I'm city born, but I love the country life. The lyrics from Don McLean's classic song Castles in the Air ring true for me as I settle into a long weekend with friends at a cottage in rural Dorset.

It doesn't feel like a difficult life to adopt as we fire up the barbecue in the courtyard of Cerne Barn, perfect for whiling away long summer evenings.

In fact, spending any length of time in the postcard-perfect villages of the county makes it easy to imagine you're living an Enid Blyton adventure. The children's author loved Dorset so much she holidayed there at least three times a year for two decades.

As you tour villages such as Athelhampton, Briantspuddle, Tincleton and Pallington, it feels like you should be wolfing down ice creams, jammy buns and lashings of ginger beer while exploring a deserted island or two.

Not quite so deserted, but still tucked away down a private lane in Charminster, is our well-appointed four-bed cottage. It's just a short drive from the County Town of Dorchester, Thomas Hardy's hometown where many of his books were set and full of elegant 18th century townhouses on broad tree-lined streets.

The nearest big seaside town is Weymouth. It has a pretty harbour, but its busy sandy beach and esplanade are best avoided unless you need to keep the children entertained with a day of candyfloss and kiss-me-quick cliches.

A much better option is to explore some of the 90 miles of Dorset's unspoilt coastline. The whole coast from Exmouth to Poole has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, England's only natural phenomenon to achieve the prestigious status.

It is perhaps at its most dramatic at Lulworth Cove, (above) an amazing oyster-shaped natural harbour where fishermen drag their catch right onto the pebble beach for visitors to buy. You can't get much fresher than that.

At the far eastern tip of Dorset is Swanage, a pretty seaside town with a curved sandy bay. Sitting on the pier feels like you could be living the high life on the French Riveria, but without the pretentiousness, and certainly with better fish and chips.

The town is linked by steam train to 11th century Corfe Castle, (left)whose ruins stand high on the hillside over this lovely stone village in a gap in the chalk hills.

Monkey World is a surprise treat, half-an-hour's drive from the cottage. The world's first primate rescue centre, it cares for monkeys stolen from the wild for labs, circuses and the pet trade all over the world.

Its 250 rescued and endangered apes and monkeys - including the largest group of chimps outside Africa - are worth at least half a day.

But of course one of the big parts of country life is spent in the village pubs.
Several are within walking distance of the cottage, so long as you don't mind sharing the journey home through fields with cows and sheep.

The best we found was The Sun Inn, in nearby Lower Burton, which serves a belly-bustingly tasty Sunday carvery.

As we walk home into the sunset on a footpath through a cornfield and those lyrics play through my head, the hustle and bustle of city life seems a million miles away. And, quite frankly, it can stay there.

A week self-catering at Dorset Coastal Cottages' Cerne Barn, which sleeps seven people, starts at £465. A short break of three nights costs two-thirds of the weekly price.

For more details phone 0800 980 4070, email hols@dorset coastalcottages.com or visit http://www.dorsetcoastalcottages.com/.