Most of North Dorset is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and three quarters of the coastline is a World Heritage Site, both richly deserved, this exceptional County epitomises the English countryside.
You can explore miles of footpaths with a backdrop of breathtaking scenery, colourful heathlands, sweeping down land of Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs. Most of Dorset, whilst still within easy reach of the coast is a network of country lanes, running through a rich, green countryside. You will find a huge number of ancient barrows and hill forts, the largest of which is Maiden Castle.
Dorset’s climate is of warm summers and mild winters, due to its position on the South coast. It boasts higher summer temperatures than both Cornwall or Devon and enjoys more sunshine.
Sherborne is one of Dorset’s most beautiful and historic towns. The town is mostly built from ochre ham stone, which has a warm golden hue. Visitors to this area love the rolling countryside which surrounds Sherborne and the history of the town itself. Sherborne is home to an ancient abbey and two castles – a sign of its historical importance.
If you want to know more about the area why not visit our Guide to Sherborne. You can also visit our page dedicated to Sherborne holiday cottages.
North Dorset is famous for its market towns. To this day, most of the area is farmland with a mix of arable and livestock. Therefore most towns in the area had a vibrant market where livestock and grain was traded. Blandford has kept this tradition going with a weekly farmers market in the Georgian square.
Visitors to this area love River walks and strolling through ancient woodland. There are many country pubs to enjoy local fayre – why not take a look at our guide to North Dorset to start planning your adventure
North Dorset and the surrounding Blackmore Vale is famous for its Bluebell Woods. These ancient woods are a blaze of blue through April and May often accompanied by the smell of wold garlic. You can visit these woods from viewpoints such as Bulbarrow Hill, which is just a few miles from Blandford.
View our holiday cottages in Blandford.
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Gaunts Common
4.8/5
Charlton Marshall, Nr Blandford
4.8/5
Nr Blandford Forum
5/5
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