Bridport is an old market town at the approximate centre of a cluster of villages with ringable bells. These villages are generally found close to the A35 road, stretching from Askerswell in the east to Whitchurch Canonicorum and Lyme Regis in the west.
The bells at Shipton Gorge were augmented from four in 1996 (Whitechapel). The bells at Loders were restored in November 2003. Bradpole became a CCCBR Ringing Centre in 2002. Lyme Regis has been used for several record length peals.
The area is a holiday destination and has attractions for non-ringers. Lyme Regis is a very popular town for visitors, having many points of interest as well as being known from several film and TV locations. This does tend to raise traffic levels in the summer.
Bridport and Lyme Regis are the only places in this list with sizable public car parks. Car parks at Bridport can be fairly full on a Saturday. It is best to visit this tower later in the day when the market has closed. Lyme Regis has a very large car park on the A3052 on the western approach to the town. Shipton Gorge has its own church car-park (on a steep slope - not suitable for coaches).
This is a tourist area so there are plenty of pubs serving reasonable food and able to cater for larger groups. These are often between villages rather than in village centres. Bridport and particularly Lyme Regis have several cafes as well as pubs.