Dorchester

Dorchester

The market town of Dorchester is home to many hidden gems. Maiden Castle is the most complex Iron Age hill fort in Britain. Thomas Hardy’s Birthplace is a place of interest for English students. The Keep Military Museum is not only a stunning building but also home to wealth of historical artefacts from the local area. While in the wilds of the Dorset countryside can be found the Cerne Giant (above).

The Jurassic Coast is famous for fossils and is now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Dorset Coast is also home to a much more modern phenomenon - the set of the hit ITV crime series Broadchurch.

Venues in this location

The Handsam SchoolTripsAdvisor map shows the current listings featured below. It will update as you navigate through the pages if more than 25 listings are related. Clicking on circle with a number will make the map zoom in to show the individual items.Click on any place marker to view details of that venue

Burton Bradstock

Spectacular coastline with cliffs and miles of unspoilt beaches

Burton Bradstock is one of the main gateways to the Jurassic Coast and the South West Coast Path.

The estate is easy to access and offers spectacular cliff-top views along the many varied and picturesque coastal walks.

Hambledon Hill

Iron Age hill fort with far-reaching views and spectacular wildflowers

Hambledon Hill is one of the most iconic sites in Dorset, rising steeply to 190 metres above the Blackmore Vale and the river Stour with fantastic views into the neighbouring counties of Wiltshire and Somerset. The site is of exceptional archaeological and ecological value and provides important accesss opportunities as well as being of nationally important landscape value.

Ringstead Bay

Unspoilt beach, farmland and cliffs on the Jurassic Coast

Spend a day on this quiet stretch of the West Dorset coast where you can take a walk across the cliff tops above Ringstead, bring a kite, or pack a picnic and follow one of the steep ancient tracks down to the shingle beach. The water is incredibly clear and safe for bathing.

Pilsdon Pen

One of Dorset's prominent landmarks, dominated by an Iron Age hill fort

Pilsdon has a long history of occupation. Flint tools over 10,000 years old and two Bronze Age burial mounds are evidence that the site was in use long before the hill fort was built.

Like the other hill forts in Dorset, Pilsdon was abandoned after the Roman conquest, after which it's thought that it was used for rough grazing, much as it is today.

Lewesdon Hill

The highest point in Dorset with views between the trees over Devon, Somerset and out to sea

Standing at 915 feet (279 metres) Lewesdon Hill, along with nearby Pilsdon Pen, dominates the surrounding landscape. It's certainly an alluring hill fort, although being enclosed by woodland the views aren't uninterrupted, but the glimpses of the surrounding landscape you do get through the trees are worth the climb to the top.

The Keep Military Museum

Today the Keep Military Museum is a striking landmark on the Bridport Road in Dorchester. Completed in 1879, it was designed to resemble a Norman Castle, and is built of Portland stone which gives it a white appearance. In 'British Barracks 1600-1914', James Douet explains that:

Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park and Tower

You'll have an amazing day out at our fantastic SEA LIFE adventure both above and below the ocean.

  • SEA LIFE Adventure Park with over 1,000 incredible creatures from sharks and sea turtles to giant spider crabs and Octopus!

  • 53m panoramic tower giving you unrivalled views of the coastline.

Jordan Hill Roman Temple

The remains of this Romano-Celtic temple, probably built during the 4th century AD, lie at the top of a hill on the South Dorset Downs, with fine views inland and out across Weymouth Bay.

Lyme Regis Museum

David Attenborough described the Museum as "A delightful and remarkable museum, a jewel."

The Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet. The building has great idiosyncratic charm. Built in 1900-01 by Thomas Philpot, it was restored and extended in 1991.

Hod Hill

Dorset's largest hill fort renowned for its downland wildlife

Explore the earthworks from both the Roman and Iron Age periods and imagine what it would've looked like thousands of years ago.

Take a closer look at the five entrances through the ramparts, two of which are Iron Age, two Roman and one medieval. And once inside the hill fort you'll see remains of buildings and property boundaries in the form of circular hollows and ridges.

Golden Cap

Stunning coastline and England's only natural World Heritage Site

The great rocky shoulder of Golden Cap offers magnificent views at every compass point. On a clear day you can see across Lyme Bay to Dartmoor - well worth the effort of the walk uphill.

Stonebarrow Hill is a great starting point for 25 miles of footpaths around the Golden Cap estate. An old radar station houses a National Trust information point, shop, toilets and a basecamp.

Max Gate

Atmospheric Victorian home designed by Thomas Hardy

Max Gate, an austere but sophisticated town house a short walk from the town centre of Dorchester, was the home of Dorset's most famous author and poet Thomas Hardy. Hardy, who designed the house in 1885, wanted to show that he was part of the wealthy middle classes of the area, to reflect his position as a successful writer, and to enable him to enter polite society.

Thomas Hardy's Cottage

Evocative cob and thatch cottage - birthplace of Thomas Hardy

Few authors have such strong associations with the natural and cultural heritage of their local area as Thomas Hardy. This cottage, where Hardy was born in 1840, was built of cob and thatch by his grandfather and has been little altered since the family left.

Thomas Hardy's Birthplace

Explore the landscape and childhood home of famed local author Thomas Hardy.

Lambert's and Coney's Castle

Walk in the footsteps of previous generations along these ancient hill forts

The hill forts of Lambert's Castle and Coney's Castle are less than a mile apart so you can easily explore them both in a day. Each one has a different character, but both have a rich past.

Sherborne Museum

Opening in 1968, Sherborne Museum evolved from the town's Historical Society, which was its founding body. From the outset, it aimed to be an independent museum representing the history and life of Sherborne and its environs.

Hardy Monument

Monument to Vice-Admiral Hardy

The Hardy Monument stands on an exposed location above the village of  Portesham in Dorset. It was built in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Amongst other things, Hardy became famous as it was in his arms that Nelson died, saying the immortal words 'Kiss me Hardy'.

Abbotsbury Abbey and Chapel

Part of a monastic building, perhaps the abbot's lodging, of Benedictine Abbotsbury Abbey. St Catherine's Chapel is within half a mile. 

St Catherine's Chapel

Set high on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury Abbey, this sturdily buttressed and barrel-vaulted 14th-century chapel was built by the monks as a place of pilgrimage and retreat. 

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