GENTLMAN OF THE ROAD

When it comes to coastal beauty, Great Britain is hard to beat. If our glorious isle could offer good weather throughout the summer months it would be hard to answer the question why one goes abroad at all. If it wasn't for the horrific tragedy in Tunisia, we would have been heading abroad ourselves only for plans to change at the 11th hour. Luckily for us a UK heatwave was due to strike so we turned to the power of social media for recommendations on where to go. Around 80 suggestions later we decided that we would head to the Jurassic Coast, beginning our journey at Lyme Regis. 

The cob at Lyme Regis

Soon after arriving we booked into Hix Oyster and Fish House (again from recommendations) for the following evening. The restaurant sits "up on the hill" and has stunning views over the beach and cob. The interior is modern and bright and has a very chilled atmosphere. Drinks were served - a Sharp’s Cornish Pilsner, as refeshing as described on the menu, and a waiter recommended Whitley Niell gin and tonic for the good lady.

Skipping starters due to filling ourselves up with the delicious bread brought out upon entry it was decision time for dinner. With her mind already made up ("I'm having Lobster with a glass of prosecco") my choice was slightly more difficult. I was torn between Portland cock crab and Poached fillet of Lyme Bay cod with River Fowey mussels and sea beet. I decided on the crab but should have probably changed my mind after being told that there were no dressed options left. The novelty of cracking the crustacean and retrieving very little for your efforts soon wore off and the cod looked great when seen heading for another table. The lobster at a reasonable £6.50/100g (and prosecco), however, was sublime and the service was fantastic. We would definitely return but would avoid ordering crab. www.hixoysterandfishhouse.co.uk

Our next port of call was Lulworth Cove with a slight detour to the highly endorsed Hive Beach Cafe. Located just south of Bridport this is a great place to visit. We had given ourselves all day to explore and are glad we did. The views across Lyme Bay are immense with spectacular dramatic cliffs. We lunched in the "Beach Hut" and shared a crab sandwich (luckily already cracked!) and drinks for around £12 from a brilliant, locally sourced, menu. For a place so remote we were expecting to pay quite a bit more. More local produce and accessories can be found in the shop and a bottle Hive Cider can be enjoyed in the sun!  There is a small charge in the National Trust car park on arrival but don't let this put you off. Any money that helps restore areas of beauty like this is money well spent. www.hivebeachcafe.co.uk

We arrived in Lulworth at around 5pm. We had booked into a "Boutique" hotel called Bishops. We know it was close to the cove but didn't realise how close. After an initial phone call on the day we left for Lyme Regis, we had booked two nights in the Bar Room and our final night in the attic room (due to the Bar Room being booked up). We didn't have any expectations as we were just grateful to book somewhere so late.. if we did, they would have been severely beaten. The Bar Room is a suite with a bit of old and a lot of new. It is bright, ridiculously spacious and has a king sized bed. 

The Bar Room

There is a massive charm to Bishops and it comes from father and son team Tim (manager) and Pete (head chef) and owner Phil. When we mentioned that our TV in room was all in French the response was "It's sunny outside. Why do you want to watch TV?" Although said tongue in cheek, this was how it was!

The side of the bar came away during a shower. Response - "We've been trying to fix that bloody thing for months. If you have any ideas please let us know". This was perfect for us. Life is far too short to be worrying about things like that and we had only mentioned it just in case they thought that we had broken it! The staff carried the same relaxed persona and were delightful for the 3 days we were there. 

On the first night we ate at The Weld Arms, a charming 17th century inn situated at the gates of Lulworth Castle. We ,of course, tried their burger and like the Cotswolds it was a huge hit on their menu and all locally sourced. www.weldarms.co.uk 

There was no pressure to eat at the hotel but we booked in on the second evening as we knew we would be tired after trekking over to Durdle Dor (and back). There is a steep footpath about a mile long from Lulworth with wonderful views across the cove. This is definitely worth it as Durdle Dor and the Man o' War cove are equally as impressive. 

The restaurant in the hotel is now known as The Olive at Bishops due to the fact that there is an olive tree in the court yard. This has currently been taken over by Tim's son Pete who after years in top London kitchen's has returned to the industry on the south coast. Although small, the menu offers a lot of choice and is all sourced locally and cooked to perfection. We opted for the filet of Sea Bass, crayfish mussel saffron risotto, seared scallop and gamba king prawn topped with samphire (Due to a faulty fisherman's boat there was no seared scallop so an extra prawn was added!) and a fillet of beef served (cooked perfectly medium rare) with potato dauphinoise for the good lady. This was by far and away my favourite meal of the week. 

After a drop of rain on the Thursday most of the locals turn into weather reporters. The sun will be out at midday.. and so it was! 

The Olive at Bishops

The Courtyard at Bishops

Not only does Bishops have fantastic accommodation and a restaurant that serves brilliant breakfasts, lunches and dinner, it also boasts a pool. We had really stumbled upon a gem. Located in the garden right on the edge of the cliff, the pool was a welcomed addition as the temperature soared to 80+ degrees. The views from there are stunning and guests have exclusive use so it will never be overly busy with the amount of rooms. 

If the weather is good there is nowhere better British coastline and if you are heading near Lulworth make sure you enjoy a drink, lunch, dinner or even a night at Bishops. www.bishopslulworth.co.uk

Lulworth Cove