Staycation - Dorset
When you hear 'Staycation', what do you think of? For some it mean's staying at home all day with cocktails, movie nights and takeaways. For others, it means a break somewhere in the UK and for us it falls into that category.
2020 has been a strange year for travel and with our daughter being only just 18 months, we decided it wasn't worth the risk or hassle to book somewhere abroad which may not go ahead, so this year decided to holiday closer to home. After speaking to several Mums at a toddler group I attend, I was recommended a Haven holiday park for our break. Now, let me start by saying, I am not totally against UK holiday parks, when I was a child myself I was taken to them regularly, but as I've gotten older and explored more of the world, I definitely created this idea in my head of what they would be like. I imagined 'pure cheese', basic and totally in-your-face family 'fun' - nothing wrong with this but for myself and my partner, that idea fills us with dread as it's not our style at all! We really 'umed' and 'arred' about booking a Haven but knew we wanted to get away, so eventually booked Rockley Park in Dorset. We had researched the area well and decided even if we didn't really like the park, it would only be a base for us as we would be spending our weekend exploring.
Fast forward to now and I have to say, My idea of Haven was completely wrong! We had the most amazing weekend away as a family on our daughter's first ever holiday. When we arrived we were shown directions to our caravan, and what a pleasant surprise it was.. Our caravan felt brand new! It looked like we were the first people ever to step foot in there. I am a bit of a germaphobe so I had come prepared with Anti-bac wipes and Dettol, but I really hadn't needed too. It was immaculately clean and tidy, and I felt totally relaxed in our surroundings from the moment we arrived.
As everything is deep-cleaned between guests, we were unable to check into our caravan until 6pm on the Friday evening, so after our afternoon of travelling (and Mr Tumble on repeat) we decided on the first evening to chill and get a take-away pizza from the Papa Johns onsite. Haven have an app 'Haven Serve' to order food which is then delivered to your caravan. Perfect for us as we could unpack, get Mila in her pjs and crack open a bottle of red whilst we waited.
Earlier this year I watched a programme on ITV 'Harry Redknapps Sandbanks Summer' and was amazed at the multi-million pound houses. When we booked our Rockley Park stay, I found out Sandbanks was only a 15 minute drive from there so this was first on my list of things to see and do! We spent the first part of Saturday wandering around the area in awe at the houses and trying to celeb-spot. We couldn't believe we were in Dorset, the houses and scenery could easily be mistaken for Miami! Had the weather been warmer, we could of probably spent a day there as the beaches are beautiful and there are a few neighbouring islands you can catch the ferry too, but as this was the end of September and the wind was picking up, next on the agenda was Monkey World.
We had a great afternoon here and considering it was a Saturday, the park was very quiet. Due to COVID, all visitors over the age of 3 are currently required to wear a face covering at all times, as researchers have found out it can be transmitted to Monkeys. We only spent a few hours at the park, as although all the monkey enclosures were open, none of the play areas were, so once we had seen each breed of monkey, there wasn't anything else for us to do. In a way this suited us fine, as Mila could then nap on the car journey back to Haven (about 40 mins) ahead of our evening meal.
On Sunday we decided to head along the Jurassic coast and visit the picturesque village of West Lulworth, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. Prior to arriving, We had researched and found we could do a walk along the clifftops from Lulworth to Durdle Door. When we arrived however, we realised we hadn't brought our baby carrier, the path was not suitable for strollers, Mila only has little legs and she is a wriggler (doesn't always want to be picked up but doesn't always want to be put down either) The idea didn't seem as great in 'real life', so we sat in the car for absolutely ages deciding whether we should attempt it or not. In the end though, We decided to just go for it and 'see how we get on'. I am so glad we did this as Mila totally surprised us, she loved the hike and the views were incredible! It's such a great feeling when you see somewhere on the internet or a postcard, and then one day you are there yourself in real life viewing it too. After the hike we spent the remainder of the afternoon at Lulworth Cove beach, we had a delicious veggie pasty and crab and lobster burger from a local take-away café, dipped our toes in the ice-cold sea, ate yummy ice cream and bought souvenirs from the gift shop. If you are heading to Dorset and like the outdoors, I would really recommend planning a day here. The hike isn't suitable for those with limited mobility, but West Lulworth Village and Lulworth Cove is lovely for everyone.
On our final day we had to be out of our Caravan by 10, which suited us perfectly as we decided we would take Mila to see a very famous pig who goes by the name of Peppa. Peppa Pig World is 1 hour from Rockley Park and is on the way back home (if you live in Kent). We had planned to spend only a few hours here as we assumed we would see and do everything in this time, but we actually ended up spending the whole day and still missed 2 rides, aswell as the rest of the park.(PPW is part of 'Paulton's Park' which is a family theme park.) We planned to go on a few rides in Paulton's too but ran out of time! I am not sure if Peppa Pig World is always very busy, or due to COVID guidelines the rides took longer due to cleaning between passengers, but we were shocked at how busy the park was on a Monday! We thought it would be fairly quiet but it seemed like everyone had the same idea as us. Peppa Pig world is a great day out for young families, the park has everything covered for little ones and is somewhere I would recommend. Mila isn't obsessed with PP, she can take it or leave it, but she thoroughly enjoyed the day and I wouldn't hesitate to take her again if ever we head back that way.
Overall, Dorset is the perfect 'Staycation' place, something for all ages and definitely somewhere we will head back too one day.
