Things to Do Near Dorchester, Dorset

Dorchester is your nearest proper town and an easy hop from the cottage. It's the "Casterbridge" of Thomas Hardy's novels, and his presence is everywhere: his statue stands at Top o' Town, his birthplace cottage sits at Higher Bockhampton on the edge of the heath, and Max Gate, the house he designed and lived in until his death, is open to visitors (both are National Trust). Beyond Hardy, the town centre is walkable and independent-minded, with a regular market, cafés, pubs and small shops.

Right in the centre of Dorchester, the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery holds the county's headline collections — Jurassic Coast fossils, Iron Age finds and the world's largest collection of Thomas Hardy material, including a reconstruction of his study. It's an ideal rainy-day option. A short walk away, behind County Hall, you'll find the Roman Town House — the only fully exposed Roman town house visible in Britain, with surviving mosaic floors and the remains of a hypocaust. It's free to visit and outdoors.

Just south-west of Dorchester lies Maiden Castle, one of the largest and most complex Iron Age hillforts in Europe. Managed by English Heritage, it's free, open all year and wonderfully atmospheric: a big-sky walk with sweeping views. Wear proper footwear, bring the dog, and let children run off some energy on the grassy banks. There are no facilities on site.

North of Dorchester, the Cerne Abbas Giant is the famous chalk hill figure carved into the hillside above the village — cared for by the National Trust and free to view from the roadside viewpoint. Cerne Abbas village itself is one of Dorset's prettiest, with a fine church, the remains of a medieval abbey and a couple of good pubs for lunch.

Head east towards Bovington for two of Dorset's best-known family attractions almost side by side. The Tank Museum is a world-class collection of armoured vehicles with hands-on displays and an arena, typically open 10am–5pm. Barely a couple of miles away, Monkey World is an ape rescue centre home to chimpanzees, orangutans and other primates, usually 10am–5pm (to 6pm in July and August).

For a bigger day out, drive east into Purbeck. Corfe Castle is a dramatic ruined fortress (National Trust) above a chocolate-box village, also reachable by the Swanage Railway steam line. Nearby in Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island is one of the few places in southern England where you can reliably see native red squirrels, reached by passenger ferry — allow a full, relaxed day and check seasonal times.