Our wedding anniversary we weren’t able to travel internationally as Izaskun was expecting our first child. Therefore we decided that a road trip may be the next best thing. However, we have been around the UK a bit we were not able to figure out anywhere to go, until we noticed that we had never seen the Jurassic Coast. So it was an obvious choice as many people have informed us just how beautiful it is.

So we headed off in our trusted little car and decided to drive south west to Torquay. After a pretty uneventful trip we had arrived to the “English Rivera” (we did have a chuckle when we saw that). Our strategy was to get to Torquay first, explore that and then go along the Jurassic Coast on the way home.

So upon arriving to Torquay we didn’t get up to too much apart from a short walk (as Izaskun was pretty Pregnant at this stage) and decided to go for a good seafood dinner as the local speciality is meant to be lobster, so of course that’s what we had.

The next day we decided to go a bit north west of Torquay to Dartmoor which is a natural reserve. It was a short drive and upon arriving we thought we may of arrived to the Highlands in Scotland as the landscape has changed so drastically. It boasts over 900 km of protected and unspoiled landscapes which are well connected via small country roads (Izaskun’s favourite).

An interesting discovery was visiting the hotel from Sherlock Holmes novel of Hound of the Baskervilles which was based in the hotel with Dartmoor. There is a small museum and tourist office which provides further information around the area.

As usual, we ran out of time quickly and needed to go home and sleep but the next day we decided to head out of Torquay and visit a small town in Newtown Abbot. Nearby there is an ancient park called Becky Falls which boasts a 70 foot waterfall which is entirely naturally made and was formed in the last ice age. Perhaps we are spoiled for choice but the falls weren’t too impressive but the walk and tranquility was well enjoyed. The facility also boasts some animals to see (good for kids) and a good walking path.

After our walking adventure we carried on in our car along the coast to wide open beaches which were pretty u touched, something quite Surprising for England. In order to get to the beach we needed to travel through a very cute village called Abbotsbury which looked it was locked in the medieval age with its small houses and cute churches. The drive and walk along the coast were also calming and quiet which again, was a pleasant surprise.

Our final leg of our trip home was to visit the famous rock formation of Durdle Door which is a limestone arch carved naturally. Apparently it’s name derives from the old English word ‘thirl’ meaning bore or drill. Obviously the arch is the main attraction but there surrounding area is just as impressive. This was a total contrast to where we were before, here there loads of tourists and people especially being transported by buses. The overall area was busy and didn’t seem as authentic as other parts along the coast.

In order to access the viewing point there is small and steep dirt road which is only accessible by foot. Along this coast we saw a big variety of people walking up and down, from obese people to super fit in full hiking kit. It was interesting to see how people prepared for the walk to the viewing point. Once at the viewing point there is a bit of a battle to get a spot to take your photos as it appears that the only purpose of the place is to take the famous selfie.

After our interesting road trip there was only the drive back home. Although the trip was short it was sweet and anyone thinking of going I would recommend taking even more time than what we did. There is a lot to see and I feel that at times it’s not well explored…. yet.