We stayed in a small village called East Orchard, Shaftesbury. Our accommodation was a lovely little cottage. There were five cottages from converted stables.
Although our stay was in Dorset, we only actually spent one day in Dorset while the other days were spent in Somerset and Wiltshire.
We visited a few places, which I will review in the one blog post.
Day One: Travel, and Arrival in Dorset
On Monday 27th August 2018, we set out at about 10am, expecting to take around 4 hours, accounting for a break on the way.
When I say “we”, I refer to myself, my partner (D), and my two boys (R and F). The drive was a good few hours but was not too bad. As we drove the last part past Salisbury, R took these pictures of Stonehenge:
We arrived in the town of Shaftesbury shortly before 2pm. We went to go into a pub for lunch before completing our journey to our accommodation. Unfortunately, the nearest pub was holding a private event. They did recommend another but we decided, instead, to find the cottage.
We arrived at Bowling Green Farm around 2pm, and were greeted by two people – one of the owners, Sue, and another lady whom I believe was Sue’s daughter-in-law. Sue apologised that the cottage was not quite ready. This was alright as I had said that we would be arriving at 3pm. We asked for the nearest place to get a nice meal, and Sue recommended The Plough.
The Plough at Manston
The Plough is a lovely pub in a lovely area. It wasn’t busy when we arrived, and we received a warm greeting from the staff.
There was a good choice on the menu. I was especially impressed that my prawn salad was beautifully presented, crisp, and fresh, and had a dressing in a separate dish. This is very important to me as I do not enjoy a salad that has been drowned in sauce! So that was good.
The boys all enjoyed their meals, and D and R said that the beer was good. The Plough also had little boxes of quiz cards on each table, which I thought was an interesting little addition. Of course, we made use of them while we waited for our meals. That was in between reading about the history of the pub on the menu.
Once we had finished our meals, we returned to Bowling Green Farm.
Bowling Green Farm
The cottage at Bowling Green Farm was delightful. It was comfortable, with two bedrooms, living room/dining room and kitchen, and walk-in shower in the bathroom. There was also a lot of space outside where there were also table and chairs, and a trampoline for our use. R and I spent a few of the evenings sitting outside, drinking tea, and playing cards.
The owners were not there for most of the time but, when they were there, they were very helpful and friendly. R and I went for a walk to find a shop. We did not find one but we did have a lovely walk, picking blackberries from the many bushes next to the farms.
The beds were really comfortable and, after a good night’s sleep, we woke up early but naturally and heard the crowing of a cockerel. For the most part, the cockerel was the only noise we heard.
Day Two: Shepton Mallet and Wincanton
There were so many things that I wanted to do but I had managed to narrow it down. One place that D, R, and I wanted to visit was Discworld Emporium in Wincanton. As this is just one shop, we decided to do it as part of something else.
We wanted to take a tour of HMP Shepton Mallet. Wincanton is about half way between Shaftesbury and Shepton Mallet so we decided to do these two things on the same day.
HMP Shepton Mallet
On Tuesday, our first port of call was HMP Shepton Mallet which is now abandoned. This was something we thought would be different, and appealing to me, D, and the two teenage boys.
The tours are run by Jailhouse Tours who also run tours at Shrewsbury and Gloucester. As we all enjoyed this one, we will probably do those two and complete the set.
Shepton Mallet prison was originally built in 1610 and was in use as recently as 2013. Until then, it had been the UK’s oldest operating prison since 2011. The prison has housed men, women, and children. Its residents have including debtors, thieves, and people with mental health disorders.
We did a self-guided tour but we might pay the little bit extra for a guided tour if we go again. There is a lot of information about how the rooms would have been used, and there is a one room in which visitors can read about some famous murderers.
Perhaps more famous, though, is the former executioner Albert Pierrepoint who assisted his uncle Thomas Pierrepoint.
There are a lot of steps, of course, and it is, due to its nature, not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. There is a mess hall where guests can help themselves to tea and coffee at no extra charge.
