Dorset

Dorset Map

Who’s A’Feared! The beautiful rural county of Dorset is home to 700,000 people, 300,000 of whom live in the conurbation of Bournemouth and Poole. Over half the county has now been designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and most of its coastline now forms part of the Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural World Heritage Site.

Water, Water Everywhere! The eastern part of the county is dominated by Poole Harbour and the rivers that feed into it. North of the harbour are Dorset’s only truly urbanised areas, Poole and Bournemouth, providing vital tourist infrastructure for the rest of the county. Across the water to the south lies the Isle of Purbeck, isolated and unspoilt, an idyll famous for family holidays and the pale limestone that built many of London’s historic monuments.

Hill of Gold! To the north of the county the land rises over the North Dorset Downs and then plunges again into the Blackmore Vale and the valley of the River Stour. Here is the historic town of Sherborne, home of Sir Walter Raleigh, noted for the abundance of its castles, twin towns and public schools. High on a hill over looking the vale is Shaftesbury. From this airy promontory the rest of the county stretches away to the south and west. The able-bodied, and able-kneed may climb Gold Hill providing a view that may be more famous than the town itself.

Way out West! Passing the Roman county town of Dorchester, we find Maiden Castle, last redoubt of the Celtic Durotriges tribe, who gave their name to the modern county. Now the county gains a truly West Country flavour, orchards providing the essential ingredient for cider and apple cake. Here is spectacular Lyme Bay and the towns of Lyme Regis and Charmouth, where fossil hunting, enjoyed by young and old alike, is almost a staple industry.