A historic wildlife site on the Dorset coast where visitors can walk among a colony of nesting mute swans. Hand feeding sessions take place daily alongside a talk from the swanherd, and families can enjoy the Brambly Hedge Trail, a willow maze and pedal go-karts. There is also a herb garden, a reed cutter's display and a café.
Times, prices and access can change. Check before you travel.Last updated 2 Oct 2026.Source (where this listing came from, opens in a new tab)
Open all year
Lyme Regis has four beaches. Front Beach, part sand and part pebble, is the most popular for swimming and paddling, with RNLI lifeguards in peak season. Monmouth Beach leads to the ammonite pavement and the Undercliffs nature reserve. East Cliff Beach is rich in fossils, but its cliffs are unstable and it can be cut off at high tide. Dogs can use every beach except Front Beach all year.
Open all year
A historic house built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594 and home to the Digby family since 1617, near Sherborne. Visitors can join a guided tour of the state rooms and Tudor kitchen, explore the Family Museum in the cellars, and wander 42 acres of landscape gardens around a 50-acre lake with features such as Raleigh's Seat and the Fossil House. Family trails run through the season, and dogs on short leads are welcome in the gardens.
Open all year
A small family run aquarium on the Jurassic Coast, showing seashore and deeper water creatures. Visitors can feed a shoal of grey mullet by hand, hold a starfish, and get close to lobsters and crabs, alongside tanks of bass, wrasse, blennies and dogfish. There are also displays on local maritime history and footage of Lyme Bay's reefs and dolphins.
Arts and culture
An annual week-long festival bringing authors to venues in and around Bridport, including novelists, historians, biographers, nature writers and poets. The programme also features musical, children's and culinary events, suiting book lovers of all kinds.
Arts and culture
A greenwood carving workshop at Kingcombe Visitor Centre, led by greenwood worker Adam Hawker. Participants learn to use an axe and knife safely, select suitable wood, and carve and finish their own wooden spatula. For adults only.
Arts and culture
An exhibition and demonstration of textile designer Jayne Burton's work near Bridport. Held at Jenny Penney Local Makers Shop & Gallery, Mangerton Mill, it features cyanotype printing, Shibori dyeing and wood block printing inspired by coastal and woodland imagery.