Visiting the home of Broadchurch – West Bay, Dorset

Broadchurch was one of those TV shows I was hooked on. I couldn’t wait to get home to see the next episode, and speculated endlessly about who-dunnit. When I found out it was based in the Westcountry (as Olivia Coleman’s accent suggests), and West Bay in Dorset to be precise, I decided a visit was in order!

West Bay is dominated by large yellow cliffs. The cliffs are part of the Jurassic Coast and there is always a danger of rock-falls. I have seen many stories in the news about tourists who take risks and either stand on the edge of the cliff, or directly underneath it to get the best selfie. The last rockfall saw 1,000 tonnes of rock and debris falling, so you don’t wanna be underneath that!

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Devouring the Jurassic Coast in Lyme Regis, Dorset

The Jurassic Coast is a stretch of coast from Sidmouth in South Devon reaching east into Dorset, and including the town of Lyme Regis.

Sidmouth is a cute little town with good cliff walks nearby. We walked up the nearby High Peak cliff-top footpath for lovely views over the bay.

“Staycationing” in Dorset – attack of the spiders!

We went to Dorset, in Southern England, over a long weekend. It was the first “staycation” I’d had in years so I was a tad apprehensive – particularly as we were camping! If the weather was rubbish (and being England that is a distinct possibility) then it would make the holiday a lot more difficult!

Being English and this being an English holiday, I feel it is only right to do a weather analysis at this point 😉 We did get rain when we arrived and when we were leaving – ie. when we were putting the tent up and down – the worst time to rain! But the rest of the holiday was hot and sunny and we even got sunburnt!

Taking advantage of said sunshine, we went to Swanage for the morning. This was a pleasant little seaside town, with plenty of fish and chips and ice cream to enjoy.