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The photographs on this page are kindly supplied by South West Tourism |
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Holiday accommodation required. Budget advertising for your Dorset holiday home, holiday cottage, caravan park, hotel or Bed and breakfast accommodation.
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Dorset is a county that offers pretty much all you could ask for as a holiday destination; from the amazing World Heritage Status "Jurassic Coastline" with its seaside resorts from Lyme Regis in the West, through Weymouth, Swanage and to Bournemouth in the East. The towns of Christchurch, Dorchester, Poole and Sherborne all offer differing experiences, from thriving market squares to bustling shopping centres. The rolling hills and patchwork quilted landscapes are punctuated with charming villages. Steeped in history and legend, Dorset has plenty on offer to visitors. Come and relax, enjoy the fantastic and varied scenery, explore the countryside on foot, horseback, bicycle or car; visit some of the many family attractions or ancient sites; or for those wanting a bit more of a "buzz" the coastal resorts have plenty of night life and shopping facilities. For further area information click the links to the left or above. Lyme Regis, in the far west of the county is famous for its harbour "the cobb" featured in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and its fossils. It is from here and eastwards towards the small coastal town of Charmouth that many fossils have been found, but the cliffs are now quite dangerous. Fossil hunters should keep to the beaches where there are still plenty to be found. The Chesil Beach and Fleet are further east towards Weymouth. There is a spectacular view of both fro the heights of Portland. Here the beach is pebbles - larger one end than the other - a way that local fishermen can tell how far along the beach they are. This is the home of Abbotsbury Swannery, well worth a visit, especially in the late spring when the young birds are hatching. Weymouth offers everything you would expect from a seaside town and has a very good, safe sandy beach. The Condor Ferries operate from just off the town centre and go to the Channel Islands, great for day trips and St Malo in France. As you travel further along the coast you find Durdle Door - a famous Dorset landmark, Lulworth Cove with it's fossilised forest and heritage centre, Dancing Ledge - not easy to get to but worth the walk, round to Old Harry's Rocks and the Purbeck coast through Swanage and Studland and finally to Poole and Bournemouth. It is a varied and extremely beautiful coastline. And if that's not enough to tempt you, then there's even more inland. With a host of family attractions, historic houses and gardens, ancient sites, market towns, quaint thatched villages and country lanes leading to a patchwork quilt of fields and hedgerows. Booking in advance is recommended for anywhere in Dorset as it is a very popular tourist destination - you'll soon discover why.
FURTHER DORSET TOWN INFORMATION The Saxon town of Christchurch on the Dorset-Hampshire border, is located between the hustle and bustle of Bournemouth and the peace and tranquillity of the New Forest. It is a town that should be explored on foot as there are many interesting places to visit and many specialist shops. It is an ancient town nestled between the two rivers of the Stour and the Avon, which meet at the quay. It has some marvellous architecture, and retains the Saxon street layout. The 11th century Priory Church and the remains of a Norman house and castle should be visited if you come to Christchurch, as should the Red House Museum. There is the Saxon Square shopping precinct and high street, which is only a short walk from the older part of the town. Market day is Monday. For a relatively small town there is a huge array of places to eat offering between them a truly international cuisine. Within the sweep of Christchurch Bay there are several safe and sandy beaches from Highcliffe to Mudeford (a quaint fishing village with picturesque quay). Two miles from the town Hengistbury Head, a fantastic place to go for a stroll and bird-watch. BACK
The county town and a mixture of old and new. The superb museum is well worth a visit and is situated in the town centre - you will find relics of the Jurassic coast and from slightly more modern times, artefacts relating to Thomas Hardy - perhaps Dorset's most famous author. The shopping precinct with its "off-shoot" arcades is an excellent place to spend time, with a good range of shops and if you get there around lunch time try out a delicious take-away Cornish pasty, or sit down and eat in comfort in a cafe or restaurant, as well as traditional pubs just off the precinct. On a sunny afternoon you could go to the Borough Gardens and have a picnic. Wednesdays is market day and is held just outside the town centre - it is a large market where good bargains can be found and a large car park next to it. General parking is easy, with a variety or car parks to choose from all within easy walking distance of shops. On the outskirts of Dorchester you will see a new part of the town being developed - Poundbury, part of the Duchy of Cornwall estate. Built to reflect some of the traditional building styles, Poundbury is a community within a community with shops and trade outlets. As you approach Dorchester from the West you will see the magnificent Iron Age hill-fort of Maiden Castle. You can gain access to the foot of the hill by taking the south road into the town (from the by-pass), going past Tesco and take a signposted left hand turn. Follow the road right to the bottom of the hill, where there is a car park. It is well worth a walk around the ramparts; the views are rewarding and the hill-fort itself is very impressive. BACK
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