Local information


Places to go and Things to do in Dorset

This page contains some suggestions for days out or interesting places to visit while you are in Dorset. The majority are in West Dorset but we have included a few in the rest of Dorset. Interactive map: Have a look at this interactive map of these places. Weymouth: Thomas Hardy's 'Budmouth',…

Tourist Information

The Dorset 100 is taking place in a prime tourist location. In addition to the natural landscape beauty, and the archaeology and historic interest in the county, there are a host of attractions. The Visit-Dorset website is full of suggestions of places to go and things to do, but obviously is…

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy is generally regarded as the most famous literary figure from Dorset. He was born in 1840 in Dorset at a cottage in Higher Bockhampton, just outside Dorchester. He went to school in Dorchester, and became an architect. He continued to live in Bockhampton, apart from a period in London…

Dorset nature notes

  Geology and Landscape      The complex geology of Dorset gives rise to an extraordinary range of landscapes and habitats, which in turn are home to a diverse population of wildlife. The county can be divided up into 5 broad divisions based on its geological characteristics:- Limestone plateau of…

Prehistoric and Roman Dorset

Introduction and background Dorset is very rich in visible prehistory. In the area visited by the Dorset 100, the main concentration of prehistoric sites is in the area of the South Dorset Ridegeway. This is a chalk ridge, about 25km long by 10 km wide that stretches from Abbotsbury in the West to…

Accommodation

While there is very little accommodation in the immediate neighbourhood of the walk HQ, there is ample in Weymouth. There are a huge number of hotels and B&Bs to service the holiday trade - more than 20 hotels, 150 B&Bs, a range of campsites, and 300 caravans and cottages. The HQ for the 100 is…