A Last Week of Summer in Lulworth – Seafield Holiday Cottage

And breathe…   We have been back at school for just over a week now (a very last year for the oldest, a very first year for the youngest!) and finally, I feel like I can catch up with things that I have been meaning to do forever, like work for example, and being able to update various blogs – not to mention deep cleaning the poor house after many months of putting up with all of us in it non-stop…

Like everyone else, our plans for any Summer travels were somewhat curtailed this year, and apart from our little weekend escape to Stockbridge, we really didn’t have any firm plans.  That was up until the Four Year Old’s lovely godparents kindly offered us a few days in their Lulworth holiday cottage in the last week of the Summer holidays…

Seafield is available to book by everybody by the way, and I can’t recommend it enough.    Situated in stumbling distance to the Cove itself (it literally takes two minutes from door to beach – handy for getting our smallest sea swimmer back hastily to warm up – he insisted on going in for a swim every single day whatever the weather!), great for the shops, pubs and restaurants, and a real treat when you get the whole place to yourselves at the end of the day once everyone else goes home…

The house itself is split over three floors with three big bedrooms (one ensuite) and sleeps eight in all (the children’s room contains two sets of bunk beds).   The family bathroom is huge and contains one of my favourite features, the most beautiful porcelain sink that my best friend managed to transport in her suitcase in one piece from  Bangkok to Singapore and then on to Lulworth…  She can now truthfully say she takes everything including the sink!!

The owners are foodies and the kitchen contains absolutely everything you need to cook a feast should you not fancy venturing out.  Just about everything has been thought of in the rest of the house too – right down to Alexa in each room.   I suggest you don’t teach any four year old you have with you how to use this by the way, or you will be listening to Dinosaur songs on repeat for the entirety of your stay.

The house is a wonderful sanctuary to return to at the end of each day, and despite the fact we didn’t really need to, we lit the wood burner on more than one occasion after a lengthy walk/swim, because that’s the law when you stay right by the beach right?

There’s also a great terraced garden at the back (with a bbq!) with beautiful views stretching far over Bindon Hill, perfect for watching the sun go down with a glass of something nice…    If you look carefully on a misty night, you might even spot the ghosts of Roman soldiers that reputedly haunt the place…      This part of the country is packed full of tales and legends about smugglers, ghosts, pirates, and tales of visits from Kings and Queens that are centuries-old…

Speaking of Bindon Hill, this is where you will find the start of the path to Durdle Door that stretches up and across the cliff tops to the iconic stone arch itself, carved by the sea over time (don’t stand too close to the edge if you have a bit of a thing about heights like I do!!)…

I think it should be mandatory to get up at sunrise at least on one morning during your stay to capture a Durdle Door sunrise.   Failing that, get up and out as soon as you can, and head down the steps to Man o’War Bay for a breakfast picnic, a bit of rock pool inspecting, and a failed attempt or two at skimming stones.

The sea is just unbelievably clear, and we spent a wonderful morning here doing all of the above before anyone else, heading back across the cliffs just as everyone else was starting out for the day…  There’s also a little portacabin cafe at the top of the cliff should you need it for child and/or husband blackmail purposes…

The cliffs above Lulworth Cove are also definitely worth exploring, and only when you view it from above do you realise what a perfect circle the Cove is – one of the reasons why it has a World Heritage Status.    Check whether the ranges are in use when you visit, as there is a fossilised forest on the far side which sounds amazing.   We will have to just check it out next time…

Speaking of fossils, Lulworth is obviously very much part of the Jurassic Coast, and it’s not uncommon to find fossils on the beach here… But, if you want more of a guaranteed fossil finding experience (if you have tiny impatient fossil fans), then I really recommend a trip to Lyme Regis, some 45 along the beautiful Jurrasic Coastal Route (so beautiful, you must drive it, even if you don’t stop anywhere and just turn around and come back again!!)…  Look out for Baboo’s Gelato stops along the way, this is a must, failing that Purbeck Icecream comes in a pretty close second!!

Speaking of food, thanks to COVID measures it is imperative to book Lulworth restaurants and pubs for something to eat currently.    Don’t despair if you don’t manage this however as there’s always Finlay’s Fish and Chips by the Car Park and visitors centre which is where we ate on our first night.   We had to wait a little while (during which time the four-year-old managed to squirt an entire ketchup sachet into one eye) but it was absolutely worth it, and as someone with a lot of Northern blood, I think I can speak with authority on that…    Other places worthy of booking are the Lulworth Cove Inn, where we enjoyed very decent minute steaks, chicken Caesar burgers, and also very good fish and chips (again!) for the smallest member of the group.    The Lulworth Lodge Bistro serves excellent mussels and The Boat Shed Cafe is great for morning coffee and a crab sandwich to take away for a fossil hunting picnic at Lyme…

The beauty of Seafield at Lulworth is that as well as being a great holiday home there’s just so much to do in Lulworth itself with its wonderful walks and beach visits so you don’t really need to go anywhere (it’s great for paddleboarding too by the way!), but should you wish to venture further, there’s also so much on your doorstep with  Lyme Regis, Swanage (we also had a great day crabbing on the pier here!), and Weymouth nearby, as well as Lulworth Castle just up the road.    The abandoned village of Tyneham isn’t far either (sadly closed during our visit), neither are the ruins of Corfe Castle, Monkey World (we visited many years ago – it’s brilliant.  Also grateful to the man in the Monkey World uniform who sat near to us during our Finley’s fish and chip wait – the four-year-old spotted him and was convinced – probably thanks to the suggestion of his brother – that if he didn’t sit still he would be taken as a new exhibit!!) and Bovington Tank Museum for any military fans…

We had such a wonderful few days, made all the more memorable by the fact that it was our only real summer holiday during such strange times – we relished every single moment (some of us even indulged in a spot of late-night sea swimming – not me!) and all of us came home rested and happy with a car full of oysters and scallops to boot after stopping off at the Portland Scallop Company on the way home.

Thank you for looking after us so well Seafield, we can’t wait to see you again soon (hopefully with your owners in it over Christmas and New Year – fingers very much firmly crossed!)…

A couple of extra notes…     Do bring your walking shoes, the walks here are stunning, and there are plenty of beautiful pubs to stop off at along a route.   The beaches are also mostly pebble so that’s worth bearing in mind when it comes to footwear too.

Don’t think that a Lulworth visit out of season isn’t worth it, I would say it’s 100% worth it any time of year…