A bright and frosty -4 degrees for our last day in Dorset. There was a heavy frost on the ground and on the tops of hedgerows, the tops of puddles had frozen, sheep were huddled. I was hoping to include a video of George greeting us this morning but sadly you won’t have that treat as blogger is being difficult as usual. 

We were in need of a pit stop so set the Sat-Nav for Blanford Forum. This is a substantial market town rebuilt after the fire of 1731 and is famous for its Georgian architecture designed by local architects John and William Bastard. There are lots of little laneways and we were drawn down one to the aptly named Georgian tea rooms for cake and tea for two.

Suitably refreshed we drove on to Corfe Castle for some history and lunch. The 1000 year old castle was built by William the Conqueror and is a popular destination as it combines a national trust historical site where you can explore the ruins of the castle as well as the thriving village of Corfe Castle with its many little shops, cafes, pubs and accommodation. The castle commands beautiful views across the countryside and is worth it for the views alone. A stroll through the mediaeval village and we then had a simple lunch at The Greyhound Inn – soup and sandwich for Anthony and fish cakes and mash for me.

Our final stop for the day was Ludworth Cove. We drove through beautiful countryside, some of which had been commandeered by the Army for their manoeuvres so we made sure to look out for tanks turning! The Ludworth estate is owned by the Wells family and includes Ludworth castle, Ludworth Cove and the Durdle Door. We paid for expensive parking (£4 for up to 4 hours) with access to Ludworth Cove and the Durdle Door. It was getting late so we had time only to see Ludworth Cove. You could imagine smugglers coming into the Cove. The area is a real haven for trampers!

The weather was being kind to us and we managed the drive home in the last of the light.