There are so many amazing things to do and explore in and around Dorchester in Dorset: from the Jurassic Coast, beautiful beaches and nature reserves, to the heritage railway, medieval buildings and pretty tea rooms. Choose a category to start discovering our favourites:

Food & Drink

Culture & Heritage

Walks & Nature

Activities & Days Out

Food & Drink

Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock

Smack on the beach with stunning views across Lyme Bay and Chesil Beach, this rustic, beach hut cafe serves fresh fish and seafood - lobster, crab and scallops landed at West Bay. Walk the coast path and tuck into a delicious crab sandwich, scallop and red mullet risotto, or whole plaice with garlic samphire.

Downhouse Farm Café, Chideock

Enjoy fabulous views of Lyme Bay and the green valleys of West Dorset from the cafe terrace at Down House Farm close to Eype and Golden Cap. Lookout for latch gate from the coast path and rest and refuel with homemade and wholesome ‘comfort ‘food’, using farm-reared organic meats, herbs and vegetables, as well as a selection of home-baked cakes and scones.

Symondsbury Kitchen, Symondsbury

Symondsbury Kitchen is located on the Symondsbury Estate just outside Bridport close to unspoilt beaches and fabulous coastal walks. Refurbished old barns house a collection of shops - Home & Garden, Lyme Bay Arts, Bridport Cycles - and the excellent Symondsbury Kitchen. Salads, vegetables, edible flowers and and herbs grown in the kitchen garden are used to create the delicious dishes on the interesting menu.

River Cottage Cookery School, Axminster

We at the Epicurean Club have long admired chef, food writer and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s uncompromising commitment to local, seasonal and ethically produced food, His ethos and passion runs deep through his River Cottage Park Farm HQ and excellent Cookery School and mirrors that of many of our inn owners and chefs, who carefully source top-notch produce from local suppliers for their seasonal or chalkboard menus. Book one of the excellent courses for a memorable treat.

New Inn, Cerne Abbas

Picture-book village setting for this ancient hostelry that oozes period charm with atmospheric rooms, contemporary courtyard rooms, and modern pub food.

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Culture & Heritage

Mapperton House & Garden, Beaminster

Terraced gardens surround this delightful Tudor Manor House, with stable blocks, a dovecote and All Saints Church. There’s a walled croquet lawn, orangery, an ornate pavilion overlooking a stunning Italianate garden with topiary, grottos and ponds. Allow time to visit the excellent Coach House Café.

Sherborne

With its medieval buildings, ancient Abbey, Alms-houses and two Castles, Sherborne is one of the most beautiful towns in England. It also has a good selection of independent shops, cafes and a farmers’ market on Saturdays. Wandering the streets, you may recognise backdrops to numerous films, including most recently The Imitation Game.

Hardy’s Cottage, Higher Bockhampton

A 10-minute stroll through woods leads to the birthplace of the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy, a thatched cottage built by his grandfather in 1800. There are simple whitewashed rooms and inspiring views over heathland.

Athelhampton, Dorchester

One of the finest 15th century manor houses in the country, Athelhampton is surrounded by amazing Grade 1 listed architectural gardens, with fountains, topiary, and a 15th century Dovecote. The River Piddle runs through the landscaped grounds. The house contains many finely furnished rooms including the Great Hall, the Great Chamber and don't miss the Library & Billiard Room.

Cloud’s Hill, Bovington

T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) made this sparsely furnished cottage his ‘earthly paradise’. It’s just as he left it the day he was killed on his motorbike in 1935.

Corfe Castle

Centuries of cruelty in this fortress began with murder of 18-year-old King Edward the Martyr in 978, and ended with the castle being wrecked by Cromwellians in 1646. Today it is one of the most impressive ruins in England and dominates the the pretty village of grey stone houses.

Swanage Heritage Railway

The heritage railway attraction operates full-size steam and diesel passenger trains along the five and a half miles of line from Norden to Corfe Castle and down to the Victoria seaside town of Swanage. It affords excellent views of Corfe Castle and the Purbeck Hills.

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Walks & Nature

Arne Heath Nature Reserve, Wareham

Arne remains one of the few places in the country where all six of the Britain's native reptiles can be found and is also haven for the rare Dartford Warbler. Situated on Poole Harbour and within the Dorset Area of Natural Beauty, it's a stunning landscape which consists of dramatic open heathland and ancient oak woodland.

Best beaches

For the best beaches head for West Bay (aka Broadchurch), which has long, undulating pebble beach; Eype Beach, which is dog friendly and you can walk the stunning coast path up to Thorncombe Beacon; Hive Beach near Burton Bradstock offers a mix of sand and pebbles and the excellent Hive Café for refreshments; West Bexington is more rugged and windswept and you have Chesil Beach to explore.

Chesil Beach

Chesil Beach is no ordinary shingle beach. Stretching for 10 miles from Abbotsbury to Portland, this immense bank of shingle, 40 feet high in places, is a curious natural phenomenon formed by powerful currents.

Lulworth Cove

The beautiful circular bay at Lulworth Cove was formed when a 400-foot breach in the Portland Stone along the coast allowed the sea to erode the weaker rock behind. It's a great place to begin a walk along the coast path - head west to view the stunning limestone sea arch of Durdle Door

Walking

The Wessex Ridgeway, Cranborne Chase and Chesil Beach are just three of Dorset's many popular walking destinations - all of them offering immense variety and great scenery. Dorset's famed Jurassic Coast, with its breezy high points and stunning sandstone cliffs, is a true walking experience. Following the South West Coast Path between Swanage and Weymouth you feel the unmistakable stamp of prehistory on the landscape.

Dancing Ledge, Swanage

A man-made pool created over 100 years ago for local school children to swim in. This little known gem is the perfect spot to enjoy a peaceful picnic and swim. It is believed that the pool in Enid Blyton's book Malory Towers was based on it.

Chapman's Pool, Swanage

A beautiful secluded cove with crystal clear waters found on the Isle of Purbeck. Due to its remote spot and having to reach it on foot, this magical place rarely gets touched by anyone. The hike to get here is definitely worth it!

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Activities & Days Out

Kingcombe Centre, Toller Porcorum

A wide variety of day courses are available at this small, friendly study centre in converted barns by the River Hook. Choose from gardening, painting, photography or local history – you’re surrounded by five hundred acres of Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve, so chances are you’ll be inspired.

Lyme Bay Rib Charter, West Bay

For exhilarating water-based activities Lyme Bay Rib Charter offer blasts and water taxis along the coast.

Llama Trekking, New House Farm, Mosterton

Discover the glorious Dorset countryside in the company of llamas, who make delightful companions - and also take the load and carry your picnic lunch.

Thrills on the Hills, Buckland Newton

There are all sorts of high-octane activities on offer here - quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, off-road rallying in a custom-built Mini Maverick, and hover crafting – floating six inches above the ground at 40 mph over 15 acres in the Dorset hills.

Abbotsbury

There’s a full day’s worth of things to see and do in the beautiful village of Abbotsbury, with historical sites, tea rooms, art galleries and craft shops, all with spectacular views – across Chesil Bank to the Island of Portland. For 600 years, a colony of mute swans has made a home here, sheltered by the famous Chesil Beach. See too the magnificent 20 acres sub-tropical gardens, with rare plants from all over the world.

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Last updated: 22.01.21

Photo credit: Unsplash