The county of Dorset, England

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Dorset is often known as ‘Thomas Hardy country’ as the writer immortalised the county in his books. ‘Casterbridge’ was based on Dorchester the county town, for example, and his cottage is open to visitors. This is a land of small thatched cottages and quiet back roads and, without a large conurbation, Dorset is little changed in centuries. The warmth of the local people with their curious dialect belies a certain turbulent past with memories of the ‘Bloody Azzizes’ of Judge Jeffreys and the ruins of Corfe Castle standing as spectacular reminders. The Purbeck hills that surround Corfe are both rugged and beautiful and stretch to a chalk-cliffed coast. Historic house builders have left their distinctive marks at places like medieval Athelhampton, Cranborne Manor with its wonderful gardens and Sherborne Castle (home of Sir Walter Raleigh).

Where to stay and things to do in Dorset

Hotels | Bed and Breakfast | Pubs and Inns | Self Catering | Places to Visit | Museums and Art Galleries | Arts, Crafts and Fairs | Gardens | Castles | Cathedrals | Weddings and Honeymoons | Abbeys and Priories | Nature Reserves | Churches | Restaurants | Tourist Information Centres | Dorset Towns | Historic Dorset

Selected Dorset hotels - Please Refresh for another random Hotel list

Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorchester
Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne
The Grange at Oborne, Sherborne
Cliffeside Hotel, Bournemouth
Captains Club Hotel, Christchurch
Anvil Inn, Blandford Forum
Royal Chase Hotel, Shaftesbury
Sun Inn, Weymouth
Queens Hotel, Bournemouth
Tiffanys Bed and Breakfast, Bournemouth

Click for More hotels in Dorset

Click For List of all UK Counties

Explore Dorset Towns

Abbotsbury | Askerswell | Barnard Castle | Beaminster | Blandford | Blandford Forum | Bournemouth | Bridport | Broadwinsor | Buckland Newton | Burton Bradstock | Cattistock | Cerne Abbas | Chideock | Christchurch | Church Knowle | Corfe Castle | Corfe Mullen | Cranborne | Dorchester | Dorset | East Chaldon | East Morden | Evershot | Farmham | Farnham | Gillingham | Godmanstone | Gussage All Saints | Henley | Horsecastles | Loders | Lower Ansty | Lyme Regis | Maiden Newton | Marshwood | Milton Abbas | Modern British | Motcombe | Nettlecombe | North Wootton | Osmington Mills | Piddlehinton | Piddletrenthide | Plush | Poole | Portland | Powerstock | Puncknowle | Purbeck | Shaftesbury | Shaftsbury | Sherborne | Shroton | Sienna | Stoke Abbott | Stratton | Studland | Sturminster Newton | Swanage | Sydling St Nicolas | Sydling Street Nicolas | Tarrant Monkton | Tolpuddle | Tolpuddle (near Dorchester) | Trent | Verwood | Wareham | West Bexington | West Knighton | West Lulworth | West Stafford | Weymouth | Wick Ferry | Wimborne | Wimborne Minster | Winfrith Newburgh | Winkton | Winterborne Whitechurch | Winterborne Zelston |

County Links

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The Channel Islands and The Isle of Man

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