France in the heart of Dorset

Jun 18 2008

WHY spend hours driving to the Dordogne this summer when there's a little piece of France right in the heart of Dorset?

You can wave au revoir to the expensive, environmentally disastrous car and ferry journey, and say bonjour to la belle Beaminster.

A tiny medieval town just a few miles inland from the glorious Dorset coast, Beaminster may look typically English on the outside, but underneath its chocolate-box exterior beats a chic French heart.

So what is it that gives this sleepy Dorset town that certain, je ne sais quoi? Maybe it's the fabulous French food. Locals flock to the authentic French patisserie, le Vieux Fort, every morning, to pick up their baguettes and pain au chocolat before greeting friends and neighbours in the sun-drenched town square.

The Secret Garden in Beaminster sleeps three people in two bedrooms (one king size bed, one single) and costs from £475 for a week in July. For bookings and information contact Dorset Coastal Cottages on 0800 980 4070 or go to www.dorsetcoastalcottages.com