On our camping trip to Andrewshayes Holiday Park, we took the opportunity to explore more of Devon and Dorset. A 15-minute drive from Andrewshayes Holiday Park is the Dorset seaside resort of Lyme Regis, which is well worth a visit.

Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is a traditional British seaside town. It has a beach, shops, cafes, and all the things you would expect. We spent a lovely day here in May 2017.

We parked up in Holmbush Car Park – it cost us £3 for the whole day. There is coach parking here too, and some loos. It took about ten minutes to walk down through the cliff-top gardens to get to the sea front. If you have mobility issues, it might be better to find a car park with fewer steps!

Lyme Regis beach

Lyme Regis beach is naturally pebbly and very pretty it is too. There is a man-made sandy part in the bay which is ideal for young children. There’s a lovely shallow bay for paddling. The sandy beach was getting busy when we visited.

We spent a couple of hours on the beach just paddling and digging and enjoying sitting in the sunshine. Then we started to get a little hungry. The restaurants by the sandy beach were brimming by then, so we walked up toward the town centre and found a little kiosk on the promenade with outdoor tables, and we had Cornish pasties for lunch!

After our food, we had an explore of the pebbly beach, which wasn’t quite as busy as the sandy part.

Lyme Regis town

We took a walk into the town (via the toilets near the clock tower) and found a very cute old watermill which was now a cafe and some artisan workshops and galleries. We also found some yarn-bombing and a sign that pointed me in the right direction.

Lyme Regis town is a nice mix of touristy-type shops, and more general shops. There are a lot of fossil shops which were interesting, and plenty of places to buy Lyme Regis souvenirs.

Our day finished with a round of mini golf in the cliff gardens on our way back to the car. We’d gotten away with it for most of the day but now the heavens opened and the little golfers got very wet! I sheltered under a tree, cheering them on, because that’s the good mother I am.

Fifteen minutes on the road and we were back at Andrewshayes Holiday Park, and to get wet all over again in the pool. We had a lovely day, and that’s one more seaside town ticked off our list.