Dorset is in the South West of England on the English Channel coast and is famous for the amazing stretches of fine, sandy beaches and varied shorelines that yield up such treasures as the Jurassic Coast!
There are wide chalk downs here as well as low valleys and beautiful coves and islands. Ports at Portland, Poole and Weymouth as well as an international airport, make it easy to reach and there is a wide variety of accommodation to suit every budget.
There are many historic houses, theatres, art galleries, shopping towns, festivals and events and 185 million years of earth's history in the ninety five miles of coastline making up the Jurassic Coast - a great spot for fossil hunting and beach combing!
If you love walking, Dorset is for you. In fact, cyclists, hikers, climbers, holiday makers, travellers, students, kite flyers, peace seekers, windsurfers, anglers, golf enthusiasts and horse riders rate Dorset as one the United Kingdom's best holiday spots!
Why not check beaches nearby as we have 56 beaches in Dorset, or have a look at our list of Dorset dog friendly beaches, or even our United Kingdom Blue Flag beach list.
Dorset Coast Search Bar
Where would you like to go? Use our search bar to search across all our local listings, ideal for finding that nearest spot to visit:
Want some ideas on where to visit?
Every favourite location must be visited for the first time. Want some ideas, why not check out the below small selection of coastal locations, including beaches, activities, things to see and do, places to stay and eat:
- 7th September 2019-8th September 2019The Food Rocks festival was started by top chef Mark Hix with the main aim of promoting the produce of the local area around Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast.The festival welcomes top chefs, exhibitors, locals and visitors to Lyme Regis, the main stage showcase offers a mix of interactive cookery demonstrations, talks and tastings across the 2 days.The money raised goes to good causes split between the RNLI and the Fishermen’s Mission.
- 29th August 2019-1st September 2019The Bournemouth Air Festival is 4 days of varied flying programme, entertainment, live music and evening fireworks.
- Friars Cliff beach is a mixture of sand and shingle with great views across Christchurch Bay to the Isle of Wight. Good family beach with safe swimming, backed by a promenade that has wheelchair access. Facilities include car parks, toilets, cafe, lifeguards in the summer and beach hut hire.
- Wimborne Minster has changed over the centuries. The first church on this site was founded in 705 but the earlest part of today’s church id the eastern 12th century tower. The building makes use of local Purbeck stone and marble with elaborate carving on the interior arches.
- This simple thatched cottage in Higher Bockhampton was where Thomas Hardy was born in 1840. The quaint cottage, remote setting and natural beauty of this location helps explain the Hardy’s great writing. Thomas Hardy spent most of his life in an around Dorchester.
- Kingston Russell Stone Circle is an 18 stone late Neolithic or early Bronze Age circle on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury and the sea. No facilities and parking is limited to the grass verge with then a walk along an often muddy farm track.
- Branksome Chine beach is a sandy beach very popular with watersports. Facilities include parking, food and toilets.
- Southbourne beach is a sandy beach with some shingle and is popular with families. Like most Bournemouth beaches the seafront is backed by a steep cliff. Facilities include lifeguards in summer months, kids zone, toilets, parking, cafe, shops, restaurant
- Dancing Ledge is not so much a beach but an old quarry floor. There are no beaches on this stretch of coastline but this is popular as you can get down to sea level. Some good swimming from the rocks but care needs to be taken. No facilities available.
- Canford Cliffs beach is a shallow sloping sandy beach, although as the tide comes in the amount of sand available is limited. The beach is below a steep sandy cliff which means you have steps to go down to get to the beach. Facilities include parking, toilets (with disabled facilities), food kiosks, and lifeguards in the summer.
- The White Mill is a corn mill with original 18th-century wooden machinery located in a peaceful riverside setting, nice walks and picnics on the banks of the River Stour.
- The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, also known as Sherborne Abbey, has been a Saxon cathedral (705–1075), a Benedictine abbey (998–1539), and now stands as a beautiful parish church. Today you can see parts of the original saxon church in the abbey’s facade, but by far its most striking feature is the 15th Century fan vaulted ceiling. Some of the other original monastery building are now occupied by Sherbourne school.
- Monument to Vice-Admiral Hardy, Flag-Captain of HMS Victory at Trafalgar, set on the crest of Black Down with excellent sea views.
- Weymouth SEA LIFE Adventure Park & Marine Sanctuary is unique among the network of SEA LIFE attractions in that its numerous marine life exhibitions are housed – not under one roof – but in separate pods within a landscape that also hosts a number of other outdoor features. The latter includes otter and seal sanctuaries, and the Park’s resident colony of Humboldt penguins. Indoor displays include the Tropical Shark Nursery, teeming with black-tip, bonnet head and other species of sharks; the spectacular Turtle Sanctuary with its amazing OceanTank; and one of the first National Seahorse Breeding and Conservation Centres.
