Mornings are just that little bit chillier, evenings are getting cooler and the low, late afternoon sun is settling a rusty hue over the landscape. The heatwave has finally abated and September is sleepily sneaking up and hinting, lightly and ever so slightly, at an upcoming autumn. Like the taste of cinnamon sprinkled in coffees and on cookies, the taste of Autumn is tantalising and exciting. Bright, brisk days and pink cheeks like the rosy apples that are ready to be picked or pressed into Cider. Pumpkins, popcorn nights spent watching your favourite scary film and snuggling into flannel and fleeces. Blackberry picking, crumble-baking and the crackle of bonfires – a list could go on and on, ticking off the joys of Autumn. However, just as the fruit and berries ripen at the right time and no sooner, we should not wish the summer days away in our rush to throw ourselves into the delicious, delights, of autumn. There are just a few weeks left of the summer holidays, and we should make the most of them. Just as the juice of the apples will be pressed for every sweet drop, we can squeeze in a few more sweet treats of our own before the last, salty, days of summer are swept out.
- Dorset Adventure Park
Bookable sessions until the 11th of September
At Dorset Adventure Park, the bright blue waters of the two lakes have kept visitors cool and quenched, as the surrounding Purbeck landscape has parched and wilted in the unrelenting heat. The mud trail and obstacle course let you wallow and wade through the deep, wet, mud and even to coat yourselves in rainbows on the colour-run! The fun isn’t over yet, Dorset Adventure Park remains open 7-days a week, for the rest of the school holidays! The last bookable session is on the 11th of September. Spend an hour bouncing, leaping and diving over the wibit inflatables utop the two lakes, or spend up to two hours wrestling your way through 50 obstacles on the mud trail. Don’t worry if you and your family can’t decide which adventure to take – you can book a double session for twice the fun. Click here to book your adventure whilst you still can!
- Outdoor Cinema
Both Screenings available on the 27th & 28th of August
Is there anything more romantic than a late summer outdoor cinema experience? There is something about the hint of nostalgia that an outdoor cinema brings to the table that is irresistibly charming. In an age where we mindlessly consume shows and films on every kind of screen in our own homes, an outdoor cinema creates a real sense of fun, adventure and occasion to what has become a mundane experience. Find the fun in film again and visit one of the outdoor cinema’s that are holding screenings at the end of this month. Whether it is for an amazing first date, an anniversary, a group of friends getting together or as a family – an outdoor cinema is a lovely, little, late, summer adventure.
Watch MammaMia! On Saturday the 27th of August or Encanto on Sunday the 28th of August at Bournemouth Open-Air Cinema. Click here to discover more.
Or, you could try The Alfresco Film Company at The Blue Pool, Wareham. They are showing Encanto on Saturday the 27th and Back To The Future, on Sunday the 28th of August. To book these events, click here.
- Fun-Fair and Fireworks
West Bay Fun-Fair runs until the end of the August Bank Holiday
& Weymouth Summer Fireworks are on Monday the 29th of August
Again there is a sweet, sticky, candy floss-scented nostalgic charm to a late-summer funfair and fireworks. Apparently the fun-fair has come to West Bay every Summer since the 1950’s! Having fun at the fair is a fantastic last laugh before the seriousness of school starts once more. Bash away on the dodgem cars, try your eye on the shooting games and have a brilliant bank holiday playing at the fair.
The final of three firework displays will be held on Monday the 29th of August. This fireworks display is set on the seafront at Weymouth and is a spectacular send-off to the Summer. With other fun activities to be held along the seafront during the evening, the firework display will start with bang at 9.30pm! Not to be missed, these summer seafront fireworks are a riot of colour and sizzling rainbows.
- Country Show & Air Festival
Dorset County Show from the 3rd-4th of September
Bournemouth Air Festival is held from the 1st-4th of September
To mark the Queen’s 70th year as our monarch, Bournemouth Air Festival is going to be better than ever with a special platinum jubilee programme of events. On land, air and sea there will be plenty to see and do and wonder at. The undeniably incredible red arrows will serve up their cloud-cutting magic in the skies. This year, the special STEM marquee will be returning. Discover an exciting world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Meet some of the leading figures and STEM experts that are waiting to inspire the next generation. This could be a really great way to get your children inspired to start their next school year. Find out more by clicking here.
The pinnacle of a quintessential British summer has got to be a county show. Just as strawberries at Wimbledon and unforecasted rain on a campsite, an agricultural show is a summer staple in the countryside. Dorchester Agricultural Society hosts this big event that has become ‘one of the county’s largest annual outdoor events’. From crafts, rural trade, delicious local food and an abundance of animals; the Dorset County Show will be a great weekend. With over 450 trade stands as well as educational attractions, this event is another great warm-up to waking up to a new school year.
With the August bank holiday here and September just around the corner, soak up the sunset and the rest of the sweet, summer days.
Words by Olivia Lowry
