THREE NIGHTS, THREE PUBS, ONE ANCIENT COAST

🚐 NIX ROAD // Vanilla’s Jurassic Coast Pub Run Tuesday 13–Friday 16 October 2026

There is something wonderfully satisfying about a road trip with a clear beginning, a spectacular finish and a good pub waiting at the end of each day. My next proposed escape with Vanilla has all three: leave Stafford early on a Tuesday, reach the western end of the Jurassic Coast and work east through four days of cliffs, coves, fishing villages and enormous sea views. Three nights away. Three pub stops. Enough fresh air to make dinner taste even better.

The route begins at Orcombe Point near Exmouth and finishes at Old Harry Rocks near Studland. Between those two landmarks lies a coastline that manages to look both beautifully peaceful and wildly dramatic. Red sandstone gives way to golden cliffs, limestone arches and brilliant white chalk stacks. The Jurassic Coast stretches for roughly 95 miles and records around 185 million years of geological history. I’ll be attempting to appreciate it in four days, which is admittedly a slightly quicker schedule. 🌊

This is the proposed itinerary, with overnight availability still to be secured. The idea is to keep moving east while allowing enough time to enjoy the places that make me stop, stare and reach for the camera. Vanilla will provide the travelling home; the pubs will provide the evening welcome.

A scenic preview of the Dorset coastline, including Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove and Old Harry Rocks.

My plan is to leave Stafford around 06:00–06:30, point Vanilla south and get the main motorway miles behind me. With a sensible break and reasonable traffic, I’m allowing roughly five hours to reach Exmouth. This will be the biggest driving day, so the afternoon needs to feel like the beginning of a holiday.

First comes Orcombe Point. I want to start at the actual western end of the Jurassic Coast, walk up to the Geoneedle and look out across the sea before beginning the journey east. There is a pleasing sense of purpose to that: reach the starting point, take a breath and let the coastline unfold from there. The National Trust identifies Orcombe as the coast’s most westerly point, with the Geoneedle marking its remarkable geology.

After the long drive, an hour or so on foot should be exactly what I need. Sea air, red cliffs and a horizon that doesn’t contain a single motorway gantry. I’m hoping for that first little moment when the journey stops feeling like travelling somewhere and starts feeling like being somewhere.

From Exmouth, I’ll continue towards Sidmouth for lunch and a wander around Connaught Gardens and Jacob’s Ladder. Then comes Beer, where the afternoon can slow down around the beach and fishing boats. A coastal village called Beer followed by a pub overnight feels like unusually cooperative route planning.

Tuesday’s proposed overnight stop is the Hunters Lodge Inn at Raymond’s Hill, near Axminster. Its own website explicitly welcomes overnight campervans, with limited spaces, essential advance booking and a requirement to dine in the pub. That suits the spirit of this trip perfectly: arrive, park where directed and support the place providing the welcome.

I’m aiming to arrive around 17:30–18:00, settle Vanilla and enjoy dinner without squeezing another attraction into the evening. Lyme Regis can wait until morning. The first day will already have delivered a proper start, three coastal stops and the satisfying prospect of sleeping in my own little travelling home.

Wednesday begins with Lyme Regis. I’m allowing around 90 minutes for coffee, the harbour, the seafront and a stroll towards the Cobb. There is something about an old harbour that makes me want to linger: boats, weathered stone and the sense that the sea has been setting the pace here for centuries.

Then I’ll head towards Golden Cap, one of the main reasons for making this journey. The plan is to park at Langdon Hill and take the shorter walk to the summit and back, leaving plenty of time for photographs and a pause at the top. The National Trust recommends Langdon Hill as a starting point for the climb.

This is where I’m hoping the trip opens out into something enormous. A coastline stretching into the distance, green land meeting blue-grey sea and enough space to make everyday concerns feel rather small. I’ll allow about two hours for the outing, with the weather deciding how long I linger.

This walking film offers a preview of the landscape. It follows a longer circular route than the shorter summit visit proposed for my itinerary.

Next comes West Bay: lunch around the harbour, followed by time to admire those imposing golden cliffs. I want to enjoy the scale of the place from a sensible distance, give the camera a workout and resist the temptation to turn every stop into a race against the clock.

Later, I’ll follow the B3157 towards Abbotsbury. This is a drive I’m particularly looking forward to, because the approach from the west brings expansive views over Chesil Beach towards Portland. If time and energy permit, a walk towards St Catherine’s Chapel adds another elevated perspective over the coast. Otherwise, a viewpoint stop will be enough to savour the scene.