We must have spent around an hour and a half there. We paid £45 for the four of us (it should have been more but, at their discretion, they did not charge for F. They do a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children but R is an adult so we couldn’t have that).
I did have to remind the boys that they were not allowed to lock each other in the cells!
Discworld Emporium
On the way back from Shepton Mallet, we went to Wincanton. That’s because Wincanton is home to Discworld Emporium.
Wincanton is not very big. We parked in a free car park in the town. The car park was a short two minute walk from the shops.
As we walked into Discworld Emporium, we were warmly greeted and had a chat. The shop is quite small but has a menagerie of all things Discworld. D, R, and I all chose something for ourselves but this is a fandom that F has yet to embrace. We are onto a good start, though, he knew that Terry Pratchett “was a writer and he is dead”.
We could quite easily have spent a fortune in there. Unfortunately, we did not have a fortune to spend. Nonetheless, I have said that I would gladly drive the 118 miles from home another time just to go there.
The Nog Inn
There seemed to be quite a few pubs in Wincanton considering its small size. We had, though, already decided to try The Nog Inn. This was a short walk (about 3 minutes) round the corner from Discworld Emporium.
The Nog Inn was quiet when we went in. We received a friendly greeting from the barmaid. I must admit that I was not impressed with the menu but the pub itself is nice, and the staff are welcoming.
I usually take ages making up my mind what I want because I want everything so it came as quite a surprise that nothing on the menu looking appetising. I picked the ham, egg and chips.
Two meals were served well before the others. R and D had almost finished their meals before F even got his. They did all enjoy theirs, though. I can’t say the same for mine.
Other than my meal, and the haphazard service, it was a nice place. D said “I like Dorset” so I reminded him that we were, in fact, in Somerset at the time!
Day Three: Bournemouth
On the Wednesday, we went to Bournemouth. This was the main point of us going to Dorset. D had talked about moving to the coast and he had suggested Weston-super-Mare or Bournemouth. As I had never been to Bournemouth, we thought it would be a good idea before deciding if we should move there!
Oceanarium
Our first stop in Bournemouth was the Oceanarium. Although I know that one sealife place is often the same as any other, I do like to visit any that I can. Bournemouth Oceanarium is quite large and is home to lots of different creatures.
R and I stroked a spiny tailed lizard. The Oceanarium has different animals out at different times, and they have set times that visitors can watch different creatures being fed.
The Oceanarium is home to penguins, sharks, rays, otters, several species of fish, and Humboldt penguins. For the size of it, it is one of the less pricey sealife centres. Admission is cheaper if you buy online, and there are discounts for families, disabled people, and carers.
Funicular
A funicular is also referred to as a cliff lift. There are three cliff lifts (East, West, and Fisherman’s Walk). East Cliff Lift is currently out of service; Fisherman’s Walk lift links the beach to a cafe and play area. East and West were both built in 1908 while Fisherman’s was built later in 1935.
We went on the West Cliff Lift. The cost is £1.50 each way per adult, £1.10 for under 16s. Disabled and carers can use the lift at no cost, and there are passes and family tickets available. The same pricing applies to all operational lifts.
The pictures above show some of the views from the lift. I believe the land in the distance in Swanage.
Build-a-Bear
I am not certain as to why we had decided on this originally as we do have a Build-a-Bear nearer to home. Anyway, we decided to do this while we were in Bournemouth because R needed a new bear to take with him to university!
It was quite noisy in the shop. D wandered to Games Workshop and left me with the bears and the boys. I wasn’t sure if F would want a bear but he found one he liked.
We were greeted by a lady who said that she had moved to Bournemouth from Coventry – that’s local to us, and it’s typical we go all that way to meet someone from up the road!
The young lady provided us with the useful information that people in Bournemouth don’t know what a batch* is (they call it a roll), and that a scallop around those parts is a fish but, if you ask for one in the Midlands, you’re likely to get potato!
