The GREENLOFT Project
A Walkers' Paradise.
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The beach has sand, pebbles and rock pools. A gentle gradient makes for safe swimming. At low tide, you can walk to Lyme Regis in under an hour, but don't misjudge it because you can also get trapped by a rising tide. Thousands of fossils are found on this beach each year. Beware of mud slides and dangerous cliffs. |
| Coneys Castle is an old hill top embankment refuge. It is the nearest of many such historical sites. Though modest in size, its appeal is big. It provides superb viewing points for the Marshwood Vale, and the Char valley. It has many beech and some oak trees, often with exposed roots and wild branches. In Winter, these old timers stand in a stream of dead leaves. In May, they stand in a sea of bluebells. Sadly, when electricity was brought to the area this hill fort was finally and decisively invaded by pylons. | |
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Conegar Hill is visible from the Gatehouse, but here it is viewed from Coneys Castle with the sea just detected beyond it. When visiting Conegar Hill, the reward is in the magic views towards the villages of Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Ryall and on through the Marshwood Vale, or back again towards the sea. The small wood on this hill is our nearest Woodland Trust site. Take care of hung up or fallen trees if you do stray from the official bridlepath. |
| Golden Cap, with its unmistakeable, iconic shape, is admired from many vantage points. This view at dawn was taken from the National Trust plot at the top of Old Lyme Hill. For walkers, the paths on top of Golden Cap are worth a visit, but there is first a short drive to a wooded car park. The nearest pub is The Anchor at Sea Town, where a crab sandwich is highly recommended. | |
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From the same plot of National Trust land, looking West, instead of East, this is an Site of Special Scientific Interest. Black Venn is a very rare wildlife habitat because it is totally inaccessible to us. Being part of the largest landslip in Europe, it is constantly changing and you should be very careful when viewing from the cliff top. Large chunks fall unpredictably. |
The Gatehouse Holiday Cottage is available to let throughout the year.
