Days Out in Dorset 2020

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) 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 2020, 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 185 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 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 cider, seafood and organic gin, food festivals are very popular across Dorset. Bournemouth hosts the country’s largest free Air Festival each year. Portland North Dorset Trailway 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 What’ on ? 17-19 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 24-26 Bridport Folk Festival 25-31 Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat Week 25-1 Aug Swanage Regatta & Carnival 30-2 Aug Camp Bestival, Lulworth Castle AUGUST 1-2 Great Dorset Chilli Festival 1-8 Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival 15 Dorchester Cider Festival 15-16 Christchurch Carnival 19 Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Show 22 Bridport Carnival 23 Bridport Torchlight Procession 20-23 Bournemouth Air Festival 27 Melplash Show 27-31 Great Dorset Steam Fair 28-30 Lyme Regis Folk Festival SEPTEMBER 5 Bridport Hat Festival 5-6 Dorset County Show 5-6 Food Rocks, Lyme Regis 5-13 B-Side Festival, Portland 11-13 Swanage Folk Festival 11-20 Inside Out Dorset Festival 12-13 Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 20 Weymouth Ironman 70.3 25-27 Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival OCTOBER 13-17 Dorchester Literary Festival 16-31 Purbeck Film Festival 17-1 Nov Abbotsbury Enchanted Floodlit Gardens AUTUMN ANDWINTER Guy Fawkes celebrations light up the skies with spectacular displays. Blandford and Bridport hold Literary Festivals. Towns, villages and attractions across Dorset hold Christmas festivals, craft & gift fairs, seasonal food and drink festivals, Christmas markets, carols by candlelight, ice skating, sparkling lights and festive shopping events. APRIL 11 Abbotsbury Food Festival 12 Easter Bonnet Parade, Lyme Regis 15-19 From Page to Screen (Bridport Film Festival) 18-26 Visit Dorset Attractions Festival 24-26 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala & Beer Festival Easter Easter Egg hunts at Dorset attractions MAY 1- 6 Sherborne Abbey Music Festival 3 Shaftesbury Food & Drink Festival 2-3 Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 8-10 VE Day commemorations 8-10 Christchurch Food and Wine Festival 16-17 Spring Tide Food Festival, Burton Bradstock 23-25 Mudeford Seafood Festival 22-25 Jazz Jurassica, Lyme Regis 25 Sherborne Castle Country Fair 30-31 Wessex Folk Festival 23-7 Jun Dorset Arts Weeks 25 Artsreach: Alice in Wonderland Family Fun Day, Fontmell Magna Mid May Baby swans hatching, Abbotsbury - end Jun Swannery JUNE 12-14 Wimborne Minster Folk Festival 13-14 Highcliffe Food & Arts Festival 12-14 Swanage Fish Festival 14-20 Bridport Food & Beer Festival 18-20 Chesil Rocks, Weymouth 26-28 Tankfest, Tank Museum 26-27 Midsummer Music Festival, Blandford 27-7 Jul Beaminster Festival of Music and the Arts JULY 3-5 UK Boogie Woogie Music Festival, N. Dorset 4 B-Sharp Busking Festival, Lyme Regis 4 Sherborne Summer Festival 10-11 Jurassic Fields Music Festival 10-11 Artsreach: Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour, Littlebredy 10-12 Swanage Jazz Festival 11-12 Dorset Seafood Festival, Weymouth