For up to date information on everything to see and do in Dorset visit: visit-dorset.com Dorset 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 something completely different, try trekking 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. 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 The Great Outdoors Bournemouth hosts the country’s largest free Air Festival each year. Portland North Dorset Trailway Old Harry Rocks Moors Valley Country Park & Forest Sandsfoot Castle with donkeys or llamas. 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, softplay 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. FOOD FESTIVALS: From cheese and chillies to seafood and organic gin, food festivals are very popular across Dorset. 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 Market days ... Lulworth Castle Athelhampton House and Gardens What’s on ? Festivals, fairs and fireworks, shows, regattas and carnivals, Dorset is buzzing with events all year round. 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 2023, you will find a full, regularly updated list online at www.visit-dorset.com. AUGUST CONTINUED... 5 - 12 Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival 10 - 14 We Out Here Festival, Wimborne St. Giles 11 - 20 Swanage Lifeboat Week 12 & 13 Christchurch Carnival 14 - 20 Bridport Carnival & Torchlight Procession 16 & 17 Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Show 17 - 20 Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 24 Melplash Show, West Bay 25 & 26 Corfe Castle Open Air Cinema 25 - 28 Lyme Regis Folk Weekend 26 & 27 The Oak Fair, Sturminster Newton 31 - 3 Sep Bournemouth Air Festival SEPTEMBER 2 Bridport Hat Festival 2 & 3 Dorset County Show, Dorchester 2 - 9 Gillingham Walking Festival 7 - 10 B-Side Festival, Portland 8 - 10 Swanage Folk Festival 9 & 10 Bournemouth Film & Comic Con 9 & 10 Dorset Seafood Festival, Weymouth 9 & 10 Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 15 - 24 Inside Out Dorset Festival 17 Weymouth Ironman 70.3 24 Wessex Heavy Horse Show, Gillingham 30 Shaftesbury Carnival OCTOBER 1 - 7 Gillingham Carnival Week 5 - 8 Swanage Blues Festival 14 - 21 Dorchester Literary Festival 15 Weymouth Beach Motocross 20 - 4 Nov Purbeck Film Festival 21 - 23 Sherborne Castle Autumn Colours Weekend 23 - 31 Halloween events in Dorset NOVEMBER 4 & 5 Bonfire and fireworks events in Dorset 5 - 11 Bridport Literary Festival 18 - 10 Dec Town Christmas lights switch on 24 - 22 Dec Illuminate at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens 25 & 26 Dorset Food & Drink Christmas Fair, Athelhampton 26 Candles On St. Catherine’s Hill, Abbotsbury Mid Nov Christmas Tree Wonderland, - early Jan Bournemouth DECEMBER Across Dorset there are Christmas markets, carols by candlelight, ice skating, pantomimes and festive shopping events. Weymouth Harbour Swim takes place on Christmas Day. APRIL Easter Easter Egg hunts across Dorset 8 Abbotsbury Food Fair 9 Easter Bonnet Parade, Lyme Regis 21 - 23 Bournemouth Writing Festival 26 - 30 Bridport Film Festival 27 - 4 May Sherborne Abbey Music Festival 28 - 30 Teddy Rocks Festival, Blandford Forum MAY Mid May Baby swans at Abbotsbury Swannery - end June 6 Sherborne Summer Festival 12 - 14 Swanage Railway Heritage Diesel Gala 20 & 21 Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival 21 Lulworth Castle Motor Show 27 - 29 Christchurch Food Festival 27 - 11 Jun Purbeck Art Weeks 29 Sherborne Castle Country Fair JUNE 1 - 3 Swanage Fairy Festival 2 - 4 Poole Seafood Festival 3 & 4 Wessex Folk Festival, Weymouth 9 - 11 Wimborne Folk Festival 10 & 11 Highcliffe Food & Arts Festival 11 - 24 Bridport Food Festival 16 - 17 DorsetFest, Blandford Forum 17 Harry Paye Day, Poole 17 Chesil Rocks, Weymouth 17 & 18 Swanage Fish Festival 17 - 19 Weymouth Armed Forces Celebrations 23 - 25 TankFest at the Tank Museum 24 Poole Folk on the Quay 24 & 25 Shake & Stir, Southbourne 25 - 2 Jul Beaminster Festival JULY 1 & 2 Gold Hill Festival, Shaftesbury 7 & 8 Poole Sand Polo 7 - 9 Swanage Jazz Festival 9 Shaftesbury Food & Drink Festival 14 - 16 Jurassic Fields Music Festival, Bridport 14 - 16 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, Tolpuddle 16 Sherborne Classic & Supercars Show 21 - 23 Wilkswood Reggae Festival, Swanage 22 - 29 Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat Week 23 Wareham Carnival 27 - 30 Camp Bestival, Lulworth Castle 28 - 30 Poole Harbour Festival 29 & 30 Mudeford Arts Festival 29 & 30 Weymouth Food & Family Festival 29 - 5 Aug Swanage Regatta & Carnival AUGUST 5 Stompin’ On The Quomps, Christchurch 5 Dorset Food & Arts Festival, Poundbury 5 & 6 Great Dorset Chilli Festival, Sturminster Newton Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre Shire Hall Museum Russell-Cotes Wimborne Model Town
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