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If you have followed us here on this blog, you would have noticed by now that we love small, independent businesses especially prevalent in small towns. On our visit to Lyme Regis, we were able to see some of these thriving and mostly independent shops, stores and restaurants.
Nestled along the stunning Jurassic Coast of England, Lyme Regis is a quaint and picturesque coastal town that effortlessly captures the essence of British seaside charm. Renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, fossil-rich cliffs, and serene beaches, Lyme Regis has long been a favorite destination for nature enthusiasts, history buffs, and those seeking a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The Shops and Businesses in Lyme Regis
The town’s cobbled streets are lined with charming cottages, local boutiques, independent stores, pubs and cozy cafes, offering visitors a delightful blend of maritime history and contemporary comforts. Here are some of the thriving businesses we observed:
1. Food
Bubble and Bakes is tucked away on Coombe Street, a small lane off Bridge Street (A3052) that leads to Broad Street, the main High Street. We had to feature it here as it was really busy on a sunny day so they must be doing something right. Food wise, they offer pasties, pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sweet treats. As for drinks, they offer tea and coffee (hot or ice), bubble tea, iced coffee, smoothie, soft drinks and beer.
Next to the bus stop and Cobb Gate Car Park on Broad Street is another Ice Cream store selling gelato, fudge, milkshake plus hot and cold drinks. While the store is on ground level, with access to the beach, you can climb the steps to the left to access even more shops and access to The Bell Cliff Restaurant and Tea Room. Equally busy is the Crystals gift shop on the upper level above the Ice Cream store. These shops faces a fork on the road and is opposite the Rock Point Inn (also featured below) and the Cobb Gate Fish Bar.
As you move further along after the going up the steps on the left of the Ice Cream and Crystal Gift Shop, passed more food and gift shops is yet another fudge shop, called the Lyme’s Famous Fudge Kitchen. Painted in Pink and dark blue, you can’t miss the stop. Right after that is Mulberry Manor, a pasties and pies shop offering home made pasties, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, pies and more. The thing about Mulberry Manor is, they retained their post COVID practice of setting up a counter at the entrance where you would order and pay without stepping into the store. Not sure how that is going to work in the winter.
After Mulberry Manor is a bookshop and directly next to that is Ginger Beer, both featured here under Bookshop and Home & Garden respectively. As for food and drinks, here are two more outlets located side-by-side in a three storey detached building, sharing an archway between them. The first on the left is The Seriously Good Wine Company and that to the left is The Galley Cafe. The latter looks deceivingly small from the outside but offers plenty of seating inside. They serve all day breakfast and lunch with plenty of drink choices. For lunch, they offer sandwiches and salads as well as jacket potatoes, posh pasty and sausage rolls. Specials are on the board in the cafe.
Across the road from The Galley Cafe is the Royal Lion Hotel. The Pub and Restaurant is run by Hall & Woodhouse, a famous local brewery that originated in Dorset, England. The restaurant offers pub classics such as beer battered fish and chip, classic fish pie, chargrilled steak frites, steak and tangle foot pie as well as cheese burger. For the more adventurous, there is pan roasted Brigham hake, pan roast salmon, nduja buttered chicken, charred aubergine, squash salad, coq auxin, butternut squash ravioli, lamb medallions and 28 day aged sirloin steak. Together with a wide range of nibbles, starters, sides and desserts, there is plenty of choices for everyone looking for a sit down meal.
Still across the road, after Royal Lion Hotel is yet another location for those wanting to have a proper meal at the table albeit in the ‘basement’. The Lilac Restaurant and Wine Bar is set in a cosy 400 year old cellar on Broad Street. The catch is, they only serve dinner on weekdays and Saturday, and lunch and dinner on Sunday. They close on Mondays and Tuesdays. See sample of their evenings and Sunday lunch menus here.
Still on Broad Street, going back across the road is The Cornish Bakery, a chain offering baked goods and pastries as well as toasties, tortillas, salads, hand-roasted coffee and speciality breads. Cornish pasties, scones with clotted cream and jam are must tries. While it is a bakery offering take-outs, there are some free seating areas inside if you choose to stay. For their pasties, apart from the Traditional, there is a huge option of fillings to choose from. They include Cheese and Onion, Beef and Stilton, West Country Pork, Apple and Cornish, Curried Parsnip, Thai Chicken, Spicy Chickpea and Potato, Travelling Empanada, Vegetable and Sweet Potato and Feta Cheese.
Two doors down (after the Pug and Puffin featured under Gifts) is The Good Food Cafe and Deli. Just like the Pug and Puffin, The Good Food Cafe has been a mainstay in Lyme Regis for over 20 years. They offer a wide variety of food to take away with a small cafe area around the back of the deli. The type of food on offer include Sandwiches and Baguettes with a wide range of fillings to choose from, Pasties, Chunk of Devon Pies, Anton’s Meat Pies, Quiches, Tarts, Cream Tea, Sausage Rolls, Soups and Cakes.
More pastries, cakes and food at the top of Broad Street if you continue
Fashion
If you start from the Cobb Gate Car Park heading up Broad Street, the first clothing store you will come across is the Seasalt Cornwall. We don’t have a photo of the shop here but it is on the raise walkway opposite the Bell Cliff Restaurant and Tea Rooms. Continue up the road on the right in what used to be Joules is a clothing and apparels company called Blueberry.
Just across the road from Blueberry is Mountain Warehouse, for your outdoor clothing, shoes and gears.
This is followed by yet another national chain, FatFace after a charity shop. FatFace is a British brand dealing in clothing, footwear and accessories with a leaning towards casual everyday clothing.
Next to FatFace is Trespass, a nationwide chain selling sports and specialising in skiwear, waterproof jacket, fleece and accessories.
And after Trespass is Quba & Co. a British Nautical Clothing company.
There is an independent Boutique although we did not get a chance to photograph this further along. If you know what this is called or have a photo for it, please do get in touch.
Books
Sandwiched between an independent gift shop and Root Beer is the Lyme Regis Bookshop, an independent bookshop that is over 40 years old. The shop is on the raised walkway on Broad Street.
A quirky bookshop that is a must-see for book lovers is The Sanctuary Bookshop dealing in second hand and antique books. The building house 10 rooms of books over four floors. There is even a reading room with comfortable armchairs with a cozy fire plus a B&B if you decide to stay overnight.
Gifts
Fuego is not on Broad Street but on the small lane called Coombe Street. it is a gift shop with Latin American roots but they stock clothing items too. You will find things like contemporary gifts, lifestyle products, homewares, jewellery, clothing, toys and greetings cards among others.
Pubs and Inns
Home & Garden
Ginger Beer at 12 Broad Street is an independent shop specialising in eclectic and vintage products for outdoor living including gardening. They also sell gifts largely made of natural materials, garden tools and equipments and outdoor furniture as well as fire-pit.
Attraction
Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Regent Cinema
The Lyme Regis Regent cinema was destroyed in a fire in March 2016. Its new owner, a west Dorset vodka company retained the front of the building but turned the inside into a vodka espresso bar.
Whether you’re strolling along the iconic Cobb, exploring the dramatic coastline, enjoying the seaside activities (mini golf and amusement centres) and fresh seafood, visiting the gardens (Langmoor and Lister Gardens and Jane Austen Garden), Lyme Regis promises an enchanting retreat that showcases the timeless beauty of the English coast.