*a batch is what you might call a roll, cob, barmcake, bun, bap, bread roll, bap (probably other names too) depending on your local dialect. ‘Batch’ is, apparently, quite specific to a couple of towns/cities in the Midlands. Personally, I don’t care what you call it – although some are different things around here – but I do draw the line at ‘roll’. If I ask for a sausage roll, I expect pastry not bread! 😛
R chose a lavender coloured unicorn while F chose a green Power Ranger bear. R put a marshmallow scent into his unicorn. He named the unicorn Rubie.
F put a Super Mario theme tune and a cotton candy scent into his bear. The bear is called Tommy.
Once the boys had created their bears, we had birth certificates printed for them. Yes, my 18 and 13 year old boys are big babies! I think D stayed away for a few reasons but partly because he didn’t want to know how much I was spending. I had budgeted it into the holiday, though, so it wasn’t too bad.
The Half Moon Inn
As we made our way back to the cottage, we decided to find a nice pub in which to eat. Typically, while we seem to have passed a number of pubs on the way there, they seemed scarce on the way back.
D had asked if we could go to The Plough again. As it was well over an hour’s drive back and it was late afternoon, though, I said no. We went to try one place but that had stopped serving food by the time we got there.
Also, typically, the place we ended up was only 20 minutes away from The Plough!
That place was The Half Moon Inn at Shaftesbury. This is quite a large pub with lots of indoor seating. It is separated up to a point between a sort of bar and a more of a restaurant bit but the parts are not shut off from each other. We chose an in between bit as the bar tables were a bit small for us to have a meal. So, we sort of in the bar area but on a bigger restaurant-style table.
The Half Moon had a good menu with some traditional dishes and a few that were a little different. I chose the duck stir fry which was really nice. Duck is often very fatty but this was not. There was plenty of meat, and it was served mixed with vegetables in a dark sauce. I can’t remember what the sauce was but it was tasty!
I have forgotten what D had but F had a pizza that was bigger than the plate while R had a Ploughman’s with cheese. It was served with either cheese or ham but not both. Cheese is R’s favourite food, I think!
The staff were good too. Two ladies, one sat chatting with us while she checked and cleaned the cutlery that had come out of the dishwasher before putting it in the tray.
Day Four: Wookey Hole
On Thursday, we started out later than we had done on Tuesday and Wednesday. We needed to wait to see if D was going to come with us and then decide what to do.
After three days of being busy, D needed a rest so we left him to read his book at the cottage. I had a few ideas as to what we could do but had left the day open. I gave the boys a few choices, and they chose Wookey Hole.
There was a bit of queue for tickets but it wasn’t too bad. Then there was a queue for the caves. The cave tour is the first part and then you are free to see everything else at your own pace. I think we queued for a total of 45 minutes between tickets and caves but there were some picturesque views from where we stood waiting to go inside the caves.
The cave tour was worth the wait. It was quite a large group going in, though. The guide led us around the caves and told us some of the history. That included stories about the origins of the Wookey Witch, cave diving, and prehistoric rocks.
We were led around the caves, and shown where the famous cave-aged cheese is stored. They also have wine that matures down there. The cave is used for its consistent humidity and constant 11 degrees.
The picture above is of ‘Merlin’s Beard’ rock formation, one of only three ‘flutes’ in the world. It is thought to have been there for millions of years and, because of the constant temperature and humidity, has not changed and never will.
Merlin’s Beard is unique because, of three flutes that exist, it is the only one that exists under ground. Unlike its counterparts, it is not affected by the elements.
I was expecting Wookey Hole to be full of small children, and to cater to younger families. However, there was a varied mix of ages and there is plenty to do and see no matter what your age.
The only thing we did not like was Captain Jack’s Restaurant. It was like a school canteen. The tables were dirty, the quality of the food was mediocre and very over-priced for what it was. I would certainly take sandwiches if I go again.
