Family In:site into Wood Farm AF site
This story happened on: 16/08/2015
We have now left the south west corner of the UK and are heading along the south coast on our way to the UK's biggest family festival: Camp Bestival. After leaving Hillhead we followed the main roads north and dipped over the border into West Dorset to arrive at Wood Farm Caravan and Camping Park. As an affiliated site, it has different feel from the Caravan Club sites but there of course similarities.
We were greeted with a friendly welcome at the reception and were escorted (by quad bike) to our pitch in the lower section of the site. It is a large site, that accommodates, caravans, motorhomes, tents, trailer homes and self-catering apartments. The site is situated on a slope overlooking the Dorset countryside and even though the land is sloped, pitches are level. The hub of activities is centrally located in the lower section, offering a games room, indoor swimming pool, cafe and outdoor play area so there's plenty to do for all ages. The girls enjoyed swimming in the swimming pool (that is an added cost) a few days in a row. The swimming pool and facilities were clean and modern. The reception at the entrance offers a range of products in their shop as well as freshly baked bread and breakfast pastries every morning. So with everything that is on offer at the site, there could be few reasons to leave to explore the area.
But we did. Here are a few suggestions of place to go to visit:
Lyme Regis Fossil Museum
Lyme Regis is a very attractive coastal town and popular with visitors. The wide selection of shops and cafes are bursting with tourists but our trip, on a rainy day, was to see the fossil museum, a wonderful little museum tucked away amongst the winding streets. The museum provides a thorough insight into the fossils found along the Jurassic coast and the people associated with them, including the famous Mary Anning.
Chisel Beach
After learning about Chesil Beach in the Lyme Regis fossil museum we felt we definitely needed to see this spectacular feat of nature for ourselves. It is an 18 mile shingle beach and an impressive sight to visit. The shingle bank or tombolo, largest in the UK, was formed after the Ice Age and connects Portland with Abbotsbury. It is not suitable for swimming or sailing but worth visiting to admire its magnificence!
The Wildlife Trust have a centre on Chesil Beach and offer workshops and events throughout the year. If you time it right, you can book on or attend one of these.