Dorset is a county of great beauty, a land of contrast and grand scenery. It is one of the maritime counties of southern England, fronting the English Channel which separates the United Kingdom from mainland Europe. Its coastline extends some 140 kilometres from Lyme Regis in the west to Christchurch in the east, and offers a selection of the finest sandy beaches to be found in the British Isles.
The award winning heritage coast begins in Poole Harbour and includes the Purbeck coastline which is the site of special nature reserves and countryside parks. Travelling westwards, equally stunning is the Chesil Bank, a unproductive pebbled beach, stretching 25 kilometers from Weymouth to Bridport. This, with the internationally well-known Abbotsbury Swannery, is a photographer’s paradise, and a sea captain’s nightmare!
Rising and falling hillsides, dramatic cliffs, far-reaching beaches, lethargic villages, active towns, hushed countryside - West Dorset’s charms are there for all to see … there are also great pubs to discover, good food to savour and 25 miles of serene paths to ramble. Indeed, walkers are spoilt for choice.
The region owes much of its charm to its towns and villages villages and small towns - over 150 of them - and they are well worth exploring. Drive through Abbotsbury’s elongated and winding Main Street and you will see sandstone cottages, tempting tea rooms and glimpse an old coaching inn. Other villages have picturesque names like Toller Porcorum, Plush & Piddlehinton, each has its history, character and charm. Many - like Evershot, Nettlecombe or Cerne Abbas - lie hidden in silent inner valleys. In Cerne Abbas, for instance, you’ll find houses dating from the 15th century, the ruins of an Abbey and the famed Giant - a striking 180 - foot high figure cut into the chalk downs overlooking the village.
A major part of Dorset is an Area of Terrific Natural Beauty, and it boasts wonderful beaches, scenery, and notable links. Tourism is an significant industry supporting some 25, 000 people. Dorset is the third highest ranked county in England in terms of nights spent by visitors, and second for visitor spending.
It’s this county which was home to authors such as Jane Austen, William Barnes, and Thomas Hardy. The later, probably Dorset’s most famed son, immortalized the County town of Dorchester as ‘Casterbridge’. His novels still attract thousands of visitors each year keen to see the actual life settings for ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, ‘Jude the Obscure’, the ‘Return of the Native’, and of course ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’.
Dorset has a lot of country houses and other historic sites to visit. Kingston Lacy near Wimborne is run by the National Trust, as is both Hardy’s Cottage ( the birthplace of the author ) and Max Gate ( the author’s later home ) near Dorchester.
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