Buddy Adventure to Dorchester

A good thing about retirement is that holidays don't have to be squeezed into your quota of annual leave. So off I went again, on a little trip to Dorchester with Julie. We took a leisurely drive down with plenty of pit stops.



Lunch stop in Bosham



I reckon England is as pretty as anywhere in the world when the sun shines and the Dorset coastline and Purbeck Hills are a prime example.  It adds a little focus to the day tripping if you have an interest or hobby to indulge and Julie's particular interest was a visit to the pretty village of East Lulworth, where her Great x 3 Granddad was a gardener in the castle.  Lulworth Castle has been owned by the Weld family since 1641 and they are still the local landed gentry.  The Weld arms recently hosted lunch to Brad Pitt, who was in the vicinity filming World War Z. 

Pub in East Lulworth

Julie outside the tied cottage in which her ancestors lived.

I thought my special interest was going to be the literary connection, but we fluffed up the schedule and the day we were due to go to Thomas Hardy's museum/birthplace it was closed.  Instead Julie came up with an inspired suggestion of Sculpture on the Lakes, which was the most delightfully arty and tranquil place: http://vimeo.com/100697467 .  

 

Julie likes coincidences and constantly looks for these in life, so here's one Julie: narrowly missing Brad Pitt at the Weld Arms may not have been such a bad thing.  He got his first real break as the cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma and Louise.  As two ladies on a buddy adventure (albeit in a Fiat 500 rather than a Ford Thunderbird convertible), I'm glad Brad wasn't there to send us over the edge. 

For Julie's movie version of our trip please click on http://youtu.be/Y1LMGswoA5o