The Dorset Cider Farm

The smell hits you first - that funky, fermented sweetness of apples in various states of becoming cider. The Dorset Cider Farm, just outside Wareham, is the real deal: a working operation where you can actually see how they turn local fruit into the stuff you'll be drinking back at your holiday park.

It's not a glossy visitor centre. There are proper orchards, pressing equipment, and barrels doing the slow work of transformation. You get a tour through the process, which takes about an hour depending on how many questions you ask. The farm shop stocks their own bottles plus other local producers - decent range without being pretentious about it. Most visits include a tasting, which is where you'll discover whether you prefer their dry ciders or the slightly sweeter offerings.

Families work here if your kids are old enough to find fermentation interesting rather than boring. It's less theme park, more working farm. Walkers and serious cider drinkers will get the most from it - you're paying to understand the craft, not ride a ride.

With Burnbake Forest Lodges just 1.4 miles away, or Norden Farm Campsite equally close, it's an easy addition to a Dorset break. Time it right and you could grab lunch at Wareham itself before heading out here. Worth ringing ahead to check what's on and whether they're open - the opening hours aren't fixed, and sometimes it's by arrangement only.