Sights in Dorset
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Lyme Regis Museum
In 1814 a local teenager called Mary Anning found the first full ichthyosaurus skeleton near Lyme Regis, propelling the town onto the world stage. An incredibly famous fossilist in her day, Miss Anning did much to pioneer the science of modern-day palaeontology. The museum, on the site of her former home, tells her story and exhibits spectacular fossils and other prehistoric finds.
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Kingston Lacy
This is Dorset's must-see stately home. Looking every inch the setting for a period drama, it overflows with rich decor, most famously in the Spanish Room, which is smothered with gold and gilt. Other highlights are the hieroglyphics in the Egyptian Room and the elegant marble staircase and loggia. Artworks include the overwhelming ceiling fresco The Separation of Night and Day, by Guido Reni in the library, and paintings by Rubens, Titian and Van Dyck.
The house became the home of the aristocratic Bankes family when they was evicted from Corfe Castle by the Roundheads; look out for the bronze statue of Dame Mary Bankes in the loggia – she's shown still holding the keys…
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Dinosaurland
This joyful, mini, indoor Jurassic Park overflows with fossilised remains – look out for belemnites, plesiosaurus and an impressive locally found ichthyosaur. Lifelike dinosaur models will thrill youngsters – the rock-hard tyrannosaurus eggs and 73kg dinosaur dung will have them in raptures.
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Clouds Hill
This tiny cottage was home to TE Lawrence (1888–1935), the British scholar, military strategist and writer made legendary for his role in helping unite Arab tribes against Turkish forces in WWI. The house's four rooms provide a compelling insight into a complex man; they're also much as he left them – he died at the age of 46 after a motorbike accident on a nearby road.
Highlights include the deeply evocative photos taken by Lawrence during his desert campaign, and his sketches of French crusader castles. There's also a surprisingly comfortable cork-lined bathroom, an aluminium foil-lined bunk room and a heavily beamed music room, which features the desk where Lawrence…
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Bournemouth Beach
Backed by 3000 deckchairs, Bournemouth's sandy shoreline regularly clocks up seaside awards. It stretches from Southborne in the far east to Alum Chine in the west – an immense promenade backed by ornamental gardens, kids playgrounds and cafes. The resort also prides itself on two piers (Bournemouth and Boscombe). Around Bournemouth Pier you can hire brightly painted beach huts, deckchairs (per day £2), windbreaks (£2.50) and parasols (£4).
At the East Cliff Lift Railway, cable cars on rails whiz up bracken-covered slopes, cutting out the short, steep hike up the zigzag paths.
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Alum Chine
This award-winning subtropical enclave dates from the 1920s, providing a taste of Bournemouth's golden age. Set 1.5 miles west from Bournemouth Pier, its plants come from the Canary Islands, New Zealand, Mexico and the Himalayas; their bright-red bracts, silver thistles and purple flowers frame views of a glittering sea.
In the centre of Bournemouth, the Pleasure Gardens stretch back for 1.5 miles from behind Bournemouth Pier in three colourful sweeps.
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