There's less than a week to go until a popular beach cafe in Dorset shuts up shop for good.

Middle Beach Cafe, in the National Trust reserve of Studland Bay, has served locals and tourists for nearly 70 years but will take its last order on Monday, January 2 when its lease expires.

The cafe has been in the same spot since 1904 and the current building, opened in 1953, has been trading under Paul Brown for nearly 37 years.

Read more: Middle Beach Cafe at Studland to close and be demolished 

The decision to close the cafe was made by the National Trust. 

It declared that the building had to be demolished because coastal erosion will mean that the cliff edge where the cafe stands will be soon be unsafe.

Read more: Plans revealed for temporary replacement to Studland cafe

“I am sad to say goodbye, but I can’t fight nature and I definitely can’t fight the National Trust,” Paul said. 

“We’ve tried – there have been petitions – but it hasn’t worked. In the long term, the trust is not wrong but it is also not right.” 

A planning application for a temporary catering unit has been submitted to be positioned on the clifftop at Middle Beach, but Paul said he does not wish to put in a tender for a new offer. 

The National Trust said climate change is having a “visible impact” on the Studland coastline and that current sea defences have “failed to prevent change”. 

Tracey Churcher, general manager of the National Trust at Purbeck, said: “Whilst we are unable to prevent the impacts of climate change, we are working in a pragmatic way, to continue to provide the facilities that our visitors have come to expect. 

“The best way to do this is to move the facilities to an alternative location before the erosion creates safety issues and sadly we are now close to that point.” 

Studland Parish Council are bidding farewell to Paul and the team at the cafe with a gathering at the Old Harry Bar in Studland on Saturday, January 7 at 7 pm.