Places in the UK

From Caravan sites, Static parks and Campsites. From Restaurants, Take aways and cafes. From Hotels, Bed & Breakfast and Hostels. From Car boots, Antique fairs and Farmers markets. From Pubs, Bars and Nightclubs. To family days out and other things to do.



Dorset Dorchester, Poole, Weymouth, Sherborne, Wimborne Minster, Shaftesbury


History of Dorset
The earliest recorded use of the name was in AD 940 as Dorseteschire meaning the dwellers (saete) of Dornuuarana (Dorchester), the place of fisticuffs (Welsh: Dwrn, "fist" and gwarae, "play")

The first known settlement of Dorset was by Mesolithic hunters, from around 8000 BC. Their populations were small and concentrated along the coast in the Isle of Purbeck, Weymouth and Chesil Beach and along the Stour valley. These populations used tools and fire to clear these areas of some of the native Oak forest. Dorset's high chalk hills have provided a location for defensive settlements for millennia, with neolithic and bronze age burial mounds on almost every chalk hill in the county, and a number of iron age hill forts, the most famous being Maiden Castle. The chalk downs would have been deforested in these times, making way for farmland.

Dorset has many notable Roman artifacts, particularly around the Roman town Dorchester, where Maiden Castle was captured from the Celtic Durotriges by Vespasian in 54 AD, early in the Roman occupation. Roman roads radiated from Dorchester, following the tops of the chalk ridges to the many small Roman villages around the county. In the Roman era, settlements moved from the hill tops to the valleys, and the hilltops had been abandoned by the 4th century. A large defensive ditch, Bokerley Dyke, delayed the Saxon conquest of Dorset from the north east for up to two hundred years. The Domesday Book documents many Saxon settlements corresponding to modern towns and villages, mostly in the valleys. There have been few changes to the parishes since the Domesday Book. Over the next few centuries the settlers established the pattern of farmland which prevailed into the 19th century, as well as many monasteries, which were important landowners and centres of power.

In the 12th century civil war, Dorset was fortified with the construction of the defensive castles at Corfe Castle, Powerstock, Wareham and Shaftesbury, and the strengthening of the monasteries such as at Abbotsbury. In the 17th century English Civil War, Dorset had a number of royalist strongholds, such as Sherborne Castle and Corfe Castle, which were ruined by Parliamentarian forces in the war. In the intervening years, the county was used by the monarchy and nobility for hunting and the county still has a number of Deer Parks. Throughout the late Medieval times, the remaining hilltop settlements shrank further and disappeared. From the Tudor to Georgian periods, farms specialised and the monastic estates were broke up, leading to an increase in population and settlement size. During the industrial revolution, Dorset remained largely rural and still retains its agricultural economy. The Tolpuddle Martyrs lived in Dorset, and the farming economy of Dorset was central in the formation of the trade union movement.

Places of interest
Abbotsbury Abbey Abbotsbury Castle Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens Badbury Rings Blue Pool Bokerley Dyke Brownsea Island Bulbarrow Hill Canford Heath Cerne Abbas giant Chettle House Clouds Hill Corfe Castle Cranborne Manor Crichel House Dorset Cursus Edmondsham House Eggardon Fiddleford Mill Flagstones Forde Abbey Hambledon Hill Hammoon Manor Hardy Monument Hardy's Cottage Hengistbury Head Hod Hill Holt Heath, Dorset Horton Tower Jordan Hill Roman Temple Kingston Lacy Kingston Maurward Kingston Russell Lewesdon Hill Limekiln Hill Lulworth Castle Maiden Castle Maumbury Rings Melbury Down Milton Abbey Monkey World Moors Valley Country Park Mount Pleasant henge Nine Barrow Down Osmington White Horse Pilsdon Pen Portland Castle Portland Sculpture Park Poundbury Hill Purse Caundle Manor Sherborne Abbey Sherborne Castle Sherborne House Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury Stonebarrow Hill Swanage Railway Bovington Tank Museum, Bovington Wareham Forest Wimborne Minster Winterborne Came House On the Jurassic Coast (a World Heritage Site) Abbotsbury Swannery (not AL) Chapman's Pool Chesil Beach and The Fleet (partly AL) Church Ope Cove Dancing Ledge Durdle Door Durlston Country Park Golden Cap Hambury Tout Isle of Portland and Portland Bill (partly AL) Kimmeridge Lulworth Cove Nothe Fort Old Harry Rocks Osmington Mills Ringstead Bay Rufus Castle Sandsfoot Castle South West Coast Path, a long distance footpath St Aldhelm's Head Studland Bay Thorncombe Beacon Tyneham (MOD ghost village) Weymouth Beach Worbarrow Bay (MOD) White Nothe Winspit



