Of Corfe... we want to go to Dorset this Bank Holiday weekend!!

It's fallen pretty lucky for me this year in terms of bank holidays. Pretty much most of the bank holiday weekends this year are my weekend with August. Amazing! An opportunity for some adventures. The beginning of May bank holiday weekend I decided we try something a little further afield. I reasoned that if I could make it to the south coast, then it's truly viable that Duggie will conquer Europe. This trip is truly a testament to my belief that the journey itself is often the most significant part of the travel experience. So we headed to Dorset with a stop in The New Forest on the return journey and a visit to Peppa Pig World. Peppa Pig is currently one of August's favourites. It runs on loop. Dorset is starting to become a firm favourite mine on account of its beautiful beaches and wealth of attractions that appeal to the dude; tanks, monkeys, pigs, beaches, digging. But the rugged beauty of The New Forest; the naturalness and the proliferation of roaming ponies is an even bigger draw.

One of my favourite Dorset locations is Corfe Castle and, hell, why not I need to put that National Trust membership card to some use after the last year of festering in my junk drawer. There's just something about the icon iconic beauty of Corfe Castle against the backdrop of the historic village and the beautiful green hills surrounding it. In my head, the site that we chose was actually on the outskirts of Corfe, in a place called Harman's Cross adjacent to the steam railway station into Swanage. I was wrong however; the site was tucked away behind a farm, a couple of kilometres walk across the fields from the village.

A bit about the journey first. As Duggie's top speed averages 50 mile an hour and it was pretty blustery that weekend, I made a conscious decision to avoid all motorways. This added an additional two hours onto the journey. However the reward was much greater than the additional time spent. The route took us down the A5 to Cirencester then cross country on the A350 to Wimborne. The halfway point where we stopped for lunch happened to coincide with Bourton on the Water, something from my Thomas Cook days was synonymous with an old folks Shearings' coach trip holiday. I wasn't wrong. However I can absolutely see the appeal of the place. When faced with a choice between the miniature village or Birdland, August inevitably chose the birds. I was amazed when they actually had tickets available on their website because nothing that we can do nowadays seems to be able to be spur of the moment. Although a little bit pricey at £25 for the two of us it was definitely worth the visit. August was particularly charmed with the fact that he could get up close and personal with the "Pennies" (Penguins), his all-time favourite bird. A quick cycle into the village and an ice cream, we then had to hotfoot it back onto the road so that we could get to our destination before it got too late. Even though it took, in total, about six hours to get to Corfe it really was quite a comfortable drive and I must say that my first mate is a tiptop passenger. It's great with him sitting in the front next to me and we just chat about all manner of topics.

Some reflections on the Corfe Castle Camping and Caravan club site...... Again, really nicely laid out, quite beautiful site with pitches arranged in a way so that you would have privacy. However the mood was quite different on this site and perhaps more aligned with some Clunge club politics that I have been warned about. Not so much of a "friendly" site! And the sense in allowing two parties with seven dogs between them to be pitched blocking in the entrance to the kids play area is questionable. Consequently no kids use the play area because they were too shit scared to go there as the dogs ran up to them barking every time they tried to pass. So sadly no opportunities to find playmates on this visit.

The next few days were a bit ropey weatherwise but we had an amazing time walking across the fields into Corfe. A visit to the miniature village in Corfe which is absolutely great. That was one of my favourite days, where we have no particular agenda and just roamed around with a stop at the playground, a fortuitous free table at the Fox inn for the most delicious Sunday lunch and rolling down the hill in the grass in the Corfe Castle grounds. Another reason for choosing this location is the proximity to #Studland. On the first day we headed to Shell Beach, my favourite, the one that you can see Poole Harbour and Sandbanks across the bay from. This beautiful white sand beach with clear inviting water is a must see in this area and you can park for free with #NationalTrust membership all along #Studland Bay. We spent a couple of happy hours playing follow my leader through the paths in the sand dunes until rain called play. A trip to the Bank's Arms for lunch. Particularly at this time it's a wise choice because it has a massive beer garden and ample outdoor seating.

So what did I learn on this trip?

• August is particularly keen on helping the morning portaloo disposal!

• Dry shampoo is an absolute must whilst any site facilities are closed or when wild camping.

• I have learned that I can survive without a shower without for up to 4 days without feeling like an absolute minger.

• It's really good for August to see mummy doing what he refers to as "hard" jobs. He's going through a bit of a phase of bizarre male and female stereotypes and I can't understand where it's coming from because it's certainly not originating from me or his father. I think he feels pretty proud when mummy can single-handedly master the new awning and get camp set up with a 15 minute turnaround.

• Another thing I've learned is that I adore road trips with August and he makes the best co-pilot. On the five hour return journey there was not one moan or complaint from him. We chatted constantly about the widest range of subjects and were particularly musing on the reasons why a helicopter would be overhead (an escaped criminal of course!), the evolution of dinosaurs and matters of gender equality.

I almost forgot about the New Forest part and Peppa Pig part. Granted, the weather was terrible but if you ever get the chance, stay at Hollands Wood campsite just outside #Brockenhurst. There is something pretty spectacular about choosing your own pitch away from anyone else in the forest with only New Forest ponies as your neighbours. If you're looking for a recommendation of somewhere to eat close by I'd highly recommend the Snakecatcher in Brockenhurst. Our al fresco dining got rained off and we departed with a doggy bag but under better weather conditions they've got a beautiful garden area equipped with children's play area so as a pub for family dining, the quality of food and value for money was superb. We headed home purposely via Poulton's Park and #PeppaPigWorld. Having also visited #CBeebies land in the last few weeks that followed this trip I can really reflect on how fantastic Poulton's is comparatively. There is a far better range of rides and attractions for the preschool age and generally a much higher quality and maintenance of the park and rides. It's nice that beyond Peppa Pig World itself there are other rides and attractions that are suitable for younger families within the park and this makes a really great value day out. I wish we could've stayed longer but home was beckoning and we had a long drive ahead of us........