Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
on providing care, courtesy, and comfort for discerning guests. Once home to heirs of
the earls of Ilchester, the house, which boasts a wing designed by Thomas Hardy, now
stands on 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of secluded gardens and sports a cozy Georgian-style
drawing room. The atmosphere remains relaxed and informal, however, and lavish
bedrooms have views either of the garden or over village rooftops to fields beyond.
The celebrated
restaurant
sports a menu that successfully combines classic Eng-
lish and modern influences, and is a favorite haunt of foodies from across the county.
Dinner main courses range from £22 to £28; set lunch is £24.
Summer Lane, Evershot, Dorset DT2 0JR. www.summerlodgehotel.co.uk.
&
01935/482000.
Fax
01935/482040. 24 units. £225-£360 double; £325-£445 suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Head north
from Dorchester on the A37.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; bike rental; concierge; exercise room & spa;
indoor heated pool; room service; tennis court.
In room:
A/C, TV/DVD, CD player/library, hair dryer, MP3
docking station, Wi-Fi (free).
Yalbury Cottage
This thatched-roofed cottage with chimney corners and
beamed ceilings is in a small country village within walking distance of Hardy's birth-
place. The cottage is some 350 years old and was once home to the keeper of the local
water meadows. Midsize rooms are simply decorated with new beds and plain cream
walls, plus individual design touches like elm headboards crafted by local woodcarv-
ers. Room no. 4 has the best view, over empty pastures and right at the sunrise.
The outstanding
restaurant
—also open to non-guests Tuesday to Saturday eve-
ning and Sunday for lunch—serves French-influenced cuisine that pushes the local/
seasonal mantra to the limit: No meat on the menu is sourced from farther than 9
miles away, for example. Dinner costs £29 for 2 courses, £34 for 3 courses.
Lower Bockhampton, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8PZ. www.yalburycottage.com.
&
01305/262382.
Fax
01305/266412. 8 units. £95-£115 double. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. Free parking. Head 2
miles east of Dorchester on the A35 and follow signs to Lower Bockhampton.
Amenities:
Restaurant;
lounge; bar.
In room:
TV/DVD, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
7
DORSET'S JURASSIC COAST:
WEYMOUTH TO LYME REGIS
Weymouth: 137 miles SW of London, 8 miles S of Dorchester; Lyme Regis: 155 miles SW of London,
63 miles S of Bristol
Stretching from Swanage, in Purbeck, to Exmouth, in East Devon, the 95-mile
Jurassic Coast
is a UNESCO World Heritage site named after the rock strata laid
down between 135 and 190 million years ago along its length. (The beaches they
shelter have been a favorite haunt of fossil hunters for 2 centuries.) The most appeal-
ing base here is
Lyme Regis,
a quirky resort with steep and winding streets that are
barely unchanged since Jane Austen visited in 1803 and 1804.
At
Weymouth,
you'll find a sandy strand, one of Dorset's best seafood
restau-
rants,
and lots of traditional English seaside fun. The town also claims a tragic place
in English history: It was at Weymouth that the Black Death first arrived on English
soil in 1348, on its way to killing half the country's population.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
The easiest train connection for this stretch of coastline is
Weymouth, served via an approximately half-hourly direct train from London's Water-
loo Station, calling at Southampton and Bournemouth en route. Journey time is just
under 3 hours, costing around £59 for a round-trip.
