Lyme Regis in the Sunshine (and the Perfect Maternity Jeans)

Easter weekend was absolutely wonderful. Ste and the dogs and I all went down to visit my parents on the farm in Somerset, for the last time before Pipsqueak is due. There were lambs galore (and three needing to be bottle fed which was lovely – I still love the farmers’ daughter cliche of getting your wellies on with your dressing gown and pyjamas and heading out at 7am to some hungry little fluffs) and the weather was perfect.

The highlight of the weekend was my wonderful babyshower. Ste’s Mum and sister Jennifer came all the way down from Manchester for the weekend for it, and they were loving bottle feeding the lambs too.

It was so so lovely to see all my friends and also hear some of their pregnancy stories (they were all very tactful and steered away from the scary stuff!), over afternoon tea and Faux-secco (non-alocholic sparkling wine, which nearly everyone seemed to prefer to the real deal, myself included!). Several people brought their gorgeous children, and seeing them all playing nicely together, delightedly feeding the lambs and racing around on Ste’s Easter Egg Hunt was amazing – I can’t wait for Pipsqueak to be joining in. They were also all immaculately behaved which gives me hope I will be able to raise one that isn’t the spawn of Satan too! We were totally spoilt with some beautiful gifts, thank you all so much, we feel very loved and supported indeed!

On Sunday morning I decided to show Ste and his family one of my favourite places on the South West coast – Lyme Regis. When we were children it was traditional to pop down there over the Easter weekend with the dogs for a stroll and an ice cream, and after five years together I still hadn’t taken Ste, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity for a little explore. The weather could not make its mind up and the sun was in and out like a Jack in a box but it was still a lovely little trip.

Lyme Regis is the perfect family day out. There’s plenty of beach (of both sandy and pebbled persuasions, though less of the sand), lots of great locally made ice cream, fresh seafood from the cockle and whelk shacks, the ancient Cobb (harbour wall) to explore, with a small aquarium where you can hand feed fish, and plenty of fossil hunting to be done – many of the first significant dinosaur fossil discoveries were in Lyme Regis (hence the name ‘Jurassic Coast’). Consequently the town has many fossil shops and also the Dinosaurland fossil museum. You can even see the outlines of where ammonite fossils were found in the rock along the Cobb wall. It’s also pretty great for adults too – antique shops galore (I have to be blinkered or I would never leave), and lots of other lovely little boutiques and art galleries, and some great little pubs and annual music and beer (and fossil!) festivals. Something for everyone basically. And if you’re more Instagram-minded – there’s some pastel beach huts of course.

Now I have waffled at lengths about the virtues, let me show you how pretty it is. And if you’re wondering why I appear in the photos far more than usual, it is because I am keen to show off my super-comfy new maternity jeans from Bump It Up. They are my fourth pair of maternity jeans, the first three of which are now going on eBay! I didn’t get on with any of them – despite all being the over-the-bump style, a couple of pairs really cut in under my bump because the denim was too thick, which basically made me feel a bit queasy all the time, and the other pairs were on an endless journey south, meaning I had to hoick them up every minute or so, especially if walking around, which is definitely not attractive. Finally though, these Bump It Up ones are as comfy as pyjamas (really), don’t fall down, and also look like normal jeans. Bump It Up is the maternity line of Yours Clothing, so it is available in sizes 16-36 which is great news for us curvier girls, plus their stuff is really lovely – can’t wait to wear some of their dresses on our upcoming babymoon in Santorini. Finding decent maternity jeans is like the Holy Grail I’ve found, so many women struggle to find ones that fit, but I honestly can’t imagine these not being really comfy on anyone.

Right, maternity clothing chat done, back to Lyme Regis!

As you can see, it’s a picture perfect little English seaside town, and a lovely place to while away a few hours. It is also located near some other beautiful beaches, like Seatown, and pretty coastal towns like West Bay, made famous by the Broadchurch series (it won’t look quite as you’ll expect from the television though). I am very lucky to have grown up so close to all these lovely places, and I am always telling people that the Dorset coastline is really worth a visit – hopefully these photos will convince you to plan a trip. If you want any more tips feel free to ask away in the comments, meanwhile, why not pin this for future reference?

Disclosure: Bump It Up very kindly sent me these maternity jeans, but all raving reviews about them are my own! See my Disclosure page for more info.