THERE’S only one thing to do after a morning spent scrambling over the rocks, in the sea-caves and round the edge of Dancing Ledge.

Eat. Large amounts. And quickly.

Unfortunately on a sunny bank holiday, most of Dorset had the same idea but if your idea of proper food is pub grub, served quickly and cheerfully, the Castle Inn at Corfe Castle is a smart choice.

The interior is pure village pub, while the beer garden is populated by a flock of friendly chickens, with the occasional toot from the Swanage steam railway adding a Blyton-esque touch.

They were in the middle of their seafood festival which meant fresh crab salad for me, and fish, chips and mushy peas for the old man.

The crab was tasty and there was plenty of it, but the salad could have done with being more adventurous. The old man declared his fish ‘perfect’ and at least some of the explanation for this was because it was a) the size of a small whale and b) took less than 20 minutes to arrive.

I did have my eye on the fresh Dorset apple cake for pudding, but the decent-sized main meal put paid to that.

Including the drinks, our bill came to £26.45. And, as we left, we had the satisfaction of seeing fractious folk give up even trying to find a parking space at the other local hostelries.