Dorset Days Out 1

ENTER YOUR EMAIL ON THE RIGHT FOR YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DORSET

That rarest of things, a sunny day, inspired us poke our noses out of our burrow and go exploring.
Following a recommendation we first partook of  morning coffee at the Symondsbury Kitchen.

Symondsbury was a sleepy village, until now...  the old tithe barn and outbuildings, grouped around a large courtyard, have recently been  sympathetically converted by the Symondsbury Estate. In the outbuildings are found craftsmen, while the tithe barn with its massive clay tiled roof will be a venue for weddings. Its all very impressive. The important bit for us, though, was coffee...The Symondsbury Kitchen in keeping with rest of the development is fresh and stylish. 

Downing our lattes we headed along the coast road with its glorious birds-eye views, to Abbotsbury and its Subtropical Gardens.

Even someone like me, who doesn't know their columbines from their philistines, was impressed...the only thing missing were a few well placed monkeys

The gardens were originally established in 1765 by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle which unfortunately burnt down in 1915. Over the following years it gradually evolved to cover 30 acres filled with rare and exotic plants from all over the world. Many varieties of  plants found here were first introduced to this country from the gardens and discovered by the plant hunting descendants of the Countess.

After the negotiating jungle, where else but lunch in the Plantation restaurant, not a gourmet experience, but more than adequate.

Finally, if your energy levels remain high you could round off the the day with a visit to the Bridport fea markets, maybe pick up a topee.. click here for info