in and around Lyme Regis
Jurassic coast activities
Lyme Regis is an excellent base for a holiday.
Things to do are only limited by your imagination. What can you add to this list of things that our guests have enjoyed?
- diving
- walking
- sea fishing
- trout fishing
- golfing
- horse riding
- beachcombing
- fossil hunting
- bird watching
- fine dining
- visit River Cottage
- cream teas
- picnics
- stately homes
- garden visits
- antique markets
- charity shopping
- just chilling
- art & craft galleries
- farmers’ markets
- cinema
- car booting
- house hunting
So, whatever you want to do, what better place to stay for your holiday than with us?
Local attractions
Enjoy the wonderful scenery – our part of East Devon and West Dorset has a quiet charm all its own – a patchwork of fields and woods, farms and hamlets, hills and valleys. It’s a great place to watch the wildlife, especially birds of field and wood. If you walk quietly, you may even be able to watch roe deer grazing nervously, or glimpse a fox out hunting for food.
Just a short walk away is the famous Undercliff, immortalised in John Fowles’ novel, “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. It’s a National Nature Reserve, and part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. An unspoilt and sheltered location, heavily wooded and full of interest, whatever the season. This wild landscape is the nearest thing to a jungle you will find in England – strange to think that a couple of hundred years ago, it was home to a thriving agricultural community. Now there are just one or two derelict farms and overgrown fields.
If you are feeling energetic, you can walk from Lyme to Axmouth along the South West Coast Path through the reserve – allow about five or six hours and take everything you need, as there is no beach or road access once you are on the trail. You can catch a bus back again, or some people swap car keys with folk they meet coming in the opposite direction!
In the summer months, you can enjoy a drink at one of the seaside pubs in Lyme Regis to round off the day – imagine sipping wine, beer or coffee, at the edge of the beach on a calm evening, watching the boats in and out of the harbour. In the winter, cosy up to the fire and enjoy the relaxing peace of the countryside.So, why not consider a short break with us now?
The Bower often books up early, but you can always plan a break out of season, or why not reserve your special week for next year? The repeat visitors we have testify to the warm welcome you will receive – you can read some guest comments on our blog.
A wide range of local attractions are available – you can find out more by visiting some other web sites – for example, National Trust properties nearby, or find out what’s on closer to home, at the official Tourist Information Centre web site. Don’t forget to check the special spring, summer and autumn attractions put on at Lyme Regis, including the Fossil festival, Lifeboat Week, Carnival Week, the Jazz festival and ArtsFest. Further afield, you can find quirky events like the Bridport Hat Festival and tar barrel rolling at Ottery St Mary, for example. We have suggested links to some other local web sites of interest too.
For those who haven’t visited before, Lyme is a delightful and unspoilt small town, with family-run shops selling local arts and crafts, clothing and jewellery, friendly pubs and restaurants, and of course the famous Cobb and harbour. Bridport, just ten miles away in Dorset, has a fascinating street market on Saturdays with many stalls selling local produce, bygones, bric-a-brac, old tools etc. Honiton is famous for its antique shops and pottery, and halfway to the city of Exeter.
Fancy something more active? You can dive or fish (sea or trout) locally – boat trips are available from the Cobb; play golf at Lyme or Axmouth – two clifftop courses both with stunning views across Lyme Bay; go for a hack at one of the nearby stables; or swim at one of several local pools for example.
If you like walking or natural history, we’ve already told you about the Undercliff, and there are wonderful walks along the beach too – plenty of fossils to find; and bird-watchers like to visit the nearby Axe Estuary to see the wide range of birds that frequent the salt marshes.
