On a sunny day it is a lovely walk. Those with an interest in ancient history will appreciate the excellent siting of this old hill fort. The top is some old circular mounds. You will need boots.
4 miles north east of Bridport, pull in by the road on east side.
www.hiddendorset.org/index.php/hd/gem/hd1108.html
Google map: bit.ly/e1aEq6
This typifies the magical world of British brewing. It tickles the sense buds of all things right about beer (never Lager - quite an insult to our guide for the day) brewed in the very traditional family way.
The Brewery stands in Bridport, as it has since 1794, and even before you go in, the delicious smell entices you in from the mash tun steaming off through the top of a large vent.
Tours start at 1100, as sharp as Dorset speed of life will allow, through the distribution house and thence past the ancient wooden fermentation vessels, only stopping to sample the yeast, the hops, the malt, and a way of doing things that haven’t really changed much for centuries.
I hadn’t heard of Palmers before as they don’t sell much out of the West Country. Lucky West! The USP of this brewery is the secure housing for the Head Brewer and their family, which is slap bang in the middle of the brewery, like a secret garden, sacrosanct, a delight of rose bushes and tended veg patch.
Palmers seem genuinely proud of what they do and what they stand for, including a few wets after! Go, sample, enjoy!
www.palmersbrewery.com 01308 427500
Upstairs at the Bull - a lovely boutique hotel in the heart of Bridport - there's the Venner Bar, an establishment that feels more like a swanky private club in London than a watering hole in rural west Dorset. It has chocolate brown walls, leather sofas, dimmed lighting and a long bar presided over - when we went - by a depressingly good-looking Spaniard. I love pubs down here but occasionally a metropolitan injection is needed.
34 East Street
Bridport
www.thebullhotel.co.uk
It describes itself as a centre for 'holistic education'. It runs courses, including family weeks and weekends. Prices are very cheap; a long weekend, with full board, for a family of four can cost as little as £360. Courses include such diverse activities as drumming, composting and painting. There's lots to do at Monkton Wyld and in the surrounding area, with its proximity to the Jurassic coast with its abundance of fossils. Food is plentiful and organic.
Monkton Wyld Court,
Bridport, Dorset. DT6 6DQ.
Telephone: 01297 560342
www.monktonwyldcourt.org
info@monktonwyldcourt.org
Nearest station: Axminster
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