As summer was winding down, I decided to spend a day cycling in Dorset with my daughter. Dorset is one of England’s most picturesque counties. We started our journey in Dorchester and made our first stop in Moreton for some refreshments and a visit to the beautiful Lulworth Cove. We then cycled past Lulworth Castle and ended our ride in Wareham. This route is easy to replicate: park in Dorchester and take the train back from Wareham, or make it a weekend trip with an overnight stay in Lulworth.

We were greeted by Roy from Headwater Holidays, who provided us with bikes and shared some local tips. He even gave us a quick lesson on fixing a puncture, which thankfully we didn’t need. Our path followed a stream through the woods, where we saw cheerful dog walkers and picturesque thatched cottages. Dorset seems to have more pretty cottages than anywhere else in England!

We passed a Victorian arched brick bridge and could have detoured to Higher Brockhampton, the birthplace of writer Thomas Hardy. I had visited before and remembered the tiny, possibly damp rooms of Hardy’s childhood home. Hardy later built a more comfortable house at Max Gate. We cycled on past fields with hay bales wrapped in plastic, resembling marshmallows.

Our route took us through the charming village of West Stafford, with more thatched cottages, a thatched pub, and even a thatched bus stop. Birds swooped in and out of the hedgerows, and we spotted a large bird of prey near Woodsford Castle, a 14th-century structure now run as a holiday home by the Landmark Trust.

By mid-morning, we arrived at the Moreton Tea Rooms, located in an old village schoolhouse. It was a perfect spot for tea and Victoria sponge. Moreton had more to offer than we expected. We found a ford where families were paddling and trying to catch sticklebacks with fishing nets. Picnic baskets were spread out on the riverbank, and children played with inflatable boats.

Nearby, St Nicholas Church featured beautiful etched glass windows by Sir Laurence Whistler, replacing those destroyed in WWII. We also saw the grave of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who lived nearby and died in a motorcycle accident.

Our last stop in Moreton was the Walled Garden, with stunning borders, fountains, and topiary. We had to move on, though, as we had many more miles to cycle. The countryside opened up, with maize fields on one side and freshly ploughed earth on the other. Rain forced us into our waterproofs as we climbed a steep hill, but the view from the top was worth it. We then enjoyed a thrilling downhill ride.

We reached the turnoff to Durdle Door, a famous rock arch and one of the most photographed landmarks on the Jurassic Coast. We took photos from the top of the path and then cycled to Lulworth Cove. This perfectly circular cove, formed millions of years ago, is a favorite with geology students. Despite the crowds, it was a beautiful scene with boats bobbing in the water.

We had lunch at The Boatshed Café, enjoying crab sandwiches while watching children build pebble dams. The salty smell of seaweed filled the air. After lunch, we cycled past Lulworth Camp, where we heard the boom of tank firing. My husband, a former tank commander, would have loved it.

We continued to Lulworth Castle, built as a hunting lodge in the 17th century. Although we couldn’t enter due to a wedding, we visited the pretty church and admired the castle from the outside. The final part of our ride took us through more pretty villages with thatched cottages. The route was well-planned to avoid main roads, and we eventually reached Wareham.

Wareham was a lovely place to stop, with riverside pubs and kayaks by the river. We cycled to the station and took the train back to Dorchester, leaving our bikes for Roy to collect. Although we only experienced one day of a five-day cycling route, we thoroughly enjoyed our ride through Dorset’s beautiful countryside, with its thatched cottages and sea views. There’s so much history to discover, from Thomas Hardy to T.E. Lawrence, and plenty of castles and gardens to visit.