What’s on in Dorset: September

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first of September’s posts!

Like many of you, we were amazed and inspired by the Olympic Games in August, and we know the Paralympic Games will be just as exciting and inspiring.

We were lucky to have the Olympic sailing events very close by in Portland and Weymouth, and there were plenty of thrills and spills and lots of very well-deserved medals for Team GB. We’re looking forward to more top sailing in the Paralympics, and we wish team ParalympicsGB and all the other athletes the very best of luck and a wonderful Paralympics.

Later this month we’ll be posting ideas for spooky things to do over half-term. We’ll also be posting details of some wonderful theatre shows, pantomimes and music events that will be showing in the run up to Christmas - book your tickets and your holiday accommodation early :-)

But first, here’s our usual selection of what’s on in Dorset in September.

1st and 2nd September - Dorset County Show Dorchester. Show attractions include Scott May’s Stunt Show; fun fair; dog agility; sheep shearing; terrier racing; falconry; gymnastic displays; cookery demonstrations, and much more. Free parking with disabled parking area. Dogs welcome on a lead. Opening times - 8.30am till 6.00pm both days.

1st September to 31st October - Global Images Gallery Photographic Exhibition at 2 Hound Street, Sherborne. A fascinating display of images of Iconic Mountains; Lhasa & Kathmandu, and Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula. Monday to Saturday 9am to 5.30pm; Sundays 10am to 4pm.

8th to 9th September - River Cottage Autumn Fair at Park Farm, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster. Celebrate the harvest with a trip to the River Cottage 2012 Autumn Fair! It’s a “great opportunity for guests to come and explore River Cottage HQ and meet the gang off the telly.  You'll enjoy cookery demonstrations and talks from the team and contributors, fun activities for children, as well as a range of food, drink and artisan producers selling their wares” plus “lashings of Stinger beer and local cider, with local musicians playing throughout the day. Tickets £15.50, under 12s go free.

8th to 17th September – Lyme Regis ArtsFest at various venues around Lyme Regis. Experience art in unusual contexts; chat with artists; and attend special demonstrations, exhibitions, events and workshops.
12th September - Evolution, Extinction and Biodiversity in the Fossil Record: How Much is Real? at the Dorset County Museum. Alex Dunhill of the University of Bristol gives the first in a series of Geology Lectures. 7pm. Free entry (a £3 donation is encouraged).

14th to 16th September –the Bridport Hat Festival at various venues across Bridport. The 3rd Bridport Hat Festival promises shows, entertainment, live music, food and drink, and much more. Take part in the mass hat wearing photograph in Bucky Doo Square and you could win a prize!

21st September - Electric Bike Tour of Hardy's Monument and Upwey from Portesham “Starting at the Hardy Monument (the sailor rather than the author in case you were unsure) you will enjoy what is arguably the best view in the whole of West Dorset. Cycling along quiet country lanes we will stop at out of the way farmshops, superb country pubs, art galleries, vineyards to name just a few of the tour's highlights.” Tours start at 10.30am. Pre-booking is essential.

22nd September – Garden Opera Company: La Boheme at the Electric Palace, Bridport. Bars open at 6.30pm. Show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets £25 in advance, £27 on the door.

23rd September - Dorset One World Festival, Kings Road Playing Field, Dorchester and Dorchester Youth Centre: a family fun day celebrating diversity and multi-culturalism. Telephone 07870 805404 or email dorsetoneworld@gmail.com for more information.

30th September - Antiques Fair at Kingston Mauward House, Dorchester. 10am to 4pm.

We say it every month, but this really is just a small sample of the wonderful events happening in our area: there’s always a huge variety of activities to choose from so if you plan to visit Dorset in September for any of these events or activities, don’t forget to book accommodation in Dorset as soon as possible.  We look forward to welcoming you here.

Book early for Christmas!

If we whisper it, will you forgive us for mentioning Christmas already?!
Although Christmas probably seems quite a long way away, Dorset is a popular destination for short breaks and holidays over Christmas and New Year, and booking your accommodation as early as possible is a very good idea.

