Family Holidays in Dorset 2012 

My family and I (me, wife and two kids) ventured to beautiful Dorset for our summer holidays last year and had a wonderful time taking in the beautiful countryside, the lovely weather and the many interesting and delightful activities available.

We were based in Boscombe just a mile down the coast road from Bournemouth and this proved to be an excellent point from which to visit Dorset's many attractions. Our first day was spent on the golden sandy beach at Boscombe. We also took the small train down the road to Bournemouth along the road which runs along the sea front. Boscombe itself is a very nice location for a beach holiday. Unlike Brighton's pebble beach, the beaches here are soft and sandy and perfect for children.

On our second day we decided to take in Monkey World which is just an hour or so in the car from Bournemouth. We had a fun morning here, although it seemed that a lot of the monkeys were asleep! Also with us visiting at high season, the place was absolutely mobbed and at times it was hard to even manoeuvre the pram.

After this, it was a short drive up the road to the Jurassic Coast and the impressive Durdle Door. This area features steep cliffs jutting out from the English Channel and was also busy with holiday makers when we arrived in the afternoon. We managed down to the cliff tops with the buggy and two kids and had an unsuccessful attempt to get the buggy down on to the beach, however the steps were a bit too steep and we had to run back. I however, took my son down to the beach (which is a pebble beach) and we spent a short while, however, I always find it difficult to relax on a stony beach!

Our next day trip was to take in the steam railway which runs from Norden to Swanage. The station of Norden itself has been wonderfully preserved even down to getting an old fashioned ticket. Those of a certain age will recall the wonderful old fashioned first class carriages on the steam train itself. It really is like taking a step back in time. Swanage itself is nothing really fantastic, but there is a pleasant enough sandy beach here and we stayed here for a couple of hours before getting the steam train to Corfe Castle.

Corfe Castle is an extremely impressive site and well worth a visit. The grounds of the castle are stepped and it makes for a nice place to spend an afternoon. The ruin itself can be wandered around and there are lots of nooks and crannies for the kids to explore.

Overall, Dorset is a wonderful place for your family to visit and there is loads for the kids to do and see. We enjoyed wonderful weather when we were here also.