Shopping for a Green Christmas in Dorset

With Christmas fast approaching, this week we thought we would give you a few of our suggestions for a greener Christmas.

Buy locally grown produce and visit local shops and farmers’ markets for your Christmas food and provisions.

Buy locally brewed beer or organic wine:

The Furleigh Estate in Dorset produces wines with wonderfully evocative names such as Sea Pink Rosé and Tyrannosaurus Red.

If cider is more to your taste; how about a bottle of Dorset Nectar Cider?

Reuse last year’s wrapping paper, or use colourful pages from magazines, or even fabric pieces.

Make your own Christmas cards, and use last year’s cards for labels.

Make your own Christmas decorations. Decorate your house with twigs, cuttings from the garden, ivy, fresh holly, nuts and dried fruit. Make garlands from pine cones, and dried oranges, lemons and limes.

Choose gifts that are organic, Fairtrade, handmade or second hand:

Organic food in Dorset

The Dorset Coffee Company – part of the Fairtrade network.

The Purbeck Chocolate Company – award-winning, luxury, fresh handmade chocolates

Handmade traditional Windsor Chairs from Fivepenny Chairs

Handmade dolls from Dorset

Bespoke knitwear, handmade in Dorset

Buy antique jewellery, ornaments or furniture from a local auction.

Buy gifts from local artists. Try the Dorset Art and Craft Show, at the Corn Exchange, Dorchester, on Saturday 10th December.

Make Christmas gifts in your kitchen, for example: cakes, biscuits, chutneys, and chocolates; or put together a hamper of local produce.

Buy your Christmas tree in a pot and then plant it outside when you have finished with it, or recycle it at your local recycling facility.

Shop from your favourite charity, for example:

UNICEF

World Wildlife Fund

Dorset Wildlife Trust shop

Chesil Beach Lodge provides a range of beautiful and sustainable holiday accommodation in Dorset. We look forward to welcoming you and your family and friends for a happy and green Christmas holiday. Please contact us to book accommodation for Christmas in Dorset.

Durlston Country Park and Nature Reserve

On the 18th November, after many months of restoration and transformation, Durlston Castle near Swanage opened to the public. Inside the newly restored castle is a new visitor centre with interactive geology, history and wildlife displays; and the Fine Foundation Gallery, with its regularly renewed art and craft displays. Durlston Castle will be open every day (except Christmas Day) and entry is free.

The castle is set in Durlston Country Park: 280 acres of spectacular Dorset countryside with fantastic walking trails taking in cliffs and sea views, limestone downland and woodland. The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and a National Nature Reserve. The Durlston website details the amazing diversity of wildlife at Durlston Nature Reserve, including: 33 species of breeding butterfly, over 250 species of birds recorded, 500 wildflowers, 500 moths and thousands of other invertebrates.

Inside the Castle, is the Seventh Wave cafe & restaurant providing a delicious menu, made with lots of local produce. You can choose from early morning coffee and cake, lunchtime specials and snacks, and delicious evening meals in the restaurant in the evenings. The café and restaurant is open every day from 10.00 to 4.30, and on Wednesday to Saturday evenings from 6.00pm to 9.00pm during the winter.

You can follow updates from Durlston Country Park on their Facebook page

Here at Chesil Beach Lodge we offer a choice of delightful and sustainable bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation in a stunning location on the Jurassic Coast, and within easy travelling distance of Durlston Counry Park and many other fantastic local events and attractions in Dorset.

Please contact us for more details, or to book Dorset accommodation.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to visit Dorset. The hedgerows and trees are laden with berries and nuts, providing a feast for both animals and people. And Dorset’s broadleaved woods provide plenty of fabulous autumn colour – perfect for woodland walks.

Autumn also heralds the arrival of winter migrant birds. Large flocks of Brent geese can be found in Christchurch Harbour, Poole Harbour, and on The Fleet Lagoon near Chesil Beach. The Radipole Lake nature reserve is right in the middle of Weymouth, and is a perfect place to see kingfishers and bearded tits, and wading birds such as dunlins, snipe, redshanks and lapwings. You can also see visiting winter birds at the Alder Hills reserve.

The Isle of Portland, and the Portland Bird Observatory, is a wonderful location for walking and enjoying not only the amazing scenery, but also a wide range of birds and other wildlife.

