Dorset

Dorset country lane

Dorset is a county in South West England, bordered by Devon to the west, Somerset to the north, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. The county town is Dorchester. In past times the county of Dorset was known as Dorsetshire.

Dorset is famous for its beautiful coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which features landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door, as well as the holiday resorts of Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Swanage, and Lyme Regis. Dorset is the setting of the novels of Thomas Hardy, who was born near Dorchester. The county has a long history of human settlement and some notable archaeology, including the hill forts of Maiden Castle and Hod Hill.

Quick links to some towns and cities in Dorset:

Blandford Forum
Bournemouth
Bridport
Christchurch
Dorchester
Ferndown
Gillingham
Lyme Regis
Poole
Shaftesbury
Sherborne
Sturminster Newton
Swanage
Weymouth

Selected places of interest:

Cerne Abbas Giant
Corfe Castle
Pilsdon Pen

Dorset, Somerset, Devon