Towns trails
Across Dorset and The New Forest, ancient trade routes connect a range of fascinating market towns, mainly dating from Saxon or earlier times. The following trails include some of the most interesting towns, but there are many more a little further off the beaten track waiting to be explored.
A good starting point in each town is the Tourist Information Centre, which will have leaflets, books and maps relating to the town and surrounding area.
Lyme Regis and Bridport
At the far western reaches of Dorset lie two towns that are at the heart of fossil country. Lyme Regis, a traditional seaside town full of atmosphere on the county border with Devon, is of historic importance as the landing port of the Duke of Monmouth in his bid to win the Crown from James II in the 17th century. The Cobb harbour has very famous literary associations with the John Fowles novel 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'. 10 km east Bridport, historically a centre for the rope and net industry in the 13th century - and still the provider of Wimbledon's tennis nets - is today a bustling market town close to the picturesque fishing habour of West Bay. The coastline around Lyme Regis and the neighbouring seaside resort of Charmouth is the best part of the Dorset coast for uncovering newly unearthed fossils after rough weather, and the Lyme Regis Musuem and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre both hold examples of outstanding previous finds. The highest cliff on the south coast, the stunning Golden Cap, is just beyond Charmouth.
Weymouth and Portland
Weymouth was originally 'founded' as a resort by King George III. The elegant Georgian seafront, pretty harbour and miles of golden beaches in a safe and scenic bay continue to keep Weymouth a favourite traditional resort with visitors. King George is still in evidence, carved into the chalk hillside riding out of town on his horse. The Timewalk exhibition at Brewers Quay imaginatively tells the story of Weymouth since medieval times, and there are plenty of shops, pubs and family attractions to entertain visitors, as well as some excellent fish restaurants. The 'Isle' of Portland, connected to Weymouth and the mainland by a thin causeway at the eastern end of the shingle Chesil Beach, has a character all of its own, and affords stupendous views of the Dorset coastline. A fascinating area for geological explorers, and the origin of the stone used in many of London's important buildings, Portland Harbour, formerly one of England's major marine bases, is also a renowned watersports and diving centre and is now home to the National Sailing Academy.
Sherborne and Shaftesbury
Two northern Dorset towns with Saxon origins. Shaftesbury, a hilltop town that grew around the Abbey established by king Alfred in the 10th century AD, offers one of England's best-known and most picturesque sights, Gold Hill. The Abbey ruins, the remains of what was left after the Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, can still be visited today. 25 km west along the A30 lies the pretty town of Sherborne, known for its two Castles, superb 15th century Abbey and public schools, and good shopping.
Wimborne Minster and Blandford Forum
The charming ancient market town of Wimborne nestles between the rivers Allen and Stour. Cuthberga, Saxon Princess of Wessex, founded the famous Minster church, around which the town grew, in 705 AD. The twin-towered building has several fascinating historical features, including a rare chained library and an astronomical clock. Close by are a handful of historical museums and acclaimed gardens as well as some excellent shopping. A half-hour drive down an idyllic beech-lined avenue past the National Trust mansion Kingston Lacy and the iron age fort Badbury Rings, lies the Georgian town of Blandford Forum. The town was rebuilt following a fire in the 1730s and its buildings today remain in essence little changed, the church and town hall being particularly known. Blandford is the home of Hall and Woodhouse Inns and Badger beer, which can be found throughout Dorset. A costume and military museum as well as a choice of shops await the visitor.
Christchurch, Lymington and Lyndhurst
The relaxed Saxon town of Christchurch lies at the mouth of the Avon and Stour Valleys. The town lies in the shadow of its magnificent 11th century Priory Church, overlooking a picturesque harbour. Nearby Hengistbury Head offers excellent coastal strolls and good views over to the Isle of Wight. A short drive east along the coast brings you to Lymington, a picturesque fishing port and harbour town, home of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. Lymington was for over 700 years a principle conveyor of quality salt; today you can still walk along the tidal salt marshes, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Local cruises and a ferry link to the Isle of Wight are available. Continue north across the open forest to the busy 'capital' of The New Forest and home to the New Forest Visitor Centre, Lyndhurst. The town developed from a small hamlet in the 19th century. The Verderers' Hall has stood in the Queen's House, a former Royal Hunting Lodge, since the 14th century.
