We Decided To Spend A few Days At A Caravan And Motorhome Club Site in Bridport, Dorset.
So we decided to take a few days off and head to somewhere we haven't been before. Although we have been frequent visitors to Dorset over the years (mainly to Swanage) we have never been to Bridport so we decided to give it a go.
As usual with every great trip comes great planning and preparation, so the night before everything gets chucked in the campervan in the hopes that we haven't forgotten anything...
Lets Get Ready
The time has come for us to jump in the campervan and hit the road but not before we check and double check that all windows and roof vents are closed, all cupboard doors are closed and locked and the fridge door is DEFINATLEY secure as too many times we`ve been happily driving along only to look back and see a river of milk slowly making its way down the length of the van.
The dog is strapped in and panting away like a steam train, we presume this is due to the excitement taking over his body as he does love to go on a good adventure.
The SatNav is in place and set for our destination and on todays journey we will be led by an attractive sounding but somewhat blunt English lady.
Our first stop is only a 5 minute drive away and its the dreaded petrol station!! our campervan is a 2ltr petrol Peugeot Boxer Autosleeper so as you can imagine it doesn't get the best MPG and with petrol at £1.90 this was going to be a leisurely drive to say the least.
We`re Off
From where we are in Hampshire we are looking at roughly a 2 hour drive (down hill with a good tail wind) to Bridport in Dorset.
There are a few different routes to take but we decided to settle on the one that the SatNav suggested as "obviously" this is going to be the best.
We set off down the M3 through Winchester, Eastleigh and Southampton where we joined the M27 for a short period. Next up was the A3, this would take up most of the journey but that's not a bad thing as you pass through some lovely countryside with plenty of towns and villages to stop off at along the way if needed.
Just between Bere Regis and Puddletown (love that name) we join on to the A35 until Dorchester where the A35 becomes the A354 for a short run before reverting back to the A35.
Finally we have reached our destination of Bridport Bingham Grange Club Campsite....
Bridport Bingham Grange Club Campsite
As you make your way down the driveway to the entrance of the campsite you have fields and hedgerows either side and a few lovely little cottages that appear to be rented out as holiday homes. Just inside the campsite there are a few old barns that look like they are being worked on and brought back to life, possibly as a restaurant?
The reception is on the left hand side along with a toilet/shower/launderette block and at first glance looks very nice and clean.
The reception and shop are in one and like most Caravan And Motorhome Club sites are quite small but have pretty much everything you need to survive for a few days without having to venture in to a supermarket.
The booking in process is as simple as it could be, show your membership card, hand over your hard earned money and receive a map with your designated pitch marked on.
Our Pitch
We were given pitch number 66, hard standing, room for an awning and with electric hook-up. After looking at the map, rotating it a few times and trying to decide if left was really left and right was really right we made our way around the campsite looking out for the little numbered pegs in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the all important number 66 that would be our home for the next five days.
THERE IT IS!! We have found it, on our left hand side nicely tucked away with a hedge row either side for privacy.
I backed the campervan in making sure that the little numbered peg was in line with the drivers side wheel, (this is a club rule) turned off the engine and let off great sigh of relief, we made it.
Getting Set Up
First thing is first when we park up, let the dog out for a pee! Usually one of us will take him for a little walk while the other gets the van all sat up, this time I decided to go for a stroll while the wife gets everything in the van ready, its a good excuse to stretch the legs (for both man and beast) and have a little look around the site, find out what's what and say hi to the neighbours.
After 20 minutes or so I strolled back to the van only to notice that between one of the hedge rows next to us there was a couple of water points, one for drinking water and one for "not drinking water" which was great as I could connect our hose and fill up the on-board water tank from where we were.
The wife had done a great job as usual at setting up the van, the windscreen cover was on, the windows were open, the electric was hooked up and more importantly the kettle was on!
We got the fold up chairs out and put them just outside in the sunshine, it was a lovely day although a tad on the windy side but we were pretty well sheltered from this due to the large thick hedge row behind us.
For the rest of the day we pretty much just chilled out, drank coffee, ate some food and went for a walk around the camp site.
We bumped into a couple of members of staff who were really friendly and helpful and told us about the lovely dog walks that are available directly from the site and that every Wednesday a fish and chip van parks up in the car park for a couple of hours, We both looked at each other and didn't even have to say anything, we knew straight away what was going to happen on Wednesday evening, we knew that at 5:30 on the dot I would be standing outside a fish and chip van no matter what the weather while the wife was getting the table set.
The Next Day
After a good nights sleep we woke up at the crack of dawn bright eyed and bushy tailed.........that's a lie, we woke up at about 10:am feeling like we had just slept in a campervan with a Springer Spaniel that wants to be in every available space on the bed at all times. (if you know, you know)
So as usual first thing is first, stop the dog from constantly tapping on the door with his paw and let him out for a pee!!
Once we are all washed, dressed and fed we decide to go on one of the dog walks recommended by the on-site staff.
We make our way down towards the lower part of the campsite, this area is predominantly for tents and although I have no interest in camping I must admit that the pitches were brilliant, lots of space and each individually surrounded by trees and hedges and I would imagine for those that like to go camping they would really enjoy their stay here.