Chesil Beach Lodge is fabulous for Christmas or New Year breaks. Our bed and breakfast accommodation and self catering apartments are cosy, warm and luxuriously furnished; with amazing views over the coastline and sea. You can wrap up warm and go for a winter walk on the nearby beach – which is just a few steps away – or go for a longer walk and enjoy the spectacular views and wide open spaces from the South West Coast Path that runs almost right by our door. Well-behaved dogs are welcome at Chesil Beach Lodge, and the surrounding area is perfect for winter walks with your dog.

If you decide to stay indoors in the warm, there’s no better way to enjoy a cosy afternoon indoors than enjoying the breath-taking sight of wild winter seas from the comfort of your room. If you decide to eat in, we offer delicious home cooked locally sourced dishes and there are also many excellent places to eat out in Dorset over Christmas and New Year.

The local area has many Christmas fairs with choirs, live music, carol singing, dancing, food, and quality hand-made gifts and local crafts and produce. And of course we have pantomimes and wonderful theatre shows for all the family.

As we get closer to Christmas, we’ll be sharing lots of up-to-date information here on our blog about things to do over Christmas and New Year.

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 here for a happy Christmas and New Year holiday so please contact us to book accommodation for Christmas in Dorset.

October half-term in Dorset

If you’re looking ahead to half-term, Chesil Beach Lodge is a perfect place to spend half-term with your children. We’re close to the beach and surrounded by beautiful countryside with wonderful woodland and countryside walks; plus there’s always a wide variety of entertaining and fun half-term activities for all the family in the surrounding towns.

Some of the activities you can look forward to over half-term include:

• Portland Castle Halloween Family Fun Weekend - spooky Halloween tales and fun activities at Portland Castle, with 'fangtastic' Halloween games. Explore all the spooky nooks and crannies of the Castle, but beware the ghostly figures that linger around corners! Children can make their own spooky crafts and enjoy some terrifying tales of times gone by.
• A week of fun at Swanage Railway - with steam trains and diesel trains; exciting brake van rides at Swanage; colourful face painting at Corfe Castle,and on-train entertainment.
• Enchanted Floodlit Gardens at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
• Half-term Dinosaur Hunt at the Dinosaur Museum, Dorchester
• Mary Anning Walks organized by Lyme Regis Museum - Learn about the life of the greatest fossil hunter ever known.
• Wonderful theatre performances at some of our local theatres.

We’ll be writing more about all these activities and other half-term activities in a post a little nearer to half-term, so keep a look out for that. In the meantime, you can book your  half-term holiday in Dorset with us and be well prepared.

What’s on in Dorset: August (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of our ‘What’s on in Dorset’ posts for August.

15th August - Illyria presents HMS Pinafore at the Castle Gardens, Sherborne at 7.30pm.
16th August - National Trust Smugglers Trail at Stonebarrow Hill, Charmouth. You can start the trail anytime between 11am and 3pm. Cost per trail entry is £3. Come and join in for some family swashbuckling fun. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

18th to 19th August – there’s a Dalek Invasion at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, from 10am to 5.30pm each day. Family activities include celebrity signings, Dr Who traders and much more. Children are encouraged to wear fancy dress.

24th to 26th August - Candles On The Cobb. 5000 candles are lit on the iconic Lyme Regis Cobb harbour, followed by a stunning firework display.

24th to 26th August - Purbeck Folk Festival at Langton Matravers, Nr Swanage, with performances from KT Tunstall, Rory McLeod, Monster Ceilidh Band and many more. “Purbeck Folk Festival covers the broader definition of folk music and you can hear music from all around the world; some deep and meaningful, some get up and jump around. There's something for everyone's musical taste. There are three big barns, used for stages and the bar, which mean that you're dry if it rains, but there's a big grassy bank to sit on in the sunshine.” The festival is family-friendly and you can buy tickets for individual days. There’s lots of children's entertainment, plus workshops, poetry and storytelling.

24th August - Oddsocks present Julius Caesar at the Outdoor Theatre Athelhampton House, Dorchester. “Rome's creaking coalition is under strain as the nation's sporting games is held to honour Emperor Caesar.  Will the games be an expensive disaster? Will the liberal Senators succeed with their infamous assassination?  Will Caesar's stinking plebs be revolting? Suitable for all ages this open-air production will engage summer audiences with a heady mix of Shakespeare, gags, audience participation, live music and lots of rollicking Roman comedy.” Gates open at 5.30pm. 7pm in the Gardens. Adults £15, Children £5 (15% discount for members).