Other than the restaurant, though, the three of us had a lot of fun there. The pictures below show: an old diver’s helmet in the small cave diving museum; walking through the Mirror Maze; crazy mirror selfie.
When we came back from Wookey Hole, we fetched D from the cottage and, as he was feeling rested, we went to The Plough again for dinner as we had said that we would return. We then started packing everything ready to return home.
Day Five: Salisbury, and Back Home
On our fifth and final day at the beautiful Bowling Green Cottage, we said goodbye to our excellent hosts as we returned the keys. We had one final stop to make before we came home.
I have a friend who lives in Salisbury. I shall call him S. I had met S only twice before but have known him for probably ten years. We originally met online on a discussion site where S also got to know my mum and sisters.
As we were staying only a 40 minute drive from Salisbury, I thought it would be nice to see S. We had made a plan to meet on the Friday but left it until the Thursday to make a more specific plan.
S was going to be busy in the afternoon so he suggested meeting for lunch before then. He suggested The New Inn. We visited one other place before lunch.
The Wardrobe
We arrived in Salisbury a little earlier so we wandered up towards the cathedral. We would have liked to explore all the buildings around there but didn’t have that much time. We did visit The Wardrobe which is home to collection and archives for The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire.
As everywhere else, we were warmly greeted by chatty staff. Most of the staff at the museum are volunteers.
The museum is set over two floors and, along with displays of information, has over 2000 artefacts on display including medals and weapons. The museum holds more than 34000 further items that can be viewed on their website. The collection includes archives from 1748 to the present day.
As a former army officer, D found the museum interesting. The rest of us did too but, I think, we appreciate such things in different ways.
The Anglican cathedral, formerly known as Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has the tallest spire in Britain. If you want to climb it, you would have to ascend 332 steps to do so.
The New Inn and New Friends
S, as I said, is a friend of mine. The boys had also met him before. D, however, had not. It had not really occurred to me to think much of that. That probably comes across as flippant but I don’t mean it that way. I just mean that I had no worries about my partner meeting my friend and hadn’t considered the possibility that it would be problematic.
As it happened, D and S seemed to get on really well. We all chatted about various things. D and S found plenty of common interests. D was fascinated by S as he talked about his work as a Cathedral tour guide. I think they got to know each other better in an hour than I have done in years!
As for the pub, that was another good one. It was a traditional-looking pub in the centre of Salisbury, just a short walk from the cathedral.
The menu was a little different from other traditional pubs. I had to help F to choose something because I am not sure he knew what everything was!
I won’t say what everyone had but F had a burger and I had sea food linguine. Mine was nice but a little too saucy and cheesy for my preference. Food took a little longer than we might have expected. We did all enjoy our meals, though, the service was friendly, and the pub had a cosy atmosphere.
The main thing was, of course, to spend see S so I am glad that everyone got on. As I said, the two boys had met him before but that must have been four years ago or more. F had most probably forgotten him, and F was a little boy then while he is now a teenager! He, like R, was polite enough but didn’t talk a lot. R joined in some of the conversation but F only really talked when he was directly asked a question.
Other than the museum and the meal, we had a little wander around Salisbury, which is a lovely town which seems to have a lot of pubs and restaurants but not much of other shops! We bought some sweets from a traditional sweet shop before we got back to the car and headed home.
Back Home
We had had a lovely holiday. Everyone said that they enjoyed it. Despite the pictures on which F seems to be frowning, he did say he enjoyed himself too!
D and I said that we would prefer to stay nearer the sea next time we go away but we did have a good family break in the middle of the countryside and we did, at least, get to spend part of one of our days by the sea. We got home and rested. A longer holiday would have been nice but I was glad to have the weekend to rest as I am not very good at having what you might call a restful and relaxing holiday – I want to do everything!
We would like to go back to some of the areas we visited. We did like both Dorset and Wiltshire but if we do move, or even if we holiday that way again, I think we agreed that it would be in Somerset.
Becky J. Harvey 