Dorset Visitor Guide 2020

“ L eave the car, you w i ll want to explore on foot ” North Dorset Trailway WALKER WANDERLAND Numerous way-marked trails make the most of Dorset’s glorious features. Wander ancient green lanes, criss-cross lush meadows, wind high above rocky coves or venture along the undulating South West Coast Path. Each turn promises new adventure. Follow in the footsteps of smugglers, lead a donkey, visit giants, castles and abandoned quarrys. There are art trails, literary trails, forest trails, foraging walks, Wessex ways, ridgeways and bridleways. And for real carfree abandon, download a ‘Bus Stop’ walk. . TRAINSPOTTING By cycle, horse trek or shanks’s pony, follow original horse-drawn tramways, and track beds of railways past connecting Wemouth and Portland. Or, discover the picturesque villages of the Blackmore Vale as you trace the old Somerset and Dorset Railway line on the North Dorset Trailway. All provide amazing geology, history and wildlife along the way. PARKS AND GARDENS Grand and imposing or small and quirky. Enjoy wild plants and wildlife with a stroll around one of Dorset’s many country house gardens, nature reserves and country parks. FILL A BACKPACK Pack some local goodies and enjoy a picnic amidst the tranquillity of one our nature reserves. Or, head to one of Dorset’s many iron age sites such as Maiden Castle where young warriors can re-create battles as you sit back and imagine ancient Britain in all its mist- swathed, sword-happy glory. Carfree Iconic Corfe Castle is believed to be the inspiration for Enid Blyton’s ‘Kirrin Castle’. A bando n