Stubbs Bridge Wood

Here to visit the Jurassic Coast? Find fossils, wander along the historic Cobb or stretch out on the beach with an ice cream in Lyme Regis (10 minutes' drive), take yourself off to Charmouth (10 minutes) for gently sloping stretches of sands or take a nostalgic journey on the Seaton Tramway (20 minutes) along the Axe Estuary to the shoreline and back. Other attractions in the local area include Forde Abbey House and Gardens (20 minutes), a converted Cistercian monastery and country estate with gorgeous grounds and plenty of scenic rambles. Abbotsbury's Subtropical Gardens (30 minutes) have a similarly spectacular array of flora on show, as well as a tea rooms, kids' adventure playgrounds and an award-winning swannery. For spectator motorsports, you're about half an hour's drive here from the Smeatharpe Stadium (30 minutes), which hosts a packed schedule of competitions and fixtures throughout the year. For slower-paced options, you might like to take a leisurely stroll around Dorchester (40 minutes), Dorset's well-preserved county town, or scale the earthworks at Maiden Castle (40 minutes), an Iron Age hillfort with spectacular panoramas over the surrounding area.