DREAMY DORSET

Susan Taylor enjoys welcoming hostelries and world-class scenery

Follow a straight line (well in our case, given the vagaries of the land, it was more of a wobbly line, veering slightly north to avoid the rain) between the well-known destinations of Weymouth and Poole and you travel for about an hour through the gorgeous county of Dorset.

What is perhaps not immediately noticeable is that as well as fine scenery, you will also be surrounded by great history, from TE Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) to Robert Baden-Powell (of Scouting fame), from the Tolpuddle Martyrs (school history lessons, anyone?) to Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy (who served with Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar).

Oh, and don't forget the ghost village taken over then abandoned by the army during World War II. Add a naked giant on a hillside, a couple of small breweries, plenty of walks, and one of the best-known limestone rock formations in the country, and I think you will agree that you are travelling through a rather special part of the world.

There is a good chance that somewhere around the midway point along this journey, you will pass close to the small and seemingly innocuous village of Wool. I mention this because it was here that we decided to base ourselves for a long weekend break towards the end of last summer, at Whitemead Caravan Park.

Comfortable campsite

This proved to be a comfortable, friendly site which backs onto countryside and has two pubs and a train station less than a stone’s throw away. Added to this, Monkey World and The Tank Museum are just over half an hour’s walk from Whitemead.

At first glance, despite its handy location, the village of Wool itself isn’t much to look at – but it is one of the friendliest villages we have stayed in, with those welcoming pubs less than a five-minute walk, and a third just a 20-minute stroll, away.