Places to visit

The Dorset Downs

Perhaps the most famous of all the villages in the Dorset Downs is one right on the edge: Milton Abbas. This picture-postcard village of identical cob-and-thatch cottages lining both sides of one gently-sloping street was once a town and located further downhill, closer to the Abbey which gives the village its name. Too noisy and smelly for the Abbey to bear, the town was torn down and re-built in the 18th century, and a lake created on the old site. Milton Abbey has a charming inn and popular tea room, a post office-shop, and of course the stunningly-located Abbey and Chapel, as well as many pretty short walks.



Lying just in the lea of mighty Bulbarrow, the high chalk escarpment that bisects North Dorset, lies the tiny village of Ansty, the birthplace of Hall and Woodhouse Badger Ales (The Fox Inn is still a popular eating and drinking venue to this day). Close by lies the tiny manor house estate hamlet of Melcombe Bingham. There are fine walks over to the Dorset Gap, a well-known beauty spot with superb views, from these villages.

Just north of the Gap, on the fringes of the Blackmore Vale, lies Hazelbury Bryan, whose name derives from Sir Guy de Brian, one-time landowner in the area.

The Winterbornes (Winterborne Stickland, Houghton, Kingston, Whitechurch and Zelston) named after the stream which joins them all, offer traditional thatched charm and some superb short walks in ancient, gently-rolling landscapes.