Dorset Tours

Lulworth Cove

Discover history, sample the delights of Dorset beaches, ancient castles and enjoy the beauty of the countryside and all it has offer in the shape of charming villages with ancient architecture and traditional Old English public houses and eateries.

Our Dorset tour is perfect for London based visitors as much of the route takes you through the beautiful English countryside, but we do suggest an overnight stop so you can make the most of the diverse attractions of Bournemouth and East Dorset.

Thatched Dorset Cottage

Bournemouth

Originally a haven for smugglers, the sandy shores, beautiful countryside and fresh sea-air became a major visitor attraction for those seeking the health giving qualities of Bournemouth, including Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote the classic Kidnapped whilst there. Under the guise of Sandbourne the town was also mentioned in a number of books by Thomas Hardy. The town today is a cosmopolitan delight with fine examples of Victorian architecture, grand boulevards, parks and gardens. Relax on the beach, dine out or discover the history of the area with a visit to one of the town’s museums.

Bournemouth’s pier, with a theatre at the end of its 900 feet, was constructed in 1880 and impressive churches built in the reign of Queen Victoria, such as the Church of St. Peter where the body of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein is buried are well worth visiting. The Oceanarium is an aquarium of discovery with displays including ‘life under the Amazon’, ‘the lagoons of Hawaii’ and ‘the Caribbean’.

The nearby suburb of Boscombe has wonderful gardens including Boscombe Chine, the Italian Gardens and Boscombe Cliff Gardens and Shelley Park named after Sir Percy Shelley, son of the famous poet of the same name.

Christchurch

A few miles East of Bournemouth is the historical Christchurch, which dates to Saxon times. With its Norman nave and magnificent medieval carvings, the construction of the church of Christchurch Priory was begun in 1094 by Ranulf Flambard.

There is always something of interest to visit in one of Christchurch’s museums. The Georgian Red House Museum and Gardens, the Museum of Electricity (housed in an original Edwardian power station) and the Christchurch Motor Museum are among some of the attractions to whet your appetite. Alternatively stroll round the charming streets of Christchurch, take lunch or sample a pint of traditional real ale in one of the charming public houses.

Sandbanks & Compton Acres

Situated opposite Studland, this spit of land almost separates the harbour at Poole from the sea. From the main approach to Sandbanks is Compton Acres one of the most besplendant gardens in Europe, established by Thomas William Simpson in the 1920’s. The gardens are themed taking inspiration from Roman times, Old England, India and Egypt. The garden was restored after World War II by J.S. Beard and there is a Garden of Memory dedicated to his name. See artefacts and sculptures from around the world, lakes, waterfalls, terraces and rock walls.

Wimborne Minster

The old market town of Wimborne Minster is set midst the ancient meadows beside the rivers Allen and Stour. The winding streets of the quaint town centre lead to a square with fine examples of Georgian buildings. The main place of interest is however the Minster itself which was founded in the year 705 and displays some of the best examples of Norman architecture in the country. See the Saxon oak chest and explore the wonders of one of the first lending libraries established by Margaret Beaufort in 1686.

Not far from the Minster is the Elizabethan Priest’s House Museum, parts of which were built in the sixteenth century. You can see a recreation of a Victorian kitchen, period rooms, a Georgian parlour and displays of Dorset life and archaeology. Behind the museum is a quaint walled garden.

Also close by is Kingston Lacy which was built for the Bankes family in the seventeenth century and houses paintings by Titian and Van Dyck.

The New Forest

The Dorset Tour route from London takes you through the beautiful National Park of the New Forest. Land was reclaimed by the Saxons and planted with thousands of trees and later the area was reserved by William the Conqueror as his private hunting ground. The punishment for poaching deer on the land was death. Today fallow, roe, red and Silka deer roam the forest along with the famous New Forest ponies.

New Forest ponies

The New Forest

The Forestry Commission maintains the area which is still largely unpopulated. The headquarters of the Commission is at the Queen’s House in Lyndhurst, the only substantial town in the New Forest being host to a number of kings and queens including King George III.

