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Best town as base for Dorset coast

We'd like to base ourselves somewhere on the Dorset coast , preferably a town with good walks, a good hotel or B&B, and good food. We're considering Lyme or Charmouth. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Posted by
993 posts

Maybe a little off your path, but we liked Romsey and Lyme Regis a lot. Our landlady in Romsey said it was a little bit of Heaven. She was right.

Posted by
2804 posts

I would have to agree with my friend Laurel....Lyme Regis is great.

Posted by
33837 posts

Carol, do like Jane Austin? In Lyme Regis you can walk out onto the Cob - the very same one in Persuasion. We did that in September and it enjoyed it greatly.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. And yes, I do indeed like Jane Austen, so perhaps it will be Lyme for us.

Posted by
44 posts

If you are going to Dorset, I highly recommend the Smuggler's Inn in Osmington Mills. It sits right on a coastal bluff. I have been to MANY, MANY pubs all over the UK and it might just be the most atmospheric of all.
See: http://www.ukpubfinder.com/pub/4311 It lies astride the Southwest Coastal Path too... jks

Posted by
964 posts

You might consider Weymouth. It's an old fashioned seaside resort with a long sea front promeade and plenty of restaurants and hotels.

Posted by
3 posts

I had considered Weymouth. One concern I have is touristy (tatty) towns. Is this a problem in Weymouth or Lyme? Does anyone recommend Charmouth?

Posted by
425 posts

Seen "French Lieutenants Woman" (Meryl Streep)? Lots of Lyme in that. Salisbury is a good base for that area ..... or one of the towns in the New Forest.

Posted by
964 posts

I haven't been to Weymouth for a few years Carol (although it's not far from me) but it wasn't tatty last time I was there. It has/had a Victorian feel to it, mostly due to the promenade and hotels which line the sea front. There are several people on here who seem to like Lyme Regis, and they have probably been more recently than I have. Swanage is another nice place.