For the ultimate Newlands Holidays experience, you simply can’t leave without stopping by to sample the culinary delights at our restaurant. Our chef, Alan Bird, is a dab hand at cooking a whole variety of fantastic dishes that are sure to satisfy any appetite.

On our evening menu, we’re serving up everything from classic British favourites like steaks and gourmet pies to more exotic fare like curries and pasta dishes, as well as Alan’s unique chef’s specials menu.

Taste of the West

Taste of the West was established in 1991 as the regional food and drink trade organisation for the South West of England. As a membership organisation, Taste of the West works to develop the region’s exceptional regional food and drink industry.

We’re part of the Taste of the West programme, which means we’re commited to using locally produced ingredients whenever we possibly can in our restaurant. It helps local farmers and suppliers, and also makes our food that extra bit special – we believe Westcountry farm produce is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the UK, and it comes to us fresh from source.

Lunch and light bites are served daily 12pm – 2pm

Evening dinner menu is served daily 5.30pm – 9pm.

New Guidebook

Our 2012 Newlands guide booklet is here! We’ll be making these booklets available to all our guests at the reception area, so be sure to pick up a copy!

Within these slim pages you will find lots of useful information about the park and local area, as well as some great ideas for ways to spend your break on the Dorset coast, from boat trips in Lyme Regis to cave exploring in Beer. Everything you need for your Dorset holidays, in a handy pocket size booklet!

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There’s only one possible topic for the blog this week – the arrival of the Spirit of Corinth rowers at their finish line in Barbados, after a month and a half rowing day and night across the Atlantic Ocean.

Six weeks ago Tony, Eliot, Brian and Christopher , the team of four rowers from Lyme Regis, set out from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to take part in the world famous Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, a gruelling 2500 mile rowing race across the Atlantic.

On Sunday, the four friends reached the end of their incredible journey, coming in at 6th place in the race after 48 days at sea. With a combined age of 231 years, they are the oldest team ever to row the Atlantic, which makes their achievement even more mind-blowing!

As long time friends of the Lyme Regis rowing club, we’ve been rooting for the Corinthian boys from the start, and it’s been really exciting to see how Lyme has got behind them in the past few weeks – it’s been a real talking point around the town. We even had fireworks at the little celebration here in Lyme Regis to cheer the team across the finish line!

The guys are now taking a well deserved rest in the Caribbean before returning back to Dorset soon (fortunately they won’t have to row on the way back as well!)

There are lots of fantastic photos of their voyage on the official Atlantic Challenge website (see if you can spot the Newlands logo on the boat in the shots of them reaching the finish line!) and you can still donate to the causes supported by the Corinthians on the Spirit of Corinth website.

First Eshot of 2012

We’ve just sent out our first eshot of the month – full of the latest news and special offers from the park. If you’d like to see our most recent eshot in web page form rather than as an email, click here.

That’s it for this week folks – new blog week!

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Dorset might be primarily seen as a summer county by many of its visitors, but it has plenty to recommend it in the winter months too. Here are a few things we love about Dorset at this time of year…

Country Walks

In winter the Dorset countryside can be at its prettiest and most striking. While it can be tempting to stay indoors in the coldest months, if you do you will miss the opportunity to see all the beautiful winter sights Dorset has to offer, from frozen streams and ponds to mist-covered hills and valleys.

The Visit Dorset website has some great information on country pathways you can use to see the best of the county’s wonderful rural landscape, and if you’re staying here at the park, feel free to ask us and we’ll be happy to share some suggestions for the best walking routes.

Dorset Wildlife

Apart from dormice, bats and hedgehogs, very few of Dorset’s native wildlife actually hibernate in winter. In fact, native bird species are joined in the winter months by others from the rest of the UK and overseas, attracted by the county’s relatively mild winter climate.

This means that nature enthusiasts are treated to a wealth of magnificent birdlife and other creatures in January and February, and with the countryside largely free of the tourists who flock to the county in summer, they will have the place largely to themselves!

Jurassic Coast Fossils

While fossil hunting is always a popular activity for people who come for a holiday in Dorset in the summer, the best time to do it is undoubtedly in winter, when the ancient cliffs  are lashed by rough seas and bad weather, causing them to erode and give up the prehistoric treasures embedded in the rock. At this time of year, fossils can be found simply scattered on the beach or among rocks, particularly after a big storm.

