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Things To Do in Dorset
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Ant Hill Trail
Venture through meadows and pastures, across streams and up sunken lakes along the 6km trail from South Poorton Nature Reserve to Loscombe Nature Reserve in the countryside near Bridport. Keep an eye out for foxes, deer and buzzards, as well as the ant hills that gave trail its name. Visit The Dorset Wildlife Trust website for more Nature Reserve walks in the area.
www.dorsetwildlife.co.uk
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Moors Valley Country Park and Forest
Cycling, fishing, walks, golf, rope swings; there are loads of activities to try here. Choose how active you want to be - swinging through the trees on the Go Ape rope swings, chugging along taking in the scenery on the narrow gauge steam railway, or just relaxing with a picnic by the lake. A great way to spend the day in the Dorset countryside.
www.moors-valley.co.uk
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The Jurassic Coast
It would be remiss not to mention the pleasures of walking the Jurassic Coast here; a good way to combine a little exercise with a history lesson is to join one of the organised Fossil Walks from Charmouth.
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Pilsdon Pen
Traditionally thought of as Dorset's highest peak (277m), until it was recently found to be a few feet shy of its neighbour, Lewesdon Hill. Height notwithstanding, the Iron Age hill fort atop this flat-topped hill provides great views over the lush Marshwood Vale in west Dorset. Walk the ancient ramparts in a circular loop to take in the 360 degree panorama across the gentle rolling hills, whilst buzzards wheel overhead. Reach it off the B3164 Broadwindsor road.
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Aerosaurus Balloons
See the South West from the air with hot air balloon flights over Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. Flight meeting locations include Exeter, Tiverton, South Brent and Lee Mill in Devon; Launceston and Bodmin in Cornwall; Taunton, Castle Carey and Yeovil in Somerset, and Sherborne, Blandford Forum and Shaftesbury in Dorset.
www.ballooning.co.uk
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Bulbarrow Hill
Bulbarrow Hill is probably the best known hill in Dorset and is a chalk hill site of an Iron Age hill fort - the name comes from barrows or burial mounds on the hill. Standing at 274m (899ft) high and giving the longest view in Dorset, with spectacular views over five counties, Bulbarrow Hill is the second highest point in Dorset and is a very popular beauty spot.
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Cumulus Outdoor Events
Offering a wide range of adventure activities for individuals, families, couples or groups. Activities include coasteering, climbing, abseiling, treasure hunts and a ropes course, or a whole day Challenge in which you can put your physical and problem-solving abilites to the test Crystal Maze style.
www.cumulusoutdoorevents.com
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Eggardon Hill
Crowned with the ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort, Eggardon affords king-of-the-castle-views across the Dorset countryside. There are two Bronze Age burial mounds here too. See the skies above Eggardon Hill alive with colour at the annual Eggerdon Kite Festival, held here in September.
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Fossil Walks
Guided fossil hunting walks along the Jurassic Coast. Having worked as senior warden at Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and earth science advisor for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, we think it's fair to say that Chris Pamplin knows his stuff when it comes to fossils in this neck of the woods. Chris leads family fossil expeditions and public fossil walks from Charmouth and Lyme Regis.
www.fossilwalks.com
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Golden Cap
Recently featured in the Ramblers’ Top 50 walking routes to Britain’s best views, Golden Cap is the highest sea cliff in Southern England at 191 metres. Walk through Langdon wood (great in April/May for bluebells) and up to the top for jaw-dropping views of Charmouth and down to Lyme Regis. The stretch of coast between Lyme Regis and Bridport has over 25 miles of paths to explore and traces almost 185 million years of the Earth's history - so there's plenty to explore.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-goldencap
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Mountain-trips
Rock climbing is a great way to get out and experience the West Country; the varied landscape offers lots of great climbing opportunities. Experienced climber and instructor Laurence Reading offers instruction for all skill levels, from novice to advanced. Based in the South East close to Dorset's steep limestone cliffs, Laurence also runs courses on the sea cliffs and tors of Devon and the magnificent coastal crags of Cornwall.
www.mountain-trips.co.uk
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Shaftesbury Cycle Hire
Recycled bike hire. No room in the car to bring your bike on holiday? The child and adult bikes here are available on a daily or weekly tariff. Free delivery and collection within a 15 mile radius of Shaftesbury.
www.shaftesburycyclehire.co.uk
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Virgin Balloon Flights - Blandford Forum
Packed with Georgian charm and surrounded by the rolling Dorset Downs, a hot air balloon ride from Blandford Forum is as refreshing as the ‘Badger’ beers it’s famous for. This market town on the River Stour -featured in Thomas Hardy novels as 'Shottesford Forum'- is a fantastic place to fly over. Look out for the corn exchange, market place and six-arch bridge - all highlights of the Georgian architecture found here. Just south lies the small village of Blandford St Mary, home of the Hall and Woodhouse brewery, where ales like Badger Original, Tanglefoot, and Fursty Ferret are still made today. Although Champagne is the traditional ballooing tipple, after a balloon ride from Blandford Forum, maybe an exception should be made.
www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/hot-air-balloons-dorset-Bland
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Virgin Balloon Flights - Shaftesbury
A hot air balloon flight from Shaftesbury, one of England’s oldest and highest towns, is the perfect way to enjoy views of idyllic rural Dorset.
Balloon rides from here open up the landscape which was so vividly described in the books of Thomas Hardy, who called the fictional version of the town ‘Shaston’.
As well as many fine historical buildings, Shaftesbury has one particularly famous cobbled street. Gold Hill was featured in the famous Hovis bread advert with the music of Dvorak's 'New World' Symphony. During your hot air balloon ride from Shaftesbury, you may also spy ancient Wardour Castle, quaint villages like Motcombe, Cherry Orchard and Sturminster Newton and, on a clear day, maybe even Glastonbury Tor. Towns like Gillingham to the west and Blandford Forum to the south could also come into view.
www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/hot-air-balloons-dorset-shaft
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Virgin Balloon Flights - Sherborne
Sherborne has a multitude of medieval buildings, a wonderful Abbey, picturesque Almshouses and not one, but two castles to admire. Conveniently situated on the Dorset and Somerset border, it has excellent transport links making visiting easy. Sherborne is an ideal spot to explore the wide open skies by hot air balloon and experience the delightful and unspoilt Wessex area of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.
www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/hot-air-balloons-dorset-sherb
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Wessex Golf Centre
Excellent for the less experienced, this course has nine holes, a practice green and a driving range.
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Zorbing South UK Ltd
Strap yourself into a giant inflated plastic ball and then plummet down a hill. Yes, really. The zorbing craze started in New Zealand in the 1990's. Zorbing South, opened in 2000, was the first site to offer zorbing in the UK.
www.zorbsouth.co.uk
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Fireside Breaks
Storm watching, star gazing, Dorset rocks and Devon stones - four reasons why we love the South West in winter.
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 | It’s difficult to know where to start in describing all the ways in which you can enjoy Dorset. Summarising its appeal is almost impossible, since there is simply so much going on in this county. |
 | Grab your walking boots and blow the cobwebs away. |
 | Browse our selection of hand-picked activities for days out and short breaks in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. |
 | View your personal itinerary of things to do, places to visit and where to eat on your holiday. |
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