Abbotsbury Abbott Street Acton Adber Affpuddle Alderholt Allington Allweston Almer Alton Pancras Anderson Ansty Cross Arne Ash Ashley Ashley Heath Ashmore Askerswell Athelhampton Bagber Bagber Common Batcombe Beaminster Bedchester Beer Hackett Belchalwell Belchalwell Street Benville Bere Regis Bettiscombe Bincombe Bingham's Melcombe Binnegar Birch Close Birdsmoorgate Bishop's Caundle Blackdown Blandford Camp Blandford Forum Blandford St Mary Bloxworth Boscombe Bothenhampton Bothenwood Bournemouth Bourton Boveridge Bovington Camp Boys Hill Bradford Abbas Bradford Peverell Bradpole Bramblecombe Branksome Branksome Park Briantspuddle Bridport Broadmayne Broadoak Broadstone Broadwey Broadwindsor Broomhill Bryanston Buckhorn Weston Buckland Newton Buckland Ripers Bugley Bulbarrow Burleston Burstock Burton - Christchurch Burton - Frome Whitfield Burton Bradstock Canford Bottom Canford Cliffs Canford Magna Cann Cashmoor Castletown Catherston Leweston Cattistock Caundle Marsh Cerne Abbas Chalbury Chalmington Charlestown Charlton Marshall Charlton on the Hill Charminster Charmouth Chedington Cheselbourne Chetnole Chettle Chickerell Chideock Chilcombe Child Okeford Chilfrome Christchurch Church Knowle Clapgate Coldharbour Colehill Coles Cross Combe Almer Compton Abbas Compton Valence Coombe Keynes Corfe Castle Corfe Mullen Corscombe Coryates Crab Orchard Cranborne Creekmoor Cripplestyle Crossways Crossways Crouch Hill Cruxton Culeaze Dean Dean End Dewlish Dibberford Doddings Dorchester Dottery Drimpton Drive End Droop Druce Dudsbury Duntish Durweston East Bexington East Burton East Chaldon East Chelborough East Creech East End East Holme East Knighton East Lulworth East Melbury East Morden East Orchard East Pulham East Stoke East Stour Easton Ebberley Eccliffe Edmondsham Enmore Green Ensbury Everley Evershot Eype Farnham Farrington Ferndown Fiddleford Fifehead Magdalen Fifehead Neville Fifehead St Quinton Filford Fishpond Fleet Folke Fontmell Magna Fontmell Parva Forde Abbey Forston Fortuneswell Frampton Friar Waddon Frome St Quintin Frome Vauchurch Frome Whitfield Furzehill Galton Gaunt's Common Gaunts Gaunts Common Giddy Green Gillingham Glanvilles Wootton Goathill Godmanstone Gold Hill Grange Gate Gribb Grimstone Grove Gussage All Saints Gussage St Andrew Gussage St Michael Guy's Marsh Halstock Ham Common Hamlet Hammoon Hampreston Hamworthy Hanford Harman's Cross Hartgrove Haydon Hazelbury Bryan Henley Hermitage Herringston Herston Hethfelton Hewood Highcliffe on Sea Higher Ansty Higher Bockhampton Higher Coombe Higher Halstock Leigh Higher Kingcombe Higher Nyland Higher Whatcombe Hilfield Hillbutts Hilton Hinton Martell Hinton St Mary Holdenhurst Village Holditch Holmebridge Holnest Holt Holt Heath Holton Heath Holwell Holworth Holywell Hooke Horn Ash Horton Huntingford Hurn Hursey Hurst Ibberton Ilsingston Ivy Cross Iwerne Courtney Iwerne Minster Kimmeridge King Stag Kingsland Kingston - North Dorset Kingston - Purbeck Kingston Lacy Kingston Maurward Kingston Russell Kington Magna Kinson Kittwhistle Knap Corner Knighton Knowlton Lake Langham Langton Herring Langton Long Langton Matravers Laymore Leigh Leigh Common Lewell Leweston Lillington Lilliput Little Bredy Littlemayne Littleton Littlewindsor Litton Cheney Loders Long Bredy Long Crichel Longburton Longham Loscombe Lower Ansty Lower Barnsley Lower Bincombe Lower Blandford St Mary Lower Bockhampton Lower Coombes Lower Halstock Leigh Lower Hamworthy Lower Holditch