Swanage

Steam trains chuff into this Victorian seaside town like they have for decades, carrying families down from London for proper bucket-and-spade holidays. Swanage feels wonderfully unchanged - a place where the pier still matters and fish and chips are eaten from paper on the beach.

The town sits in a perfect bay, sheltered by limestone cliffs that glow golden in the afternoon sun. Swanage Railway brings the romance back to train travel, its heritage locomotives chugging between Norden and the seafront station. The journey alone is worth the trip.

Durlston Country Park stretches along the clifftops to the south, offering some of the finest coastal walks in Dorset. Dancing Ledge, carved into the rocks below, makes for dramatic viewing though it's a proper scramble down. Mill Pond provides gentler entertainment for families with young ones.

Beyond the beach and heritage railway, Swanage Museum & Heritage Centre tells the story of this former stone-quarrying town. The King Alfred Memorial and Prince Albert Memorial remind visitors of the town's Victorian heyday, when it transformed from working port to seaside resort.

Getting here is half the fun if you take the steam train from Wareham, though most arrive by car along the winding road through Corfe Castle. The nearest major station is Wareham, about 12 miles north.

Staying at one of the nearby parks like Ulwell Holiday Park or Swanage Bay View Holiday Park puts you within walking distance of the beach and steam railway. It's the ideal setup for exploring both the town's Victorian charm and the stunning Jurassic Coast that stretches in both directions.