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Summary: Information on holidays in Dorset
Dorset
As a holiday destination, Dorset really does offer everything you could wish for, from beautiful scenery to long sandy beaches, chocolate box cottages in picturesque villages and even giants carved in the hillsides!
Located in the South West, Dorset is a county of breathtaking scenery and great contrast, with rolling hills and plains to the north and some of the most famous stretches of coastline to the south.
A major part of Dorset has been designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and as such it is no surprise to learn that tourism is an important part of its economy. In fact, Dorset has been ranked as the third highest county for number of visitor nights spent, whether that is in one of the many superb B & Bs, hotels or under canvas on one of the numerous campsites that are scattered across the county. Click here for details on accommodation in Dorset.
The coastline stretches some 86 miles (140kms) from Christchurch in the east to Lyme Regis in the west and some of the finest stretches of sandy beaches in the UK are found here. Poole harbour, said by some to be the largest natural harbour in the world, is where the award winning Heritage Coast begins.
Known by various names – The Jurassic Coast and Purbeck Coast for example – the whole coastline has sites of special scientific interest and nature reserves. From Swanage heading west are Lulworth Cove, Portland Bill and of course the fantastic Chesil Beach. Famous the world over, Chesil Bank is an eighteen mile stretch of pebble beach that extends westwards from Portland to West Bay. A protected wildlife site, Chesil Bank is unique, and is made up of pebbles which vary in size with smaller pea sized pebbles in West Bay increasing to larger pebbles found in Portland. It is illegal to remove any of the pebbles from the beach. Behind Chesil Bank is The Fleet Lagoon, the largest tidal lagoon in Britain. An important site for overwintering birds, the Fleet Lagoon was used as the testing ground for the ‘Bouncing bomb’ used in the famous Dambusters. Raids in World War Two.
The South West Coast Path, which runs some 630 miles around the South West of England, through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, including a section along the Dorset coastline. Walkers tackling this stretch can enjoy some of Dorset’s other famous sights such as Durdle Door and Lulworth cove. For the more intrepid walker, it is possible to do the whole path - although you would have to allow between 7 or 8 weeks to complete it in one go!
As you would expect, walking is a great way to explore and see some the wonderful countryside. Dorset is one of the top destinations for surfing, sailing, diving and all things water based, as well as plenty of land based activities such as golf, riding, orienteering – you are only limited by your imagination and budget!
For family days out, try one of the many museums – Dorchester for example has both a Tutankhamun Exhibition and the Terracotta Warriors Museum! With such a wealth of fossils that are still being found along the jurassic coast, it comes as no suprise to find a Dinosaur Museum which has everything from computer imaging to a life size dinosaur! For those who prefer their exhibitions to be a little less scary, The Teddy Bear Museum is also found in Dorchester.
It is easy to see why Dorset is so popular with visitors, many of whom return year after year to enjoy their holidays.
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