Dorset in December

I know, I know, December isn't the most obvious time for a trip to the seaside, but that might just be where you're missing a trick!

You get the beaches virtually to yourself, so you can wrap up warm and set off for a windy, blustery walk on a fabulous deserted beach or hilltop and the best bit is that after a chilly walk you are even more deserving of a stop off at a gorgeous, cosy, warm, dogfriendly pub or cafe for a drink while you wait for the blood to start flowing to your fingers and toes again... and I for one won't be judging if you have a glass of wine instead of a cup of tea to warm you up!

And as if the brisk walk and the cosy pub weren't a good enough reason to do it, when you post pics of yourself all over Facebook and Instagram on an empty beach on a fabulous clear sunny day (OK OK, if it's a bit grey just use a filter!) and in gorgeous cosy pubs, you also get to make everyone else jealous because they didn't think of booking a pre-Christmas break to get away from the pressure of the build-up to the big day itself. Win win win!

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Of course not everybody wants to get away from all the pre-Christmas hype as for many people that's the highlight of the year. Well then we're still the place to be. We can offer the best of both worlds as there's definitely no shortage of deserted beaches at that time of year but there's also no shortage of bustling events to get involved in during the pre-Christmas period like Bournemouth's Christmas Market (throughout December), Weymouth's Big Christmas event (throughout December), the Dorchester Christmas Cracker (10th Dec) and of course Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a trip to the Pantomime which you can enjoy in either Weymouth (Sleeping Beauty) or Bournemouth (Jack and the Beanstalk) (or both!!)

So, besides the peace that the solitude can offer you and the excitement that all the Christmas fun can bring, the most important thing about Christmas time is just time to enjoy each other. Last year, we had a week at Corner Cottage in the middle of December with our son, our dogs, my husband's parents, his sister, her partner and their son and it was such a lovely time for us all. The boys loved fossil-hunting and running around on the beach in wellies and wooly hats; the adults enjoyed lunches at the Smugglers' Inn (our 13th Century local pub) and chatting late into the evenings over a bottle (or two) of wine and we all had the opportunity to just take it easy, relax and hang out together, which doesn't happen often as we all lead busy lives.

Mayfield is currently available throughout December - including over Christmas and New Year's Eve - and Corner Cottage is between the 4th and 21st, so treat the people you love (and yourself!) to some familytime in beautiful, peaceful, festive Dorset.