Coast with the most; travel CELEBS HAVE FLOCKED TO DORSET FOR YEARS, AND IT DIDN'T TAKE SALLY SMITH LONG TO WORK OUT WHY.

Byline: SALLY SMITH

SO what is it about Dorset? Madonna chose to live on its northern borders, but the county is also home to a host of other stars and celebrities - ex-footballer Jamie Redknapp, Gosford Park's Julian Fellowes, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his River Cottage, celebrated crime writer Minette Walters (remember The Ice House?), comedy actor Martin Clunes... the list goes on and on.

Bournemouth, of course, has its long sandy beaches, but the beautiful countryside and secluded coast further west. We decided to have a look. First priority, of course, was where to base ourselves. We finally decided to opt for Sandford Holiday Park.

Set in spacious garden surroundings in the midst of beautiful rolling countryside, it offered pony-trekking and horse-riding, mountain biking, a range of water sports and even a wildlife trail.

When we arrived on a sunny Friday evening, we found the accommodation was far superior to what we were expecting. We had chosen a deluxe holiday home and this came with all sorts of extras including a flat screen TV and a TV in the bedroom.

As we unpacked the kids rushed off and we had to explore most of the park before we finally tracked them down in the crazy caves.

"Have you seen the swimming pool, you can play music with the fountains?" said the smallest, with an enormous gappy grin. "Can we go on the pirate ship?" asked the eldest. And so the holiday went on.

What was meant to be a restful break in glorious countryside turned into a hectic few days of non-stop activity. We did borrow bikes and, with a packed lunch, took off for a wonderful Famous Five trip through country lanes and friendly cows; the kids did have a great afternoon horse riding while we relaxed with a book on our balcony and we did manage a day at the beach.

But there was so much to do in the park that somehow the glorious countryside didn't get the attention it deserved. Even the evenings, which I had thought would be spent in sunset woodland walks t didn't go according to plan. We have never been great ones for entertainment, but the live shows and evening entertainment was so professional and so much more sophisticated than we were expecting that ended up watching musicals, cabarets and illusionists instead.

We had brought down some basic food with us but our fridge door remained closed and the shiny saucepans in our kitchen remained unused; there was such a wide choice or restaurants and cafes. and the prices seems quite reasonable. We did make our own breakfast though and, with a shop on site, it was easy to stock up with what we needed.

In hindsight, we didn't really make enough of the wonderful Dorset countryside.. But we had a terrific holiday, salved our green conscience by not flying, and managed to save enough money to return and really find out what attracts so many stars to Dorset!

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Sally and her family stayed at Sandford Holiday Park, part of the Weststar group (0870 444 7774 or www.weststarholidays.co.uk). A superior grand holiday home sleeping four to six costs from pounds 529 in July, a deluxe grand for six to eight from pounds 719. Most activities and evening entertainment are free and prices come down considerably for shorter breaks and in school term times

CAPTION(S):

Sandford Holiday Park (inset right) is the perfect base from which to explore Dorset's unspoilt coastline and lush countryside