Dorset day tours
The Jurassic Coast at your own pace, with somebody else driving.
A booked block of hours, a route planned with you, and no coach park at the end of it.
Dorset rewards a slow day. The problem is that the best parts of it sit at the end of single track lanes with small car parks that fill by ten in the morning, which is exactly the sort of day a hire car makes stressful and a coach tour makes rigid.
A private day works differently. You book the vehicle and the driver for four or eight hours. Before the day we agree a rough route, then keep it flexible. Corfe Castle first while it is quiet, the chain ferry across the harbour mouth, lunch at a pub in Worth Matravers, Durdle Door in the afternoon light, home before the traffic builds.
Popular stops include Corfe Castle, Swanage and the steam railway, Studland beaches, Old Harry Rocks, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Abbotsbury, Weymouth harbour and the villages of the Purbecks. Inland days run to the New Forest, Beaulieu, Salisbury and the estate gardens around Wimborne.
Seven seats mean a whole family or two couples travel together and talk to each other instead of following one another in convoy. Everyone can have a drink at lunch. The cases, coats, wet boots and shopping all go in the boot.
Day rates
Journey board- Half day to Corfe Castle and Swanage4 hours4 hoursPrice on request
- Full day to Jurassic Coast and Durdle Door8 hours8 hoursPrice on request
- Full day to New Forest and Beaulieu8 hours8 hoursPrice on request
Day rates cover the vehicle and the driver for the hours booked. Entry tickets, meals and refreshments are paid by you on the day.
What is included
- A route planned with you before the day
- Freedom to change the plan as you go
- All parking and fuel inside the price
- Pickup and drop off at your address or hotel
- Bottled water and phone charging in the cabin
- Space for coats, boots, buggies and shopping
Questions we are asked
Is this a guided tour
It is a driven day rather than a guided one. Marius knows the roads, the parking and the times of day each place is quiet, and will tell you what he knows, but he is not a qualified tour guide.
Can we change the plan during the day
Yes, within the hours booked. If the weather turns or a stop is busier than expected, the route can change while you are in the car.
Are entry tickets included
No. Entry to Corfe Castle, Beaulieu and similar sites is paid by you on the day, and the price you are quoted covers the vehicle and the driver only.