Dorset

Dorset is situated in south-west England on the English Channel. More than half the county of Dorset is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Dorset coast and countryside boast thousands of kilometres of well-maintained and waymarked footpaths. These trails offer an exceptional mix of dramatic clifftops, steep limestone ridges, ancient hill forts, secluded woodlands, river valleys, rolling chalk hills and picturesque towns.

Perhaps the most famous section of Dorset for walking is the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This 153 kilometre (95 mile) stretch of coastline showcases geology and fossils dating back to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaur periods. There are also striking land and stone formations including the ancient stone arch of Durdle Door, the layered cliffs of Lulworth Cove and the popular pebbled Chesil Beach.

Dorset’s most famous literary figure is the acclaimed novelist Thomas Hardy (“Far from the Madding Crowd” and “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”) who lived at Max Gate outside Dorchester. Others writers inspired by Dorset include Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and Enid Blyton. Mary Anning is another notable Dorset local and ground-breaking palaeontologist renowned for her discoveries of dinosaur fossils along the Jurassic Coast.

Dorset offers many day and multi-day walks and there are a number of tour operators offering a variety of walking trips.

However, there are innumerable other multi-day walks, including many considerably shorter than the above. And the walking tour operators have been very inventive in crafting walking itineraries suited for all. We can help you choose a walk and an operator that best suits your needs.

As mentioned, one of the best known multi-day walks in the Dorset is the Jurassic Coast section of the South West Coast Path.

The Jurassic Coast walk and the Dorset Jubilee Trail are just some of many walks in Dorset we can tell you about, and help you to plan and complete.