There are a number of Easter themed events on this month including Egg hunts and Easter activities.

April 2nd to 5th Easter Egg Hunt at Adventure Wonderland theme park, near Bournemouth Airport.

April 2nd-5th - Easter Specials at Swanage Railway with a free hot cross bun for every passenger travelling on Good Friday and Easter Saturday OR a free hand-made Easter Egg for every child travelling on Easter Sunday and Monday.

Did you know that there is a nature reserve in central Weymouth? Over Easter, RSPB Radipole Lake and Arne is a great space to let the kids run wild. You can play bird bingo and hire wildlife explorer backpacks throughout Easter.

April 2nd to April 5th Bennetts Water Gardens is hosting an Easter Bunny Egg Hunt. Visit on Good Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Easter Monday for the Easter Bunny Egg Hunt, with a special Easter trail for children to follow around the gardens; find the clues to complete the trail and get rewarded with a chocolate egg. Children can also take part in the Easter colouring competition.

If you’re visiting over the Easter weekend, don’t forget to book your self catering accommodation in Dorset or bed and breakfast in Dorset as soon as possible.

Local Markets in Dorset

Visiting a market is a fun thing to do on holiday. You can snap up bargains, try local produce and get gifts to take home.

West Dorset is well supplied with markets in Bridport, Dorchester, Sherborne and Owermoigne. Try the farmers markets for the best range of food and drink from Dorset. If books or antiques are more your thing, go to Sherborne. Whatever you are after, remember to pack your shopping bag.

West Dorset Markets

Bridport

Weekly Market in the Town Centre every Wednesday and Saturday

Farmers’ Market 2nd Saturday in each month – Arts Centre 9.30am-2pm

West Dorset Country Market in the WI Hall, North Street every Saturday 9am-12 noon.

Dorchester

Weekly Market in Fairfield Car Park, Weymouth Ave 8am-3pm every Wednesday

Farmers’ Market 1st Saturday in each month at Poundbury, 9am-1pm

Country Market at The Corn Exchange every Friday (exc Easter) 8.30-11am.

Sherborne

Pannier Market on the Parade every Thursday and Saturday

Country Market in Church Hall, Digby Road, Thursday mornings, 9.15am-11.15am

Farmers’ Market 3rd Friday in each month – Cheap Street, 9am-1pm

Saturday Antiques & Flea Market – held the last Saturday every month (Jan-Nov), Church Hall, Digby Road. 9am-4pm.

Monthly Book Fair – held third Saturday every month, Church Hall, Digby Road. 9.30am-4pm.

Owermoigne

Monthly market in the village hall 2nd Saturday of the month, 10.30am – 12 noon. Homemade produce, bric a brac, plants, crafts, books.

If you are visiting Dorset, follow the links to find Self catering accommodation in Dorset and Bed and Breakfast in Dorset.

Low Stress Holidays

Have you ever been away and taken days to unwind, just because packing and travelling to your destination was so stressful? If so, here are some tips to help you make the most of your time off and have a low stress holiday.

Where to go?

Think carefully about your destination. Choose somewhere that has something for everyone. Although you may want to get away from plans and timetables, a little planning in advance can make it easier to relax once you are there. If you have lots of family members coming on the holiday find somewhere that has something to offer everyone. Mum and Dad won’t get to relax if there’s nothing for the kids to do! And make sure that you have booked somewhere with the facilities you need for everyone to enjoy the trip. Enough sleeping space and some time off from cooking and clearing up can make a big difference.

Read reviews and websites

If you want to guarantee a good break, spend a little time reading round before you book your accommodation. There are lots of sites online with holiday reviews from people who have been there. Take time, too, to contact the local tourist office for helpful maps of the area, important places to visit and opening times. This will cut down on stress when you arrive.

How much can you spend?

