Our route was dictated by the South West Coast 660, which is Dorset, Devon and Cornwall’s answer to Scotland’s North Coast 500: a curated road trip featuring a mixture of luxe and fun places to eat and stay, and some of the UK’s best routes to explore. Some tourists do the whole thing over several months, while others choose a section to drive. The organisers really know their stuff: you can download route maps with handy hints on secludes coves and little-known beach bars, scenic Insta opportunities and historic buildings to visit, as well as the best hotels each county has to offer. We’re already planning which bit of the route to bite off next.
From the Nici, with enough charge in the BMW to take us all the way through to Moonfleet Manor on Chesil Beach, we idled down to Sandbanks, playground of the super-wealthy, and onto the rickety chain ferry which, despite the sunshine, was a brown roiling cauldron of choppy waves. Thankfully it’s a short hop across, so I sat in the comfort of the BMW, stared at the horizon and hoping for the best.
On the other side, the road rises from the sand up into the bursting yellow gorse of the Isle of Purbeck, revealing incredible views. It’s easily one of the best roads in the UK, although this drive offers plenty more, taking you past Corfe Castle and across the Lulworth Estate. The i5 just streamed up and down the vast hills without a whisper, with the downhill sections allowing you to recoup energy back into the battery. All in all, a sublime driving experience.
Dinner on night one was at the best restaurant in Dorset (yes, I’m calling it): the pure jewel that is Catch, situated in the old fish market on Weymouth harbour. The day’s fish and seafood comes off the boat, is prepped in the small open kitchen upstairs and arrives on your plate as part of a perfect tasting menu, paired with beautiful English wines if you fancy. Braised cuttlefish melted in our mouths, and there were crispy skate jowls, a scallop ceviche, clams with asparagus and more. It’s the best meal I’ve eaten this year and we rolled gratefully into the BMW afterwards, and drove against a biting headwind with the seat heaters on to Moonfleet Manor and an enormous bedroom for the night (plus a charger for the BMW, courtesy of the lovely hotel receptionist asking the previous driver to unplug and shift off, phew).
