The county of Dorset is the quintessential rural English idyll. No holiday in Dorset would be complete without fossil hunting at the world famous Chesil beach, visiting The Cobb pier at Lyme Regis, and of course, experiencing the landscape of Thomas Hardy’s novels.

Jurassic Coast (with a Durdle Door on the left side), Doset, England, UK by Tom Maloney

Dorset’s spectacular Jurassic Coast encompasses every kind of coastal wonder – sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, sand dunes, natural rock arches (a visit to the gravity-defying arch at Durdle Door is a must), rare wildlife and fossils galore (Lyme Regis, Chesil and Charmouth beaches top the list for ammonite seekers)… You could happily spend an entire holiday never straying far from Dorset’s shores, but leave time to explore Dorset’s inland charms as well.

Idyllic hamlets with timber-beamed country inns and chattering streams set against a backdrop of rolling green hills make Dorset the perfect antidote to the city and an excellent choice for a rural getaway. It’s easy to see why the Dorset Downs are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A walk up Eggardon Hill, crowned with the ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort, affords king-of-the-castle-views across the Dorset countryside and out over the Lyme Bay coast. Visit in September to see the skies over Eggardon Hill alive with colour at the annual Eggardon Kite Festival.

Eggardon Hill, Dorset, England, UK by G1MFG

There is plenty to see and do in Dorset all year round. History lovers will be spoilt for choice. Dorset is home to the iconic Corfe Castle ruins, Maiden Castle (Britain’s largest and most complex Iron Age hill fort) and ancient towns such as Dorchester where Roman, Medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings jostle for space.

Corfe Castle, Dorset, England, UK by David Bunting

But Dorset is not all about the past. There are plenty of activities rooted very much in the 21st Century to keep the most adventurous of souls entertained. On land, zorbing, llama trekking, rock climbing and jeep safaris are guaranteed to get the blood pumping. There are ample opportunities for getting out on the water in Dorset too, and sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing will get the pulse racing. You can even experience Dorset from the air, a hot air balloon ride over one of the picturesque towns of Sherborne, Blandford Forum or Shaftesbury will give you a buzzard’s-eye view of the rolling landscape so vividly described in Hardy’s novels.

There are endless places to visit with the family, including the Dinosaur Museum and Burngate Stone Carving Centre, where you can try your hand at stone carving, making Dorset a firm holiday favourite with the kids too. With a holiday cottage in Dorset as your base, you’ll never be far from a slice of history, or a slice of the action.

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Chesil Beach by Jim Champion

EAT: In the centre of the South coast lies the pretty seaside and harbour town of Weymouth, hosts to a superb farmers market. Here you can sample the very freshest organic produce from quality and little-known farms in the surrounding area. A colourful plethora of goodies is on offer from cheeses and wines to meat and chutneys.

DRINK: Inland to the north sits the town of Sherbourne, home to the Sherbourne Castle, built by Sir Walter Raleigh in the 17th century. The picturesque grounds include the award winning Sherborne Castle Estate Vineyard. Highly regarded in the wine trade, the vineyard produces approximately 12,000 bottles of high quality English wine from a range of grape varieties including Pinot noir and Baccus, not to mention its own label of brandy. Visitors to the castle can sample the fruits of the estate’s labour and purchase Sherborne Castle Special Reserve label bottles from the gift shop.

STAY: Just north of Blandford Forum in the tiny village of Compton Abbas is The Old Forge, a B&B with a twist; here you can spend the night in a Gypsy Caravan. The Showman’s Wagon was built in 1934 and has been painstakingly restored in the Romany tradition; it now stands prettily in the meadow of the Old Forge with beautiful views across the countryside. The caravan includes a double bed, shower and loo. Breakfast is included in your stay, enjoy locally sourced produce after a good night’s sleep in the comfort of your cosy wagon.

EXPLORE: Down in Portland, on the peninsula south of Weymouth, lies Church Ope Cove, one of the only sheltered beaches on Portland’s exposed coast and ever popular for bathing and relaxing. However, above the cove on the hills is a wooded area which conceals ruins of an ancient church and its graveyard, dating back to the 13th century. Search through the headstones to spot the ones which bear the mark of the skulls and crossbones, here be pirates!

DIG: Still on Portland, to the northwest, keen-eyed explorers might stumble across Tout Quarry. In this abandoned stone quarry, masons and sculptors have honed their skills over the years and left behind some masterpieces. The paths that wend their way through the quarry reveal sculptures and carvings including a ship, a fireplace and a helicopter. Tout Quarry runs courses and workshops for those who want to try their hand at a bit of masonry.

LISTEN: West of the New Forest is Cranbourne and its Ancient Technology Centre, home of The Earthouse. Gather round in this unique theatre and music venue and prepare to be mesmerised by some of the finest storytellers in the land. It is advisable to bring a cushion and perhaps a blanket; there are no creature comforts at the Earthouse as you are whisked back to a candlelit time before technology. Enjoy ripping yarns beneath the stars twinkling through the skylight.

READ: A visit to the South coast will always bring back memories of childhood bedtimes for those who were treated to Enid Blyton’s tales of The Famous Five. Many of her stories were set in and around the seaside town of Swanage and Corfe Castle (renamed Kirrin Castle by Blyton). A visit to Corfe Castle village is well worth it for fans of The Five, take a picnic in the grounds and be sure to include lashings of ginger beer. In the village square sits the Ginger Pop Shop devoted to childhood; it sells all manner of toys and gadgets not to mention a huge range of Enid Blyton books, audiobooks and souvenirs.

IMAGINE: For more wonder and magic, head north from Weymouth once again to Bincombe. Above the village is an ancient landscape including the Bincombe Bumps, a series of Bronze Age barrows. It is said that these bumps are the homes of fairies and if you put your ear to the ground at noon, you can hear their songs.

About the author: Ashley Auckle works with B+B Weymouth, a boutique Bed and Breakfast in Weymouth, Dorset.

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