Dorchester and Wareham
Dorchester (Roman name 'Durnovaria'), Dorset's county town, is at the heart of 'Thomas Hardy Country', with an excellent county museum containing the classic novelist's study as well as collections of fossils from the Jurassic Coast close by. Other eras in Dorchester's fascinating evolution are evidenced by the Roman town house and by Maiden Castle, the largest of the many iron age and Roman hillforts scattered across the Dorset landscape. Some 25 km further east across the Dorset heaths lies Wareham, a pretty Saxon town on the banks of the River Frome a short distance inland from the Purbeck coast. The town is still surrounded by original Saxon walls and contains the oldest church in Dorset, as well as the tomb of TE Lawrence ' Lawrence of Arabia'.
Village trails
The countless villages and hamlets of Dorset and the New Forest are one of the area's major attractions. Nestled in valleys, hidden in woodland and perched high on the downlands you will come across settlements of local stone houses, often thatched, with the traditional country pub and church completing the picture. The trails that follow include most of the best-known and prettiest villages but there are hundreds more for you to discover - just take a good map and allow plenty of time!
From The New Forest to the Cranborne Chase
Begin at the famous Georgian estate village of Beaulieu, known as being home to the world famous Palace House and National Motor Museum. In 1202 King John bestowed 'Bellus Locus' on the Cistercian monks, establishing what is now a picturesque village nestling on the banks of the Beaulieu River. Visit the number of fascinating craft shops in the village, or pay a visit to the reconstructed fishing village of Bucklers Hard, or take a stroll in the world famous Exbury Gardens. Continue across the woodlands and heathlands of the Forest to the little village of Burley, once a famous centre for smuggling and renowned for its association with witches, both ancient and modern. The heaths around Burley offer excellent walks and cycle rides, and there are horseriding and wagon rides available nearby. A drive up the Avon Valley to the country town of Fordingbridge brings you to the edges of the Cranborne Chase and a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Continue through the pretty villages of Cranborne and, across the A354, Sixpenny Handley, to the former estate village of Tollard Royal, with its quaint thatched cottages. Close by is the Victorian Larmer Tree Gardens, part of the same estate, open in the summer months. A short drive further brings you to the highest village in the county, Ashmore, complete with village duckpond. Win Green nearby offers stupendous views over the neighbouring Wiltshire downs.
Along the Coast Road
The West Dorset village of Abbotsbury, and the Purbeck villages of West Lulworth and Corfe Castle each offer a snapshot of the local stone as well as being exceptionally pretty villages in their own right. The most westerly village, Abbotsbury, grew around its medieval Benedictine Abbey, and its distinctive Tithe Barn and famous Abbotsbury Swannery, the world’s only managed swannery, owe their origins to the Abbey. The hillside walk; at St Catherine's Chapel offers superb views over The Fleet lagoon to Portland and out to sea. Continue via Dorchester to West Lulworth (follow signs from Wool). This tiny village is clustered around Lulworth Cove, one of the best-loved spots on the Dorset heritage coast, a picturesque fishing harbour displaying nearby many of the unique geological features of the Dorset coast, including the Fossil Forest, Stair Hole and Durdle Door. Continuing east (via Wareham), follow signs to Corfe Castle. This well-loved village is best known for its castle ruin, ransacked during the civil war but still commanding a stunning location, nestled in a cleft in the Purbeck hills. Many of the buildings in the village at the foot of the castle contain stone from the original building, although today the National Trust protects the building from further encroachments! While at Corfe why not take a half-hour ride on the steam train down to the coast at Swanage, a traditional Victorian seaside resort with a safe beach nestled between two headlands.
Villages of the Chalk Downlands
Straight out of a Thomas Hardy novel, the pretty village of Evershot, much used as a film location, is nestled quietly away in the West Dorset hills at the heart of some breathtaking walking trails. Across the downs to the east is the pretty stone village of Cerne Abbas, with several pubs and a crafts centre, but famous particularly for its 180' high Giant, an imposing Romano-British chalk figure cut into the hillside and well-known for its supposed fertility powers. The Giant is best viewed from the main A352 road. Further east still is the delightful village of Milton Abbas, with its main street of identical cob and thatch cottages, a unique example of a purpose-built 18th-century estate village. The location of the lake is the original setting of the village, which was uprooted to distance it from the Abbey House, now a public (private) school. The fine 14th and 15th century Abbey Church in breathtaking grounds, landscaped by the popular 18th century landscape designer Capabilty Brown, is well worth a visit.
