Carlo Simone

Lyme Regis has been ranked seventh among the UK's top 20 staycation hotspots for 2026 in the Sykes Staycation Index. The ranking is based on Sykes Holiday Cottages' booking data from 2023 to 2025, with the company citing continued demand for UK breaks amid uncertainty around overseas travel. Lyme Regis is highlighted for its beaches, Cobb Harbour, fossil heritage, independent businesses and family attractions including Dinosaurland Fossil Museum and Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium.

Golden Cap, between Bridport and Charmouth in Dorset, was ranked the UK's sixth-best summer walk by Which?, receiving an 85% approval rating from 50 members. It scored particularly highly for scenery and peace and quiet, while visitor facilities and parking received lower ratings. The National Trust site offers views across the Jurassic Coast and Lyme Bay, footpaths around the estate, seasonal toilets and refreshments, and routes including a four-mile circular walk from Seatown.

Bridport has been included in World Atlas’s list of England’s best towns for a two-day getaway. Its appeal is attributed to its close proximity to West Bay and the Jurassic Coast, strong community, market, heritage trails, cultural venues, local businesses and nearby natural attractions. The article also highlights Bridge House Hotel as a potential accommodation and notes that Bridport’s high street was previously recognized by The Express as one of the UK’s best.

An analysis by the Great British Schools Guide, using National Pupil Database figures and school capacity data, ranks Dorset primary schools by how difficult or easy they are to enter. Lytchett Matravers Primary School is identified as the hardest to get into, combining a 0.45-mile median catchment with 115% capacity. Corfe Castle Church of England Primary School is considered the easiest, with a 1.74-mile catchment and 84% capacity. The rankings exclude selective, special and alternative-provision schools, and the article stresses that distance data is not an official admissions boundary or guarantee of a place.

David Attenborough recommends creating small openings in fences—known as “hedgehog highways”—to help hedgehogs move between gardens in search of food, water and shelter. He explains that hedgehogs are active mainly from April to October, are increasingly reliant on urban gardens, and can benefit from food and safe passage between properties. Openings of roughly 13cm by 13cm can be made by removing a brick or cutting through a fence.