The Isle of Purbeck, England, UK

Main photo by Bermicourt - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

I heartily recommend visiting the Isle of Purbeck, a beautiful area in the south west of England, on the Dorset coast. The Isle of Purbeck is perfect to visit because it is both lovely and compact, with lots of treasures in a small space: lovely ancient landscape with coast and moors, pretty towns and villages, and cream teas and fish and chips!

Despite its name, the Isle of Purbeck is not actually an island at all! It is a"peninsula", which is a word that comes from Latin, meaning "almost island", and indeed, Purbeck is surrounded on three sides by water. It juts out into the English Channel, and has famous beaches and cliffs, where you can walk and swim, admire the sea views, or look for prehistoric fossils. Look out for the sandy beaches at Lulworth Cove and Studland, and the famous rock formation of Durdle Door.

By Saffron Blaze - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

You can visit the village of Corfe Castle, which is overlooked by the remains of a thousand year old castle, which was built by William the Conqueror. Climb up the hill to castle, and explore the ruins, then return to the village for a Dorset cream tea in one of its tearooms. It is also worth visiting the historic market town of Wareham, which goes back to the time of Alfred the Great, and the seaside town of Weymouth.

By JimChampion - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

If you take a short ferry trip across to the town of Poole, you can look back across at the Isle of Purbeck, and the lights of Poole harbour are especially pretty at night. I remember exploring the beach here, and then having very good fish and chips from a shop on the quay.

One of my favourite experiences in Purbeck was visiting the chapel of St Aldhelm. This is a tiny little building, around seven or eight hundred years old, perched on the edge of a cliff, on a headland. As I remember, there is a special path to get to it, up and down, and along the cliffs, with dramatic views. It is very windswept, and I am sure that on the day I did the walk, I got drenched with rain. This walk has to be followed up with refreshments in the tearoom or pub in the delightful village of Worth Matravers nearby.

By Jim Champion - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link