Wednesday’s destination is the Red Lion at Winfrith Newburgh. This is a pub with a campsite behind it, and its own website confirms motorhome pitches, toilets and showers. It also places me conveniently close to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door for the following morning.

I’m aiming for an early evening arrival, a shower and dinner. By then, I hope the day will have given me old harbour character, a clifftop panorama, golden rock faces and the extraordinary sweep of Chesil Beach. That sounds like a very respectable Wednesday.

Thursday belongs to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. I’m deliberately giving these places the heart of the day, because I want time to enjoy them properly.

The plan is to arrive at Durdle Door around 09:00 and spend roughly two hours exploring the viewpoints. The limestone arch is the obvious star, but neighbouring Man O’ War Bay deserves attention too. I’m hoping for changing light across the water, a little texture in the sky and the sort of scene that makes it difficult to put the camera away.

The approach to the beaches is steep, so I’ll judge how far to descend on the day. Some of the strongest views are from above, and the climb back up deserves a place in the energy budget. Nature provides the scenery; the return walk collects its payment.

From there, I’ll move on to Lulworth Cove for lunch and a slower afternoon. The curved bay and the folded rocks at Stair Hole make this a wonderful place to appreciate how much character the coast contains within a relatively small area. I can linger by the water, explore the viewpoints and let the afternoon develop at its own pace.

A walking and drone film offering another perspective on two of the trip’s headline locations.

Kimmeridge Bay is an optional extra if there is comfortable time left. If Durdle Door and Lulworth keep me happily occupied, I’ll leave it for another visit. I’d rather return with a few places still calling me back than rush through everything and barely remember standing there.

Thursday’s proposed pub stop is the New Inn at Church Knowle, near Corfe Castle. Campervan directories list it as a pub overnight stop with attached camping, and visitors have reported staying there in motorhomes. Its published charges vary between sources, however, and the current pub website does not spell out the overnight policy. I’ll confirm the arrangement, price and available space directly before treating this night as secured.

The location fits the route beautifully. After a day around limestone arches and sheltered coves, I can settle into the Purbeck countryside with Friday’s final sights close at hand.

Friday begins around Corfe Castle village, with breakfast and time to photograph the ruins above the rooftops. I’ll keep a full castle visit optional, because the coast still has one last spectacular appointment waiting.

Then I’ll head to Studland, park at South Beach and walk out towards Old Harry Rocks. These chalk stacks mark the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, making them the natural finish to the journey I began at Orcombe Point three days earlier. I’m allowing around two hours for the walk and photographs.

I love the thought of that final contrast: Tuesday’s warm red cliffs giving way to Friday’s brilliant white chalk. Different colours, different shapes, the same restless sea. A trip with a beginning and an ending you can actually stand beside.

After lunch, I’ll point Vanilla back towards Stafford, aiming to leave around 13:30–14:00 and allowing roughly five to six hours with a break. Friday traffic may have its own ideas, but I should be heading home with a camera full of coastline and a head considerably clearer than when I left.

Tuesday 13 October: Stafford → Orcombe Point → Sidmouth → Beer → Hunters Lodge Inn. Wednesday 14 October: Lyme Regis → Golden Cap → West Bay → Abbotsbury and Chesil views → Red Lion, Winfrith. Thursday 15 October: Durdle Door → Man O’ War Bay → Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole → optional Kimmeridge → New Inn, Church Knowle. Friday 16 October: Corfe Castle village → Studland and Old Harry Rocks → Stafford.

What I’m looking forward to is the rhythm of it all. An early coffee in Vanilla. A drive with somewhere beautiful ahead. Walking until the view opens up. Stopping long enough to notice the light. Then an evening meal in a pub and the comfort of knowing my own bed is waiting outside.

October should give the journey its own character. I’m imagining cooler mornings, layers pulled on before the first walk and the possibility of dramatic skies over the water. The weather will shape the details, and I’ll keep the cliff walks within daylight rather than cling to a rigid timetable.

Hunters Lodge and the Red Lion publish their overnight provision directly; the New Inn needs that final phone confirmation. None of the nights is booked yet. Once the spaces are secured, the plan is wonderfully straightforward.

Three nights. Three pubs. One ancient coast. Vanilla and I have a rather lovely stretch of road ahead. 🌊🚐🍺