This is another area where planning in advance cuts pain and stress during your break. Try to save a little each month to pay for your trip, and don’t forget spending money. If you know how much you can spend it makes it easier to plan activities that stay in budget. If you find it hard to stick to your budget, or if your kids keep pestering for more treats, try the ‘envelope’ system. Have an envelope with the day’s spending money in it so the family can see what you have to spend. Discuss what you’d like to do and how it will fit with the budget. In this way it is easier for the kids to see that if you spend all the money on ice-cream now, there won’t be money left for the afternoon activity or a fish and chips tea.

Relax

This is your holiday. Make the most of it. Plan and prepare in advance and then take it easy when you arrive.

If you are visiting Dorset, follow the links to find Self catering accommodation in Dorset and Bed and Breakfast in Dorset.

Unique Sustainable Accommodation in Dorset

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse: three key ideas to help save the planet that are a key part of what goes on at Chesil Beach Lodge as part of our efforts to ensure that you have an eco friendly holiday in the UK.

We reduce waste by:

1. Sorting out our rubbish for recycling


2. Putting vegetable waste in compost bins


3. Buying in bulk and trying not to buy products that are over packaged

We recycle:

1. Our recycling is collected every fortnight and is recycled in Dorset


2. All our glass, plastic milk bottles, tins, clothes and paper


3. Unwanted house items and clothing are recycled via our local Oxfam shop

At Chesil Beach Lodge, we make sustainability a key part of what we offer, both for the bed and breakfast and for our self catering accommodation. To find out more about how Chesil Beach Lodge offers sustainable holidays visit our website.

Here’s our pick of some Dorset events in the coming weeks.

The Dorset coast is a great place to find fossils. At Lyme Regis and Seatown when the tide is right you can pick up ammonites from the beach. It’s a great place to start children off on the fascinating hobby of fossil collecting.

Plus, you can get expert input to help you find fossils. Regular guided fossil hunting walks in Lyme Regis and Charmouth are run year round by experts. Times will vary according to the tides, so here is a list of those offering guided walks plus contact details. Get in touch before you visit to make sure you can take part.

Fossil walk contacts:

• Brandon Lennon 07944 664757 www.lymeregisfossilwalks.com


• Lyme Regis Museum 01297 443370 www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk


• Lyme Regis Fossil Shop 01297 442088


• Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre 01297 560772 www.charmouth.org


• Chris Pamplin 0845 00943757 www.fossilwalks.com

Between the 30th of April and the 2nd of May the Lyme Fossil Festival brings all kinds of activities, stalls, stands and activities to the town and experts will be available providing information. Last year the event included experts from the Natural History Museum, examples from the Jackson Collection of fossils from the National Museum of Wales and meteorites and fossils from the British Antarctic Survey. The event takes place over the first May bank holiday weekend so look for self catering accommodation in Dorset or bed and breakfast in Dorset sooner rather than later.

Visiting Bridport

Bridport is a West Dorset town, best known as the location for Channel Four's 'Return to River Cottage' series with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It makes a great place to visit as part of a UK holiday.

The historic town’s roots can be traced back to the ninth century. You can see the oldest building in Bridport, The Chantry from the outside. It was the home of a priest back in 1368, and has a pigeon loft to allow the priest to support his diet and income. At that time Bridport was a key rope making centre. It’s position at the point where the rivers Brit and Asker meet also lead to the development of a net making industry. The Parish Church of St Mary dates in part from the 15th century although older remains can be seen.

Bridport is home to the Bridport Arts Centre which has a 200-seat theatre, three exhibition spaces, a café and a bar. It is home to the Bridport Literary Festival which takes place each November. Find out more about what’s on at the Bridport Arts Centre.

If you are visiting Bridport, follow the links to find Self catering accommodation and Bed and Breakfast nearby. Visit Dorset offer a free map of Bridport town centre (PDF, 301 kB) to help you find your way around the town, or you can find out more from Bridport Tourist Information Centre, 47 South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NY Tel: 01308 424901 Email: bridport.tic@westdorset-dc.gov.uk