Dorset Food and Drink

Nothing takes away the winter blues like a warm, hearty meal, and Dorset is spoilt for choice in terms of great eateries and fabulous local produce. Our own restaurant is part of the Taste of the West scheme, which supports local fisherman and farmers by ensuring that as many ingredients as possible are sourced from the Dorset and Devon region.

The Newlands restaurant specialises in West Country reared meat and locally caught fish. We have an interesting and exciting specials menu utilising the best in-season and sustainable products from the area.

And if you’d like to bring out your own inner chef, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage in West Dorset runs regular cookery courses for the public, covering a variety of topics such as traditional bread making, meat curing and smoking, and organic vegetable growing.

Our Dorset holiday park is just a ten minute drive from River Cottage, so we are the perfect place to stay if you decide to take part in one of these unique foodie courses!

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As this is our first post of 2012, we’d like to begin by wishing all Newlands Holiday Park guests a very happy new year! Thanks to everyone who visited us in 2011, and thanks also to all of you who got in touch with us via Twitter, Facebook and email throughout the year.

As we look to the year ahead, it’s clear we’ve got a tremendously exciting twelve months in store. It’s going to be an especially packed summer, with the Queen’s jubilee, the Euro football tournament and of course the 2012 Olympics, on top of all the usual summer events in West Dorset and East Devon.

More immediately though, we’ve already had a lot of interest about the February Half Term week  and the Grizzly Run in March, and we’re taking bookings for those dates now. Head to our special offers page to see all our best deals, including ensuite rooms from £45.00 a night over the Grizzly Run weekend.

We’ll be officially opening the doors of our Dorset holiday park at the end of this month (a little earlier than normal!), to welcome a party of geology students who’ll be staying with us while they explore the fossil-rich Jurassic Coastline. We hope they’ll be the first of many guests to enjoy a fantastic stay with us this year, and go away with big smiles and warm memories of their time on the Dorset coast!

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A big thank you to Hans Verhoef, a visitor to our park from the Netherlands, for this wonderful photo of the early morning sky over Newlands. Spectacular work Hans!

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How would you like your own little patch of Dorset to spend your summers, accompanied by your loved ones and surrounded by beautiful scenery?

Set in gorgeous countryside just minutes from the beach, our holiday homes offer a magical, picturesque retreat on the doorstep of the world-famous Jurassic Coast. You can swim in the sea, visit Lyme Regis’s historic buildings, hike through the country, and sample Dorset famous local food, all in the space of one day with a luxury holiday home right in the centre of the action.

We’re now listing our newest holiday homes for sale, all ready and furnished for your 2012 holidays. Interest is always very strong, so do be quick if you think one of our homes is for you.

Plots 65, 66 and 66A are being developed in readiness for the arrival of three brand new 2012 Swift Bordeaux caravans. With exceptional facilities and furnishings, these luxury units would make superb Dorset holiday homes for any family or couple. As with all our caravans, they are situated in landscaped grounds with incredible views across the valley, and have allocated parking behind the caravan.

Here’s a few essential details:
- £41,950.00
- 35′ x 12′ Swift Bordeaux
- 2 bedrooms
- Includes Fridge Freezer, Flat Screen TV, Patio and Steps
- Situated at the top of the park with fantastic countryside views

Let us know if you’re interested, because they won’t hang around long!
For more information please call us on 01297 560259 and we will forward you details.

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All good things come to an end, and we’ve reached the close of another season here at our Dorset holiday park.

Our attention now turns to all the behind the scenes works and improvements that need doing in the next couple of months in time for when we open our gates again in February, for what already promises to be an even bigger and better year.

Our accommodation tariffs for 2012 are already up on our website, and we really hope you’ll return to our park in the new year, whether for Lyme Regis camping, caravanning, or staying in one of our luxury lodges or apartments.

Thanks for an amazing year, and we hope to see you all again soon!

£1,200 Raised for Lyme Regis Gig Club!

A big thank you to everyone who came to the Lyme Regis Gig Club fundraising night on Saturday 12th. We raised a total of £1,200 for the club, which is a fabulous result!

