Some of the best places to visit are often just round the corner. If you take a few skips away from the sea in Lyme Regis, you will encounter a world of inspiration and wonder at the Mermaid Shop in Church Street. Take a partner or friend, a small child or two and enjoy the magical experience where the imagination can tumble and twist and creativity will flow. Here, you can almost hear the waves crashing, the circling sea gulls and the taste of salt in the air. This is one of my favourite places and always has been.

Linzi West the delightful owner is a very talented portrait painter. On the walls of her studio is a collection of the young and old and those in the middle, in various poses. On the table near her easel is a superb collection of sketch books, some quite tiny, that Linzi carries to visually record journeys and travels. Here inside, are sketches of figures and faces and interesting places (as a writer with many notebooks crammed full of my ideas, I was quite enthralled).

Linzi, who originally trained in Richmond, has been motivated and inspired by peoples’ faces from a young age. She captures the essence of character perfectly and enjoys how a face tells a story, their story, always from life.

A love of sketching and life drawing has always held a fascination.  Linzi creates her art in oils, charcoal and water colours, whichever is most appropriate. She describes the experience perfectly, as being one of the journey from the heart to the hand, which all creative people will appreciate.

Linzi feels the younger age group can be captured superbly onto a small canvas. Her portraits of children (6 x 6 inches) are very popular and the little ones only need to sit for an hour.

A visit to Lyme Regis for a holiday many years ago, gave Linzi the idea that this would be the perfect place to raise a family. Having lived originally in Windsor, the move to the seaside resulted in the opening of The Mermaid Shop, something she always wanted to do. Inside the window, her beautiful hand painted ceramics, lino cuts, prints, paintings and plates in their dazzling seaside colours nestle closely to each other. Here, the hearty sea captains, quirky fish and charming mermaids gaze out on all who walk by. Alongside these are exquisite cards and a selection of children’s books with her bold and cheerful illustrations inside.

If The Mermaid Shop is closed, feel welcome to telephone or even knock if you have an enquiry. You can also visit her website at www.mermaid-at-the-tudor.com or www.linziwest.co.uk

There are many charming and inspirational shops around the Jurassic coast, but this has got to be one of the best. If you get the chance, move away from the hubbub of Lyme, turn that corner, pay a visit, stay a while…

Now, did I use the word magical?