Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I reviewed Ammonite, a fictional film based on the life of Mary Anning. In response, Bonnie shared her blog posts featuring Mary Anning. Tina reviewed House of Correction by Nicci French, the same writing duo who wrote the Frieda Klein series. Jean finished and enjoyed the classic novel, Lorna Doone.

I ended my post last week with a desire to visit Lyme Regis, so I took a fantasy trip this week!

Lyme Regis is on the southern coast of England, almost directly north of Guernsey Island — another destination for a fantasy trip.

The Lyme Regis visitor site (Visit Lyme Regis) presents a variety of accommodations, from thatched cottages to modern apartments. For my fantasy stay, I chose The Royal Lion. Originally built as a Coaching Inn in 1601, The Royal Lion has been updated more than once, I’m sure, but I like to know that it’s a building that Mary Anning and Jane Austen would have seen. Plus, I love a hotel with an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, and sauna for relaxing after a fun day of being a tourist.

When there is a good local museum, that’s always my first stop. The Lyme Regis Museum is housed in a building on the site of Mary Anning’s home and fossil shop. They put together a video about her, featuring some of the items about her in their collection:

Besides fossils, the museum collections include local maritime and domestic objects, illustrations of local interest in a variety of formats, and a Writers’ Gallery with information about Jane Austen, John Fowles, and Tracy Chevalier and their books and characters.

The museum also hosts walks to learn about fossil-collecting. It’s a good idea to get some local expertise before going it alone. There are dangers in the form of falling rocks and incoming tides.

Of course, anyone who has read Persuasion or seen The French Lieutenant’s Woman will want to take a walk on the Cobb wall to see where Louisa Musgrove took her fall and Meryl Streep wore her dramatic cloak. From the Royal Lion Hotel, it’s less than a mile’s walk along the beach, with stunning views the entire way.

The Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium is situated at the end of the Cobb and provides an opportunity to learn about and, in some cases, interact with local marine wildlife.

There are plenty of walks and a charming town to explore. I could enjoy the highlights over a couple of days, but would prefer to relax and feel at home in the place for a week.

Have you been to Lyme Regis? I would love to hear your experience.