Lower Kingcombe Lower Mannington Lower Nyland Lower Street Lower Waterston Lower Whatcombe Lower Woodbury Lower Wraxall Lulworth Camp Lydlinch Lydlinch Common Lydmarsh Lyme Regis Lyon's Gate Lytchett Heath Lytchett Matravers Lytchett Minster Madjeston Maiden Newton Mangerton Mannington Manston Manswood Mapperton Mappowder Margaret Marsh Marnhull Marshwood Martinstown Melbury Abbas Melbury Bubb Melbury Osmond Melbury Sampford Melcombe Bingham Melcombe Horsey Melplash Merley Merry Field Hill Middlemarsh Milborne St Andrew Milborne Wood Milton Abbas Milton on Stour Minchington Minterne Magna Minterne Parva Moigne Combe Monkton Up Wimborne Monkton Wyld Moor Crichel Moorbath Moordown Moorside Morcombelake Morden Park Corner Moreton Mosterton Motcombe Muckleford Mudeford Nether Cerne Nether Compton Netherbury Netherhay Nettlecombe New Town - Farnham New Town - Moor Crichel Newport Newtown - Beaminster Newtown - Poole North Bowood North Chideock North End North Poorton North Wootton Northport Nottington Nutford Oakdale Oakerswood Oakley Oathill Oborne Okeford Fitzpaine Organford Osmington Osmington Mills Over Compton Owermoigne Oxbridge Packers Hill Pallington Pallington Heath Pamphill Parkstone Parley Pegwell Pentridge Piddlehinton Piddletrenthide Pig Oak Pilford Pilsdon Pimperne Pleck Plumber Plush Pokesdown Poole Portesham Portland Post Green Poundbury Powerstock Poxwell Poyntington Preston Puddletown Pulham Puncknowle Purse Caundle Putton Puxey Pymore Quarr Quarry Queen Oak Rampisham Rampisham Down Ridge Riding Gate Rivers Corner Rixon Rodden Rodgrove Rolls Mill Romford Ryall Ryme Intrinseca Salway Ash Sandbanks Sandford Sandford Orcas Sandhills - Chalmington Sandhills - Holwell Sandley Seaborough Seatown Shaftesbury Shapwick Shave Cross Sherborne Sherborne Causeway Sherford Sherstock Shillingstone Shipton Gorge Silton Sixpenny Handley Slaughtergate Sleight Slepe South Bowood South Perrott South Poorton Southbourne Southbrook Southover Southwell Spettisbury Spyway St Andrews Well St Ives St Leonards Stalbridge Stalbridge Weston Stallen Stanbridge Stapehill Steeple Stinsford Stoborough Stoborough Green Stockwood Stoke Abbott Stoke Wake Stokeford Stour Provost Stour Row Stourpaine Stourton Caundle Stratton Stubhampton Studland Sturminster Common Sturminster Marshall Sturminster Newton Sutton Poyntz Sutton Waldron Swanage Swyre Sydling St Nicholas Symondsbury Synderford Tadden Tarrant Crawford Tarrant Gunville Tarrant Hinton Tarrant Keynston Tarrant Launceston Tarrant Monkton Tarrant Rawston Tarrant Rushton Tatton Templemans Ash Thorncombe Thornford Thornicombe Three Legged Cross Throop - Bournemouth Throop - Purbeck Tincleton Todber Tollard Farnham Toller Fratrum Toller Porcorum Toller Whelme Tollerford Tolpuddle Trent Trickett's Cross Trigon Troytown Turnerspuddle Turnworth Twyford Tyneham Ulwell Up Cerne Up Sydling Uphall Uploders Uppington Upton - Poole Upton - Purbeck Upwey Verrington Verwood Wadbrook Waddock Waddon Walditch Wallisdown Walton Elm Wareham Warmwell Watercombe Waterloo Watton Waytown West Bay West Bexington West Bourton West Chaldon West Chelborough West Compton West Fossil West Holme

An online guide of where to stay, where to go and what to do...
From caravan sites, static parks and Campsites. From restaurants, take aways and cafes. From hotels, b & b's and hostels. From car boots, antique fairs and farmers markets. From pubs, bars and nightclubs. To family days out and other things to do.