Monkey Chop Farm

You can hunt for fossils on the Jurassic Coast, where there’s an almost endless list of coves and beaches within a 30-minute drive of the site, including Charmouth, Seatown, and Eype. Not all of the beaches are swimming-friendly, but there’s no shortage of coastal pubs with jaw-dropping views and a selection of good grub and ales. At Chesil Beach (45 minutes), you can set up your fishing rod, tuck into a picnic, and wait for your catch. Closer to the site, guests will need to ready their hiking boots for Lewesden Hill (10 minutes) and Pilsdon Penn (10 minutes) or prepare to seek out rare species at the nature reserve on Powerstock Common (20 minutes). Elsewhere, the arts-centric market town of Beaminster vies for attention against the fishing trips, kayaking and canoeing of West Bay (25 minutes). Meanwhile, the romantic seaside scenes of Lyme Regis (30 minutes) compete with the woodland workshops of Hooke Park (15 minutes), for the nimble-fingered. For something a little more stately, take a step back in time in the Jacobean manor house of Mapperton House and Gardens (15 minutes) or the former monastery at Forde Abbey House and Gardens (15 minutes).