Visit Dorset 2019

D orset has miles of coastal and country walks to roam. Climb to the highest point on the South Coast – Golden Cap, where the views are breathtaking. Explore the stunning Jurassic Coastline on a 25 mile hike, part of the South West Coast Path, take a guided town trail, or, for fossil hunt: Hire the right equipment and get advice from the wardens at Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. fertile ground: The Cerne Abbas Giant has been attracting visitors for centuries. something completely different, try trekking with donkeys - they’ll even carry your picnic! Cycle routes take bikers into wooded vales, over windswept plains and through honey-hued villages en route to some of the UK’s loveliest pubs. Horse riders can enjoy an excellent choice of riding centres, stables and bridleways and golfers have superb courses on which to play a round. You will find plenty of opportunities to fish both inland and off the coast. For the family there’s leisure centres, swimming pools, soft-play areas and sport activities such as archery, rock climbing, abseiling, paragliding and the heart-pumping, thrills of coasteering, quad biking, paintballing and dirt buggy riding. year round events: Castles host events throughout the year from fairs and festivals to concerts and craft shows. Pick up leaflets, maps, guides and routes at a Tourist Information Centre (see back page) What’s on ? i Festivals, fairs and fireworks, shows, regattas and carnivals, Dorset is buzzing with events all year around. Art centres and theatres across the county provide a full programme of shows, concerts and exhibitions. Below is just a taster of what’s happening in 2019, you will find a full, regularly updated list online at www.visit-dorset.com A real Dorset is famous for its Jurassic Coast – a stunning stretch of 200 million-year-old shoreline that has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The loose material on the beaches between Lyme Regis and Charmouth are the best places to look for fossils, or, you can join a guided fossil hunt walk from Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre or Lyme Regis Museum. Always check the Fossil Collecting Code of Conduct before setting out. Visit www.charmouth.org for details. At the centre of the Jurassic Coast lies Chesil Beach, an 18 mile pebble beach separated from the mainland by the Fleet Lagoon Nature Reserve. Drop in at the Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre run by Dorset Wildlife Trust to find out more. Jurassic World Nothe Fort Market days ... Enjoy the hustle and bustle of market day. You will find one somewhere in the county each day of the week. Regular Farmers’ Markets also offer fresh local produce directly from the producers. For details see: www.visit-dorset.com food festivals: From cheese and chillies to Dorset Knobs, seafood and organic gin, food festivals are very popular across Dorset. August 3 Dorset Food & Arts Festival, Poundbury 3 & 4 Great Dorset Chilli Festival, Wimborne 3 - 11 Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival Week 14 Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Show 17 Dorchester Cider Festival 17 Bridport Carnival 17 & 18 Christchurch Carnival 18 Bridport Torchlight Procession 20 & 21 Weymouth Carnival 22 Melplash Show, Bridport 22 - 26 Great Dorset Steam Fair, Blandford 29 - 1 Sep Bournemouth Air Festival September 7 Bridport Hat Festival 7 & 8 Dorset County Show, Dorchester 7 & 8 Food Rocks, Lyme Regis 12 - 15 Swanage and Purbeck Walking Festival 14 & 15 Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 22 Weymouth Ironman 28 Mapperton House Food Festival october 13 Wimborne Food & Drink Festival 19 - 3 Nov Enchanted Floodlit Gardens, Abbotsbury 16 - 20 Dorchester Literary Festival 18 - 2 Nov Purbeck Film Festival 21 - 27 Sherborne Literary Festival 24 - 27 Sherborne International Film Festival Autumn andwinter Guy Fawkes celebrations light up the skies with spectacular displays. Purbeck and Bridport host Literary Festivals. Towns, villages and attractions hold Christmas festivals, craft & gift fairs and seasonal food and drink festivals. Across Dorset there are Christmas markets, carols by candlelight, ice skating, sparkling lights and festive shopping events. April 20 Abbotsbury Food Festival 21 Easter Bonnet Parade, Lyme Regis Easter Easter Egg hunts at Dorset attractions 24 - 28 Bridport Film Festival May 3 - 7 Sherborne Abbey Music Festival 4 & 5 Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 5 Dorset Knob Throwing Festival, Dorchester 10 - 12 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala and Beer Festival 11 & 12 Christchurch Food and Wine Festival 12 Shaftesbury Food & Drink Festival 18 & 19 Spring Tide Food Festival, Burton Bradstock 18 - 2 Jun Open for Art, across West Dorset , Weymouth and Portland 24 - 27 Jazz Jurassica, Lyme Regis 27 Sherborne Castle Country Fair 31 - 2 Jun Wessex Folk Festival, Weymouth To end June Baby swans hatching at Abbotsbury June 7 - 9 Wimborne Folk Festival 9 - 15 Bridport Food & Beer Festival 21 & 22 Midsummer Music Festival, Blandford 22 - 30 Beaminster Festival of Music & the Arts 28 - 30 Tankfest, the Tank Museum June - July Dorset Moon, various Dorset locations July 5 - 7 Christchurch Music Festival 13 - 14 Dorset Seafood Festival, Weymouth 19 - 21 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 20 - 1 Sep Super Summer Dinosaur Hunt, Dorchester 25 - 28 Camp Bestival 27 - 3 Aug Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat Week 27 - 3 Aug Swanage Regatta & Carnival Bournemouth hosts the country’s largest free Air Festival each year. Portland Buckland Newton Wimborne Folk Festival F or up to date information on everything to see and do in Dorset visit: visit-dorset.com Moors Valley Country Park