Lyme Regis: a real taste of the Dorset coast with an exciting new food scene

23.04.2024 - 08:46 / theguardian.com / Jane Austen

Lyme Regis’s charms have always been resolutely genteel and old-fashioned, from its sedate regency seafront to its fondness for fossil shops and all things antique and literary.

It is a seaside town that has never felt the need to play to the hipster crowd, thanks partly to such distinguished and familiar history: home to 19th-century palaeontologist Mary Anning; John Fowles lived here, immortalising the Cobb breakwater in The French Lieutenant’s Woman; Jane Austen loved the place, giving it a starring role in one of Persuasion’s most memorable scenes; and Turner and Whistler both painted here.

But maybe that’s changing. Visiting for the first time in eight years, Lyme Regis feels different somehow; less quaint, more youthful.

On our first morning, we stroll down one of its prettiest streets, Sherborne Lane. Too narrow for cars, it is the old packhorse route that dates back to Saxon times. It’s lined with pretty thatched cottages and Georgian houses that lead down to the river. At the bottom is the Water Mill, an attractive cobbled area surrounded by restored mill buildings that today forms the creative heart of Lyme Regis. Rescued from disrepair by volunteers, it took 10 years to restore it to its former working glory. Now it’s a thriving artisan quarter with an art gallery, the Town Mill pottery full of contemporary pieces, a local brewery and mill shop selling its own flour. Everything arty and crafty is covered here – they even have their own sewing school.

We stop for brunch at the Town Mill Bakery, more east London than west Dorset, and sit out at one of its long trestle tables as we bask in the bright morning sunshine. There are tasty dishes of Turkish eggs with chilli butter, avocado and zaatar, and courgette, sweetcorn and halloumi fritters. The coffee and sourdough pancakes are highly recommended, too.

We spend a happy hour browsing the boutiques and shops close by, full of tempting local jams, fudge and craft gins.

With time on our side, we head for neighbouring Charmouth via the beach – be sure to check times so you don’t get caught out by an incoming tide. A small, unspoilt village, Charmouth, like Lyme, is world-famous for its fossils. It’s a delightful walk along the shingle that takes just under an hour, long enough to work up an appetite for a locally made ice-cream at the beach cafe – well worth the queue. We eat them on the beach to a soundtrack that is more quarry than crashing waves; an urgent echo of hammering all around us as enthusiasts chip away at the limestone in search of belemnites and ammonites.

Back in Lyme Regis, we detour through the town’s lush Langmoor and Lister Gardens above the promenade with sweeping views across Lyme Bay. There’s also a sculpture trail you can