If you fancy a little fungi hunting, here are some of the best places to see the amazing variety of these fascinating and beautiful, and often weird and wonderful, organisms:

Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve

Kilwood Coppice and Meadows

Powerstock Common Reserves

To see just how amazing Dorset is in the autumn, have a browse through some of the stunning photos in the Dorset Autumn Weather gallery from the BBC.

And see our previous post for suggestions for woodland walks and some of the best places to see autumn colour in Dorset.

If you’d like to do a little nature watching from the comfort of your home, the Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Autumnwatch 2011 website has webcams and links to lots of wildlife videos, including barn owls, otters, bats, red squirrels, and the seahorses of Studland Bay.

Chesil Beach Lodge is set in a fantastic location on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. We offer a choice of eco-friendly accommodation in Dorset: right next to the South West Coast Path, and perfectly located for exploring the many beautiful areas of Dorset countryside, where you can enjoy everything that Dorset’s wildlife and countryside has to offer.

Please contact us for more details, or to book eco-friendly accommodation.

What’s on in Dorset: November

Well, here we are into November already, with its darker evenings, autumnal colours and a definite nip in the air. We hope you had a good October.

As usual for the beginning of the month, this week we have an update for you on events in Dorset in November.

Of course we couldn’t write about events for November without including Bonfire Night, so here’s a small selection of the many bonfire and firework displays in Dorset on the 5th November:

Firework Night on the Cobb at Lyme Regis: with a bonfire on the beach and fireworks over the Cobb. Fireworks from 6.30pm, and bonfire from 6.45pm.

'Firework Extravaganza' in the magnificent setting of Sherborne Castle. with live music, and food and refreshments. Gates open at 5pm, the bonfire is at 7pm, and fireworks from 7.30pm. See EventsCrew.com for ticket details.

Christchurch Community Bonfire and Fireworks Spectacular, at Stanpit Recreation Ground. Gates open at 5pm. Bonfire from 6.15pm and Fireworks from 7.45pm. There will also be a wide range of stalls offering food and entertainment. Tickets £5 per adult, and £2 per child

8th November – the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis presents a “powerful, dynamic and colourful” performance of Flamenco dancing from Noelia Sabarea. You’re guaranteed a vibrant evening of pounding footwork, dramatic guitar, and singing.

24th to 26th November: The Canterbury Tales, at the Corfe Castle Village Hall. “A colourful recreation of five of Chaucer’s famous bawdy and robust tales, and a hilarious romp, in the authentic atmosphere of the medieval period, in the true spirit of the original, with all its vibrancy and hearty comedy.” 7.30pm on the 24th, 25th and 26th November, plus a matinee performance at 2.30pm on the 26th November. Tickets are available from the Corfe Castle Post Office in November, or from the Box Office on 01929 480323: adults £7, Children £5, OAPs £6 on Thursday the 24th only.

12th November - Handel's 'Messiah performed by Weymouth Choral Society, at Holy Trinity Church, Weymouth. Tickets are £10 (free for under 16’s) and are available from Weymouth TIC, Dorchester TIC, on the door, or telephone: 01305 775644 or e-mail: weymouthchoral@btinternet.com.

Also on the 12th November, a totally different kettle of fish: The Wurzels, at the Electric Palace, Bridport.

On the 25th November, you can choose between Stephen Jeffery's entertaining and wonderfully inventive adaptation of Charles Dickens' evocative saga, Hard Times, at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis; or madcap comedian and impressionist Freddie Starr’s show at the Electric Place, Bridport.

Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan is appearing at the Dorchester Arts Centre on the 26th November. Dick Gaughan has been hailed as “one of the biggest protest singers of his generation, with a career spanning over four decades. His songs have been recorded by Billy Bragg and Mary Black and Capercaillie; and John Peel described him as “one of the five or six great voices of our time”.

We hope this gives you a small taste of the many interesting and entertaining events coming up in November. As you can see, it’s certainly a month of variety and contrast: there’s always something for everyone here in Dorset, not matter what the time of year. To book accommodation in Dorset for your autumn break, please contact us.

We’re also taking bookings for self-catering accommodation for Christmas. Please contact us to discuss your requirements, or to book one of our cosy and luxurious apartments with panoramic sea and coastal views, and everything you need for delightful holiday.