Dorset’s county town has more than its fair share of heritage. A stroll through the centre reveals Roman, medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings jostling for space; Dorchester has numerous museums to help you make sense of all this history. The town’s most famous former inhabitant is novelist Thomas Hardy, who set his famous story ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ in Dorchester. His home, a gorgeous thatched cottage with lovely gardens, now belongs to the National Trust and is open to the public.