Dorset days out: eight remarkable places you should visit

Corfe Castle in Dorset
Credit: Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash

Famed for its beaches, spectacular coastline and beautiful countryside, Dorset is one of the UK’s most popular places to visit. Discover fossils and smugglers’ coves along a stretch of 200 million-year-old coastline, spectacular limestone arches and stacks, open heaths and vales, and picturesque villages.

The Jurassic Coast in Dorset
Credit: John Lockwood on Unsplash

1. Walk along the Jurassic Coast

Dorset is home to England’s only natural World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast. Stretching from Exmouth in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Swanage, the 96-mile trail forms part of the South West Coast walking path.

The chalk cliffs along the Jurassic Coast reveal some 200 million years of geological history, as well as spectacular views along the south coast. Inland is just as stunning, since almost half of Dorset is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Highlights along the way include Lulworth Cove and limestone arch of Durdle Door, (two of the most photographed landmarks in UK), the spectacular 18-mile shingle barrier Chesil Beach, the seaside town Lyme Regis, and the stack formation of Old Harry Rocks in Studland.

2. Go fossil-hunting in Kimmeridge

Follow in the footsteps of giants on the Jurassic Coast by fossilhunting. The stones beneath the rock cliffs reveal the fossils that swam in the Jurassic seas. Other popular hunting grounds include Charmouth Beach and Lyme Regis. 
Note the cliffs are unnstable and prone to rockfalls, so visitors are advised to stay well away from the base of the cliffs. 

3. Golden Cap and West Bay

Golden Cap is the highest point on the south coast, and the walk from it along the golden cliffs to the fishing village of West Bay is glorious. Standing 190m above the sea, Golden Cap offers panoramic views of the Jurassic Coast and the meadows and woodlands of the Golden Cap estate. 

West Bay is where the remarkable 18-mile shingle barrier Chesil Beach begins, stretching to the Isle of Portland.

West Bay in Dorset

4. Discover the lost village of Tyneham

Tyneham is one of England’s ‘ghost’ villages; it was reluctantly abandoned during WWII so the military could use it for D-Day training. The villagers never returned, preserving the Dorset village in time. You can now visit the deserted village near Lulworth Cove, with many of the houses crumbling and missing roofs. The church and the schoolroom are still standing, and offer a glimpse into the past and community life.

5. Corfe Castle

The magnificent ruins of 12th century Corfe Castle rise above winding streets lined with charming thatched cottages. One of the most iconic castles in the UK, this survivor of the English Civil War stands on a hill overlooking the village of the same name and out to the Purbeck Hills beyond. The romantic ruins can be reached by steam train from Swanage to complete a special day out.

Swanage to  Corfe Castle steam railway

6. Get your champagne bucket and spade out in Sandbanks

Sandbanks, which is said to be home to the world’s most expensive coastal street, is also home to an award-winning beach. Its golden sands are popular with families and watersports enthusiasts: the peninsula is lined by the sea on one side, and the shallow waters of Poole Harbour on the other.

7. Brownsea Island

On a small island in the middle of Poole Harbour is one of Britain’s favourite nature reserves. Brownsea Island is a haven for the endangered red squirrel and thousands of overwintering birds. Get there one of the small tourist boats from Poole Harbour; the island stop is part of circular tour of Europe’s largest harbour.

8.  Lyme Regis

This historic seaside town is known as the Pearl of Dorset, although it’s fossils rather than pearls you’re likely to find here. The birthplace of renowned fossil collector Mary Anning sits at the heart of the Jurassic Coast where the East Devon and West Dorset coastlines meet.

It’s one of the best places to find fossils, and Lyme Regis Museum hosting fossil hunting walks.

Lyme Regis’s sheltered seafront is very popular in summer, as is walking and fishing along the iconic curved harbour wall, the Cobb. The 13th-century protective sea wall was immortalised in the Meryl Streep film The French Lieutenant’s Woman.