We are conveniently positioned for exploring the beautiful countryside and towns in Dorset. In fact, our day trips seem to be more about the driving and the scenery and towns we go through as much as the destination. With such short days it’s been good to have a destination in mind which is up to an hour and a half away so that we can be home again by dark.

Sherbourne is a pretty market town about 15 minutes away. It has great shopping – supermarkets, traditional bakeries and butchers and lots of cafes and restaurants. We came here on our first day and thought it would be a nice place to stay. Local attractions include Sherbourne Abbey which is very well cared for and Sherbourne Castle which unfortunately wasn’t open to visitors in Winter. We shopped at Waitrose for groceries; Parsons Butcher for Cumberland sausages and smoked bacon; had coffee, lardy cake and a traditional pasty at the Bakery Cafe and a disappointing meat pie and fish and chips and warm beer at the Half Moon Inn.