25th August - Anonymous Youth Festival at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester from noon to 9pm. There will be a brilliant array of live music and dance showcasing some very talented local young people, lots of great activities, a walkabout magician, circus performers, stalls, food and much more and the whole day is completely FREE!

25th August - Wings and Wheels Display at Henstridge Airfield, 7 miles east of Sherborne. “A great day out for the family with lots of great aircraft, great cars, a BBQ lunch and a nice relaxed garden party atmosphere.” A fantastic display of vintage and classic cars will be on show including famous cars such as Buick, Marcos, Morris, Chevrolet and Ford. You’ll also see between 70 and 100 aircraft, plus rumour has it that the entire Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with the Lancaster, The City of Lincoln, the Spitfire and the Hurricane will be paying a visit! Entry £5 adults (children free).

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

What’s on in Dorset: August (Part 1)

Well, the 2012 Olympic Games are well and truly underway and the fantastic sportsmen and women of Team GB have a few medals under their belts already. Did you watch the spectacular opening ceremony? It’s certainly got people talking.

The sailing events are also well underway in Portland and Weymouth, and we’re excited that Dorset is hosting these inspiring events. Sailors and visitors alike have been enjoying some lovely weather and by all accounts everyone is having a really wonderful time.

There’s a lot happening in Dorset this August so we’ve split our selection of recommended activities into two – Part 2 will follow next week.

3rd to 5th August - Cider Festival at the Coach & Horses Inn, South Perrot. Free entry all weekend, with live music in the evenings. Starting Friday at 6pm, up to 70 Ciders will be on offer.

4th August - The Importance of Being Earnest by the Miracle Theatre Company at Higher Orchard, Sandford Orcas near Sherborne. “Oscar Wilde’s ‘trivial comedy for serious people’ is a masterpiece of sharp wit and preposterous plotting. In this high energy production Miracle adds an extra dimension to ‘the funniest play ever written’.” Show starts at 7.30pm. Advance tickets £10-£30 (family) or £11-£33 on door.

4th to 10th August - Marine Week at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, Lower Sea Lane. Activities include rockpooling, boat trips, fossil hunting, aquarium tour, and Pirate Day (9th August), crafts and much more.

4th August  to 12th August - Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival Week. Nine days of action packed activities for the whole family. Events include Lyme Regis Carnival Procession at 8pm on 11th August, including the Grand Firework Display; and the Carnival Week Duck Race on the12th August.

7th August - traditional Punch & Judy show by the Puppetree Company, outside the Watch House Café at West Bay. The Watch House Café is set right on East Beach and is just yards from the sea and the stunning views. Performances at 11am, 2pm and 4.30pm. Punch and Judy will also be at the Watch House Café on 21st August, 28th August and 4th September.

10th August - South Louisiana swamp blues with Lazy Lester at Dorchester Arts Centre. “This 78 year old blues legend from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been described variously as a ‘National Treasure’ the ‘High Sheriff of Louisiana’ and ‘A nut!!’ One of the key creators of the South Louisiana swamp blues sound in the 1950’s Lester has often been imitated but never duplicated.”

11th to 27th August - Bridport’s Festival of Culture. A 17-day extravaganza highlighting Bridport’s art, culture, food and music and “a fantastic smorgasbord of visual arts, music, film, food, theatre, heritage, sport, dance, exhibitions, demonstrations and, above all, fun!”

12th August to 25th August - the Shanty Theatre Company presents The Rime of the Ancient Mariner at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. “A family musical with wit, half-wits and a massive seagull! Join Shanty Theatre Company on an epic voyage with this entirely new re-imagining of the nautical classic, with storms, holy hermits, a ghostly galleon, silly sailors, live original music and an albatross with a passion for five-a-side football.” 

This is just a small selection of what’s happening in August – don’t forget to check out part two next week. If you plan to visit Dorset for your summer or autumn break, please contact us to book your accommodation in Dorset. We look forward to welcoming you and your family and friends here.