The Moonfleet Manor Hotel is a beautiful Georgian hotel set on the coastline with stunning views of the Fleet in Weymouth. I visited recently with my mum and the children for a festive Afternoon Tea and every single aspect of our time there was just perfect.

The hotel prides itself on being family friendly and we were warmly welcomed into a lounge where we were asked which drinks we would like with our afternoon tea. The children chose hot chocolate which I tasted to make sure it wasn’t too hot and was tempted not to give it to them because it was too blooming scrummy haha.

We settled the children with some colouring in but it didn’t take long for our afternoon tea to come. The children were asked which sandwich filling they would like which I appreciated because they are quite fussy (and I hate waste) so they were very pleased with their ham and cheese sandwiches which came on their own tray with crudities and hummus, a chocolate and clementine cupcake, jam tartlet, a scone and gingerbread man.

Our afternoon tea arrived shortly after on a beautiful stand and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in! The sandwiches were all freshly made and myself and my mum swopped some so she had all the egg and cress plus smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese sandwiches while I had the chicken and cranberry plus honey glazed ham and mustard. We also had a lovely wild mushroom and black garlic tartlet before starting on the sweets which is always my favourite part.

We had a ginger and passionfruit cake, a chocolate, pear and hazelnut dome (definitely my favourite) a clementine and white chocolate choux bun and 2 scones, one plain and one fruit which were accompanied with a pot of jam and clotted cream. Everything was so tasty and pretty and the scones were perfectly baked but we struggled to eat everything so a couple of treats had to come home with us.

The children had been ever so good and I don’t think there was a single crumb left on their tray so we took them out in the garden for a run around and found some swings and play frame which they enjoyed before we had to head home.

If you’re looking for an afternoon tea with friends or family then I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere and our waiter was so friendly and helpful. On selected dates in December Father Christmas will be visiting both the Moonfleet Manor and their sister hotel the New Park Manor Hotel in the New Forest and children will have the chance to meet the big man and receive a small gift.

For more information, please visit the Moonfleet Manor Hotel in Weymouth or the New Park Manor Hotel in the New Forest.

I’ve been eager to walk the Lawrence of Arabia Trail for a while now so this year I decided to do it as my Memory Walk for the Alzheimer’s Society.

When you research the Trail, every website suggests parking at the Tank Museum but you can only park there if you are going into the attraction so I asked for permission to park at The Walled Garden in Moreton with the promise of coming in for tea and cake when we finished.

The main loop on the trail is just over 4 miles and once we left The Walled Garden we walked to the Ford nearby and started the trail by going over the bridge.  I begged for my husband to come along because I have a terrible sense of direction but actually the trail is really well signposted at every turn so I’m pretty sure I would have made it back without him anyway (although the company was much appreciated).

Walking through Moreton Plantation was lovely, we hardly passed another person and it was really nice being out in the fresh air wandering through heathland.

Once we hit the section where you need to go on the road (turn right) I kept up on the grass verge as much as possible and because of this stretch I really wouldn’t recommend it for families with a buggy.  Luckily we didn’t need to go far and then we reached our first ‘Lawrence Landmark’ which was Clouds Hill.  The Cottage is now cared for by the National Trust and we met Gayle and Ray who very kindly let us take a couple of photos outside.  Ray was a wealth of information and keen to tell us about T.E. Lawrence and then we bought a few souvenir postcards from Gayle before begging to use the toilet haha.

Further down the road (approx 200m away), there’s a lay by and this is where you’ll find the memorial marking the crash site where Lawrence sadly lost his life in 1935.  The story goes that he was on his motorbike going over the brow of the hill and swerved to avoid 2 young boys on bikes.  Conspiracy theorists believe though that he was assassinated on the orders of the British Intelligence community after powerful figures opposed Sir Winston Churchill’s plans to install him as the new head of the organisation.  Either way, the accident was very sad and a shock to all of those who admired him.

After a nice picnic we crossed the road and took the path which is almost opposite and walked through woodland meeting several horse riders and walkers.  Keep an eye on the signposts and more or less keep going right until you get back to the path which you should recognise from the beginning and then take a left - unless you want to do it all again of course.

Before you know it you’ll be walking back over the bridge and then before you get to The Walled Garden you’ll see a sign on your left for St Nicholas Church.  With there being a small churchyard here we searched every stone for Lawrence’s grave and it wasn’t until we noticed a postcard inside the church which looked nothing like the graves outside that we knew he wasn’t here. I sheepishly asked a member of the public if they knew where he was and they kindly informed me that we was actually not at his final resting place and that we needed to walk further up the road to another churchyard.

Our walk took 2 hours 45 minutes which is quite long for a 4ish mile walk and this was mainly because the grandparents had the kids and we weren’t in a rush to go home hehe.  It was quite nice not being asked for a snack every few minutes and being able to talk to strangers without hearing ‘I’m bored’ in the background!

To congratulate myself we went in The Walled Garden for a cream tea which was delicious and because my husband isn’t one for tea we went to The Seven Stars after so we could sit by a roaring fire while he enjoyed a pint.

About my chosen Charity…………

Somebody develops Dementia every 3 minutes, it doesn’t discriminate, it devastates lives and right now there’s no cure.  The Alzheimer’s Society provides information and support, funds research and are creating a dementia-friendly society so people living with the condition can live with fear and prejudice.

I was thrilled to raise £110 for The Alzheimer’s Society and I’m very grateful to everyone who donated to this deserving charity.  Thank you all of you.  Fiona xxx

If you need more ideas on places to visit in Dorset then please take a look at some of our other blog posts below. 

Where to see Planes, Trains and Automobiles

40 free or low cost things to do in Dorset

Nicks Farm in Bournemouth

Tout Quarry Sculpture Park in Portland

RSPB Arne

Slades Park in Bournemouth

By The Way Park in Wimborne

Hamworthy Park in Poole

For further ideas on places to visit in Dorset then please take a look at our list of Attractions and Places to go in Dorset.