Poole

Tall ship at Poole

Poole harbour was a major medieval port, though its history can be traced back to Roman times. The potteries of Poole have become world famous with collectors scattered all over the globe. The Waterfront Museum is housed in an eighteenth century warehouse and explores 2,000 years of history in the region.

There are a number of islands in Poole harbour including Brownsea Island which can be reached by ferry from the quayside at Poole and is where Baden-Powell’s Boy Scout movement was born. Part of the island is a nature reserve and it is here that a community of rare red squirrels still survives.

Swanage

Swanage is a small town on the Isle of Purbeck famous for its stone quarries which have been mined here since Roman times. There are winding streets which lead down to the seafront. Off the main street there are picturesque buildings encircling Mill Pond. The impressive ruins of Corfe Castle are nearby.

Corfe Castle

Situated in the middle of the Isle of Purbeck, the village of Corfe took its name from the stronghold of the Norman castle that was thought at the time to be one of the most impregnable in the country. The stronghold was slighted by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War after treachery from within the castle walls. Visit the remains of the castle or walk the quaint streets of the village.

Corfe Castle

Athelhampton House & Gardens, Dorchester

Athelhampton House is one of England’s best examples of a fifteenth century manor house. The Great Hall was constructed by Sir William Martyn in 1485 along with a 160 acres deer enclosure. In 1891 fabulous gardens were added including vistas and fountains. The River Piddle running through the gardens adds to the delight. Many of the rooms are fully furnished and in the Elizabethan West Wing are the library, wine cellar and great chanber. Athelhampton is said to be haunted by the ghost of an ape, which belonged to one of the Martyn family in the sixteenth century.

Lulworth, Castle & Surrounding District

To the West of Corfe at East Lulworth is another fortification, that of Lulworth Castle. Originally built as a hunting lodge in the seventeenth century a visit here can form part of a tour incorporating nearby Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The castle includes a gallery dedicated to the Weld family who have owned the estate since 1641. Delight in the fine architecture of the Chapel of St. Mary within the castle grounds.

The charming village of East Lulworth with its stone-built thatched cottages is home to an eighteenth century church that looks more like a house, a stipulation of King George III who only gave permission for its construction as long as it didn’t look like a church! The church of St. Andrew’s has associations with Thomas Hardy who worked on the building’s restoration before he became well known as an author.

Durdle Door

Lulworth Cove is a popular beauty spot. In the past the almost landlocked circular cove was used by smugglers a narrow gap in the limestone cliffs offering entry the safe haven of the almost landlocked pool. Close by is an astonishing fossil forest exposed in the cliff face. Just to the West of the cove is Durdle Door an impressive archway carved in the cliffs by the sea.

Sherborne Abbey and Castle

Sherbourne Abbey Stained Glass

Set amongst serene wooded hills and idyllic valleys, the town of Sherborne is replete with major historical buildings, some of which date back to Saxon times. Sherborne Abbey was founded by St. Aldheim in 705AD with substantial reworking in the fifteenth century. Two Saxon kings, Ethelbald and Ethelbert are believed to be buried here in two massive stone tombs. The remarkable early fan vaulting of the imposing structure is thought to be the finest in England.

Roger of Salisbury, a Norman bishop built the original castle at Sherborne in the twelfth century, though it was sadly later to be destroyed in the Civil War. The castle had been bestowed upon Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth I, deciding instead to build a new structure next to the existing one which he called Sherborne Lodge but which was later to become known as Sherborne New Castle, which is now possibly a contradiction in terms as the New castle dates back to the late fifteen hundred’s. The castle became the property of Sir John Digby in 1617 as is still owned by the Digby family today. In the mid eighteenth century, landscape gardener ‘Capability’ Brown was employed to rework the grounds. The castle was used as a Red Cross Hospital in the First World War and as a military HQ in the Second. There are displays of furniture , paintings and fine porcelain exhibited at Sherborne Castle as well as a Tudor kitchen and archaeological discoveries from the Old Castle.