Holiday Review: Isle of Purbeck

The Isle of Purbeck is the perfect destination for a winter – or spring, summer or autumn, for that matter – family break. It's not a 'proper' island, it's actually a peninsula in the county of Dorset, but it felt like one as we drove onto the ferry at Sandbanks to take us on a five-minute journey across the choppy sea.

Purbeck is bordered by the English Channel, where the white, dramatic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast descend to the sea. As we alighted the ferry and made our way to our destination – The Pines Hotel in Swanage – the picturesque views out of the car windows told us we had arrived somewhere pretty special. We'd booked into the Longdown bungalow at the hotel for the week. With its own driveway – ideal for unpacking the year's worth of stuff we had brought with us – and pretty enclosed garden, open-plan living room with dining table, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom, we were delighted with our new home for the week.

The Pines enjoys a fantastic position overlooking Swanage Bay, but the beach there doesn't compare to the one at Studland Bay, a 10-minute drive away. Recently nominated as Nature Reserve of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2017, the vast area of sandy beaches and heathland is idyllic. Knoll Beach and surrounding heathland had us all fascinated – one minute we were jumping waves and looking for shells, the next we were playing hide-and-seek in the heather and jumping off sand dunes. The National Trust shop and cafe is also a worth a visit for lunch overlooking Old Harry Rocks.

Trust the British weather, it started to rain, so we decided to go swimming. Despite having free use of an off-site swimming pool with the hotel, we headed to Splashdown waterpark in Poole – I'm not sure who was most excited, the hubby or the kids! Home to 13 indoor and outdoor flume rides, and three under-five's splash zones, it was a lot of fun.

A friend had recommended the Swanage Steam Railway, so the next day, we boarded the train at Swanage and travelled through miles of beautiful scenery up to the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle. We took a self-guided tour of the thousand-year-old royal castle, now owned by National Trust, and tried to find all the shields to answer the questions to claim a prize. We also sent a teddy down the zipwire! Once again it rained, so before we got the train home, we took shelter in the Greyhound – a picturesque old pub – which did some fine beers. That night, we ate in the hotel restaurant. The girls loved getting dressed up and we all devoured our delicious meals.

I had always wanted to see Durdle Door, and the next morning, the weather was on our side. It was bright and sunny when we arrived at Lulworth Cove and took the steep coastal path up the cliff towards Durdle Door. We wondered if the girls' legs would make it – we hadn't brought the buggy – but the reward of ice cream at the end got them through it and they did us proud.

We reached the top and took in the amazing views. After catching our breaths, on we went, in search of the white arch that we'd seen in so many pictures, but never before in real life. Finally, we began to ascend the path, and we saw it; the world-famous geological wonder, a massive natural limestone arch and beautiful secluded cove. We picked up pace then, desperate to make it down the many steps to the beach. We spent a good hour or so there, taking pictures, playing games, making plans... It really is a special place.

Reluctantly, we finally decided to make our way back up to the top, our limbs aching and lured by that promise of ice cream. Re-energised by a Mr Whippy, the girls incredibly made it all the way back to Lulworth without moaning, where we found the beach and whiled away another happy hour before the sun began to set and we filled our empty tummies in the Lulworth Cove Inn, which had a wonderful menu, and where I had the best veggie burger ever.

We were sad to pack up and leave our bungalow on the Friday morning, but the holiday wasn't over yet. We had booked into the Haven Hotel, sat at the tip of the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula, for our final night. I'll always remember it for having one of the best views from the circular bar – it looks across to Studland Bay and Old Harry.

We spent the day on the sandy beach at Sandbanks, rode our bikes along the promenade – and even bumped into Harry Redknapp who has a place down there! We dined at The Point restaurant at the Haven that night, which is highly acclaimed, and it lived up to its name.

Our last day came too quickly, and we boarded the ferry outside the hotel: destination Brownsea Island. It's hard to describe this idyllic place. Owned by the National Trust, it offers crystal-clear waters lapping the beaches, woodland, heathland and stunning cliff-top views… The island is famous for being where the Scout movement was formed in 1908, and also for its red squirrels. We walked the circumference of the island, stopping at the cafe, the beach, the lookout points, the pony field, the outdoor centre where we toasted marshmallows, and, of course, the adventure play area.

We were all sad to leave the place as we raced for the last boat to leave the island at 4pm... but there's one thing we all knew for certain, we would be back again one day. Soon.