Wow, what a week it’s been! We’ve been super busy at the park, with plenty of guests flocking down on Lyme Regis holidays in time for all the Lifeboat Week Festivities.

It kicked off in style on Saturday, with a display from the always fabulous Red Arrows. The weather cleared up perfectly on the day, giving us a great view from our park. We even managed to get a few snaps thanks to bar manager Jim!

Lifeboat crew members spent Saturday running a barbecue on the Slipway, raising an incredible £2000 thanks to some expert burger flipping and lots of very hungry punters! Mark Hix was also in town hosting a cooking demonstration, showing us how to make delicious gourmet crab dishes.

Many more activities have been going on throughout the week, including the Lyme Regis Teddy Bears’ Picnic on Monday, Royal Navy Black Cat Helicopter Display on Wednesday and public charity auction on Thursday.

To round it all off, the Red Bull Wakeboarders will be taking over Lyme Regis harbour this coming Saturday and will attempt to jump the harbour wall. Sounds crazy, and we can’t wait to see it! The wakeboarding team are actually staying at our park this week, so we’ll make sure they get a good night’s sleep before Saturday’s event.

This year’s Lifeboat Week is actually an extra special one, because it marks 150 years of lifeboat service in Lyme Regis. Here’s hoping the money raised for the RNLI beats last year’s total of £21,000 – and if you haven’t donated already, there’s still time!

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Dorset has had the big screen treatment many times over the years, featuring in everything from British period dramas to big Hollywood blockbusters. This week in the blog we want to highlight some of the locations in the county which have appeared in tv and movies, and look at what it is about Dorset that has made it such an attractive destination for film-makers.

Dorset on Film

1980 film The French Lieutenant’s Woman featured an iconic scene with Meryl Streep on the Cobb, the stunning 13th century harbour wall in Lyme Bay. The movie was an adaptation of a novel by John Fowles, himself a famous Lyme Regis resident.

In 2007, a film crew working on the Harry Potter series descended on Abbotsbury to record some footage for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They particularly wanted to capture the distinctive reed beds in the village, and the 75 crew members, including the director and stunt doubles spent two days on location in the area.

The BBC’s lavish 2008 TV adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Ubervilles was filmed partly in Dorset, which was fitting since this is where the novel was set, and was also Hardy’s own home county. Hardy’s stories are full of scenes of idyllic rural England, and Dorset’s picturesque unspoilt countryside makes it perfect for capturing this pastoral world on film.

Dorset’s was also the primary filming location for Tamara Drewe, the 2010 hit film starring Gemma Arterton. The lovely traditional villages of Yetminster and Salwayash were heavily featured, along with plenty of shots of Dorset’s rolling green countryside.

It is easy to see why Dorset has been the star of so many films over the years, and tracking down the county’s iconic film locations is a great way to occupy yourself on a holiday to Dorset.

If this sounds right up your street, our Dorset holiday park is located very close to Lyme Regis, and is an ideal base from which to explore the county’s many delights.

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A couple of weeks back, four Dorset Holiday Parks took park in Lyme Regis Gig Club’s first ever Corporate Rowing Experience Day.

Newlands Holiday Park, WDLH, Freshwater Beach Holiday Park and Wood Farm Holiday Park all arrived at Lyme Harbour bright and early for a fun-filled day out on the water. Each team was made up of six people from the respective parks.

After a safety briefing and some dry land instruction, team members, along with some experienced rowers and a dedicated cox, took to the water for one of two morning training sessions.

This was followed after lunch by more land training and sea rowing, with some great racing in the afternoon. There were two heats and a final.

WDLH won the final race, followed closely by all other teams. The day finished with prize giving and a group meal at The Harbour Inn Lyme Regis.

The weather was perfect, the sea state ideal and a fantastic day was had by all! It was great for team building and also a really good way to work out. Everyone is looking forward to the re match next year!

Anyone interested in holding a corporate day please contact Rex Ireland via enq@newlandsholidays.co.uk

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Summer brings lots of big events and amusements to Dorset each year, and 2011 will be no exception. We’ve got a packed season ahead, and here are some of our top things to look out for if you’ve got a Lyme Regis holiday in the next couple of months.

Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week

There’s so much going on during Lifeboat Week, starting on Saturday 23rd July with a display by the always-magnificent Red Arrows, and a demonstration by celebrity chef Mark Hix showing us how to cook crab the gourmet way!

Throughout the following week you can expect to enjoy activities such as a bath tub race, a tug of war, a sand castle competition, a barbecue and many other special events marking the 150th anniversary of lifeboats in Lyme Regis.

The week is rounded off by the Red Bull Wakeboarders on 30th. They’ll be attempting to vault the north wall of Lyme Regis harbour – should be exciting!

Lyme Regis Carnival

Always a cracking day out, the Carnival returns this year on August 6th-14th. Highlights include the Lights over Lyme event on Wednesday 10th August, in which 200 lanterns will be released into the evening sky over Lyme Bay. We’re expecting it to be quite spectacular!

The main attraction will of course be the carnival procession on Saturday 13th August. The parade always draws a big crowd, and this year is expected to be one of the biggest yet.

Lyme Regis is embracing multimedia this year with a new facility in the shelters on the Marine Parade. The aim is to make this year’s carnival a bit more interactive, and you can follow @lymecarnival on Twitter to keep updated with everything you need to know during the carnival week.

It’s not too late to book a Lyme Regis camping holiday with us this summer – head over to our website to see what’s on offer at our Dorset holiday park.

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