Fantastic views from this rural country house close to the sea at Lulworth Cove

The Pink House is close to Lulworth Castle and Country Park which the Weld Family Estate have owned since the 17th Century. Today they still manage and maintain it as open to the public and every August it hosts the family music festival that is Camp Bestival.

Just two miles from the sea at Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and the beautiful beaches of Purbeck there is much to discover, explore and enjoy.

Lulworth Cove is the jewel in the crown of the Jurassic Coast and an absolute must for visitors to Dorset. Granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2001 this unique chalk and limestone cove is one of the finest examples in the world of such a landform and is framed by the Purbeck hills of Hambury Tout and the magnificent natural arch at Durdle Door. The area is a magnet for geologists and geographers including The Fossil Forest where petrified tree remains. dating back to the Dinosaur Age, can still be seen.

Lulworth Cove has a fresh fish shop selling the local catch every day in summer and all weekends throughout the year. The blue flag beaches and superb coastal walking along the Purbecks are linked to footpaths leading directly from The Pink House and take you east to Lulworth, Osmington, Ringstead and Weymouth or west to Kimmeridge. Dancing Ledge and Swanage.

Kimmeridge Bay is a popular surfing and walking destination. A Ramblers' poll voted the Jurassic journey along the clifftops from Kimmeridge to Durdle Door as the best walk in Britain! It has also provided the majority of Kimmeridge Clay fossils, including a very impressive marine crocodile, on display in the Heritage Centre at Lulworth Cove.

For shopping and supplies Wool has a traditional family bakery, local shops and weekly W.I. market.

Nearby Wareham is an old walled Saxon town, built by on the banks of the River Frome by Alfred the Great in the 9th century and bordered by Wareham Forest and the Dorset Downs. There is a traditional farmers market every Thursday and Saturday and a number of cafes and eateries in the town and quayside. There is a train station, a County Library, a good delicatessen, health food shops, greengrocers , bakeries and a couple of supermarkets.

In the summer there is a music festival and an annual carnival which take place down by the quay complete with parades and fireworks.

For film buffs you can step back in time at The Rex Cinema, still lit with original gas lamps, and one of the few cinemas in the country where you can buy a drink from the bar and take it in with you to watch the film.

Kept going by enthusiastic volunteers, the Rex is the flagship of the Purbeck Film Festival which is the longest running rural film festival in the UK.

The charming coastal village of Studland, situated roughly halfway between Sandbanks and Swanage, is famous for its beaches, pretty thatched cottages and nature reserve. There are 4 km of golden beaches along Studland Bay, backed by sand dunes and heathland. The Studland and Godlingston Heath National Nature Reserve has been a haven for birds and other wildlife since 1946, home to all six native species of reptile and is also one of the best places in the UK to see the Dartford Warbler. In the bay itself two species of seahorse have been discovered in the seagrass beds at the southern end of the beach. Chalk grasslands leading from the village along the coastal path to Old Harry Rocks are studded with rare orchids and abound in insects such as the delicate chalk blue butterfly and the elusive and endangered Lulworth Skipper. There is a delightful little church dating back to Norman times which is still in use today. Studland is the ideal choice for a family day excursion, walking, horse riding or simply enjoying the seaside.

From Studland you can also take the chain ferry across Poole Harbour to Sandbanks, affectionately known as 'Britain's Palm Beach', or onto Poole and Bournemouth.

Accessible by ferry or private boat Brownsea Island is owned and managed by the National Trust and in 1907 played host to the very first Boy Scout movement camp. In 2007 boy scouts and girl guides from over 160 countries gathered here as the focus of worldwide celebrations marking the centenary of the movement. The island has a visitor centre and museum in addition to an outdoor centre and trading post shop at the Scout Camp. It is one of the few places in Southern England with a thriving population of red squirrels because grey squirrels have never been introduced and Sika deer are present in large numbers. You can also see avocets, terns, herons, egrets and even peacocks which wander freely around the grounds.