Following the signs for the dog walk, woodland walk and river walk we made our way to a closed gate that opened up on to a lovely long lawn lined either side with trees, fields and wild flowers, perfect to let your dog off and burn off some energy.
At the end of the lawn you have a couple of options, left through another gate and into a great big field or straight on in to the woods where there is also a river.
We decided to go left through the gate and in to the field which was a great open space where your dog could run and explore as much as they want.
Once in the field we noticed two pathways, one to the left and one to the right that apparently would lead us to a pub, we have no idea just how far away the pub is and to be honest we have very little interest in pubs but we decided to take this path nonetheless saving the alternative for a different day.
As we made our way down the path we came to a concrete bridge at the bottom that had the river running underneath, it wasn't a big river by any means, more like a stream but was a very welcome sight for an out of breath dog.
Continuing on into another large field this time a lot more wild with grass up to 4ft tall in places and a never ending supply of butterflies we made our way along the river bank for about 30 minutes before being confronted with a wooden stile, this wouldn't usually be much of a problem as there is normally a gap where a dog can squeeze under but not this time! this caused a bit of a problem for us as our dog will not let you pick him up! we tried to teach him to stand on the stile and jump over but being a typical Springer Spaniel he thought the only way through was to just throw his body into the fence as many times as possible in the hope that he will magically appear on the other side, needless to say his efforts didn't pay off and it was time for me to put on my big boy pants! I lent over the stile, grabbed his harness and pulled him over, I felt like I had just achieved the impossible, yes it was a mess and yes the growling scared the life out of me but I did it!! 3 seconds later I realised I would have to do it again on the return journey.
We carried on walking for roughly another half an hour when we decided that that was probably enough for one day, it was hot, sweaty and a coffee was long overdue.
We had no idea where the pub was in the end as we were surrounded by fields and trees with not a lot else in sight but it was a lovely walk nonetheless and would highly recommend it.
Day 3
Today we decided to go for a short drive to Bridport Harbour as we had seen and heard nothing but great things about this little harbour and it didn't disappoint.
The harbour itself is small and full of fishing boats of all different shapes and sizes, around the outside are stacks of small crabbing pots and fishing nets waiting patiently to get to work.
There are plenty of restaurant's with outside seating, gift shops and places to get refreshments surrounding the harbour along with a small amusement arcade to keep the kids happy.
Photo By Steve Daniels
We grabbed ourselves a cold drink and went for a stroll around the harbour, it was pretty busy with a lot of people sitting outside restaurant's and cafe`s and just enjoying the weather and the great atmosphere.
Whilst strolling around we found ourselves walking down a short pier that gave a spectacular view of the Bridport cliffs, as tempted as we were to walk up the very steep pathway to the top of the cliff we decided we would leave that for the time being.
We decided to find some shade and have a sit down for a while and just take in the sights, One thing we really did enjoy (we probably shouldn't admit this) was watching the seagulls swoop down and steel people chips and ice-creams, you don't realise just how big these birds are until one goes in for the attack on an unsuspecting portion of chips.
After spending a few hours in Bridport harbour we went back to the carpark to find our campervan surrounded by other campervans and motorhomes, it is a great carpark with plenty of designated campervan parking and a toilet block on site.
Unfortunately there is no overnight parking allowed and the cost is £10 for up to 10 hours which we thought was pretty decent considering where you are.
Live Bridport Harbour Webcam
You can take a look around Bridport harbour by clicking on the live webcam below
Day 4
Today was our last full day so we decided to have a nice relaxing one, we woke up at the usual time of 10:00am and gradually got the day started. I popped to the shower block for a quick shower, I was a little disappointed at the lack of hot water coming from the shower but it was nice and refreshing nonetheless.
We stayed at the van for most of the day just relaxing, I even got myself a book from the red phone box book and DVD exchange, this however turned out to be a waste of time as I`m not really into reading books as much as I`d like to be so that just sat on the table for the rest of the day.
At around 3:00pm we decided to take the dog for a little walk through the field that we had left to explore for a different day.
It`s a nice field surrounded by trees and with plenty of room for dogs to run free and get in to trouble.
We spent an hour or so walking around and throwing the ball for the Reggie (that's the dog) determined to tire him out so he is nice and relaxed for the evening and his trip back home tomorrow.
If there's one thing in this world that is guaranteed to make me smile its watching a Springer Spaniel "spring" up and down through the long grass.
Time For Fish And Chips!!
So the time has come for our little treat and as predicted I found myself walking down to the carpark to stand in a queue for cod and chips twice with plenty of salt and vinegar. Imagine my face when the woman serving me turned and said "that's £20 please" Well this had better be the best cod and chips I`ve ever had! unfortunately I was to be let down, the portion of chips were tiny and there was more batter than cod.
Oh well there's no point in sulking over cod and chips so we spent the rest of the evening sat outside the campervan watching the wild rabbits run around the campsite and chatting to the neighbours, we met a lovely couple that had arrived and were leaving on the same days as us and it turns out they only live 20 minutes away from us, what a small world.
Time To Go Home
Well its been a lovely few days away, some nice long walks in the countryside, we met some lovely people and had plenty of time to relax and unwind on a great campsite.
Oh well, back to reality...................................
If you are looking for somewhere to stay in Dorset we can definitely recommend Bridport Bingham Grange Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite