Dorset

Dorset is not the largest of counties but it is packed full of things to attract the visitor. With dramatic cliffs on the western coastline and gentle harbours and bays to the east, inland country lanes and hedgerows, combined with gentle chalk uplands supporting a wealth of bird and plant life, the scenery is beautiful.

Many of Dorset’s coastline ports have become popular seaside resorts – Lyme Regis, Weymouth, Poole are all well-known destinations – and inland are ancient market towns such as Dorchester and Blandford Forum. But Dorset has much more to offer beyond the amazing coastline and beautiful countryside. Visitor attractions include Bovington Tank Museum, Monkey World, Lulworth Castle, Corfe Castle, Weymouth Sea Life Centre and Swanage Steam Railway.

The county was famously home to Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen and holidaymakers love visiting towns and villages that feel familiar from their stories, such as Dorchester which was the inspiration for Hardy’s Casterbridge and Lyme Regis which featured in Austen’s Persuasion.