We’re long time friends of the Gig Club, so we were excited to hear four of its oldest members are going to attempt to row across the Atlantic in December and January, in order to raise money for Shelterbox and British Heart Foundation. If they succeed, they will be the oldest team ever to achieve the feat. Amazing!

We wish them the very best of luck. If you’d like to keep up with the progress of their boat, The Spirit of Corinth, there will be regular updates on their website, where you will also be able to donate to their causes. Bon voyage, boys!

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It’s certainly a lot quieter and less hectic here in the winter, but there’s still really never a dull moment. Tomorrow is fireworks night, which is always great fun in Lyme Regis, and this year Charmouth will be putting on its own bonfire night for the first time in 27 years, so we’re really spoiled for choice!

If you’re staying at our Dorset holiday park this weekend and manage to take any good photos of firework night, send them over to us and we’ll post them here on the blog. Meanwhile, here are some of the other great activities and events coming up in Dorset as we approach the Christmas period…

River Cottage

River Cottage has a fantastic series of events coming up in the next few weeks. Their next four day cookery course starts on 28th November and includes a day each on cooking meat, fish, bread and vegetables. It’s a hands-on course with expert tutoring, and you can expect Hugh to pop by himself at some point to lend a hand.

In December there’s also a special Christmas baking course, so you can learn how to make the most delicious mince pies and Christmas puddings, along with more original treats like chestnut meringues, just in time for the Christmas season!

Fossil Hunting in Dorset

You can go fossil hunting at any time of the year, but winter is the best time to do it. The cliffs around Lyme Regis take a battering from the elements at this time of year, and this exposes new fossils buried in the rock and disperses them on the beach.

Our Lyme Regis campsite is perfectly located for a fossil hunting holiday in Dorset, and if you give us a call on 01297 560259, there’s still time to book before the end of the year!

Newlands Parties

It’s a packed final month for us here at Newlands. The fun starts on the 12th with our own end of season party. It’s Las Vegas themed, with gaming tables, prizes and live music. The following week is the end of year party from our friends at the Lyme Regis Gig Club. Read our previous blog for all the details on both events

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Halloween week is in full swing here at Newlands, the spookiest, scariest holiday park in Dorset! This year’s Halloween is turning out to be the best ever, with loads of things going on for both kids and grown-ups.

So far this week we’ve been making monster masks and playing ‘guess the weight of the giant eyeball cake’. See if you can guess right!

There’s plenty still to look forward to this week – pumpkin carving, spooky storytelling, apple bobbing, and a ‘hunt the body parts’ game around the park!

The Grizzly Run 2012

The Grizzly Run is one of the most popular annual events in West Dorset. Each year, thousands of intrepid runners take on the grueling 20 mile course across tough terrain including pebble beaches, rocks and steep hills. It’s a unique challenge not for the faint-hearted, and the finishing line in Seaton always draws a big crowd.

Next year’s Grizzly Run takes place on Sunday 11th March, and if you’re thinking of taking part, we’re offering cut-price breaks for those of you who book with us early.

We’re currently taking bookings for short breaks from as little as £110 for accommodation for up to 4 people from 9th March – 12th March 2012. Ensuite rooms are also available, and prices start from £45.00 per night. Call us now on 01297 560259 in order to get the best deal possible!

Fossil Hunting in Charmouth

It’s been a mixed couple of weeks in terms of weather here in Dorset. We’ve had a fair amount of nice sunny days in amongst the windy, wintery ones, and fortunately rain has been kept to a minimum.

The great thing about Dorset is that there is always something to do whatever the weather. For example, fossil hunters welcome the strong gusting winds and heavy seas, because these are the perfect conditions for them to find fossils in the beaches and cliffs around Charmouth and Lyme Regis. The punishing weather exposes prehistoric remains that have remained hidden in the rocks and cliffs for millions of year, meaning that your chances of finding fossils in good condition are greatly improved.

If you fancy trying your luck at fossil hunting on the famously fossil-rich Jurassic Coat, the best time to visit is towards the end or the beginning of the year. Our Lyme Regis holiday park is ideally located for a fossil-hunting break, and we’ll be able to direct you towards experienced fossil experts who give guided tours of the local beaches and can tell you exactly where and how to look.

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