Author Alexandra Richards, Dorset born and bred, shares local
insights to offer a wider, more personal selection of places to explore
than any other guide, including attractions known only to locals, who
normally keep the county's treasures to themselves. The result
encourages you to slow down and appreciate why this county deserves
repeat visits.
Dorset is quintessential rural England:
rolling hills, thatched houses, winding lanes and stunning stately
homes. Enchanting Dorset landscapes described in Thomas Hardy's
19th-century novels are largely unchanged and are likely to remain so,
given that Dorset enjoys England's highest proportion of conservation
areas. The county is trimmed by the spectacular Jurassic Coast (starring
locations such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove), England's first
natural World Heritage Site, whose cliffs are continuously revealing
their prehistoric, fossilised secrets. History buffs, meanwhile, will
love innumerable sites of archaeological interest, including Britain's
largest Iron Age hillfort, Maiden Castle.
Practical
information covers where and what to eat, where and when to go, what to
see and how to get around. This fourth edition integrates recent changes
across the county; covers additional villages in north Dorset;
celebrates child-friendly activities; introduces local food and drink
producers, artisans and community projects; and suggests new walks.
Discover Dorset's award-winning vodka made from milk; find out what
really goes on at the Filly Loo Festival; challenge your tastebuds at
the Great Dorset Chilli Festival; hunt fossils on beaches featured in
the biopic Ammonite, in
which Kate Winslet portrays world-famous palaeontologist Mary Anning;
learn where never to say the word 'rabbits' (and why); discover the Lyme
Regis rubber duck race; and get to grips with the fabulous Dorset
dialect.
Whether your interest is local food, tours
of award-winning wineries, horse-riding, relaxing on award-winning
beaches or spectacular coastal hikes, Dorset (Slow Travel)
remains the essential companion guide for both enjoying the obvious
sites and getting off the beaten track to understand what really makes
this gorgeous, varied county tick.
SLOW TRAVEL FROM BRADT GUIDES
• Eating – where to taste the region’s best produce
• Sleeping – accommodation with character and colour
• In Depth – key attractions and lesser-known places covered in detail
• Walking – where to find the best local rambles
• Dog-Friendly – places to visit with your pet
Whatever your interest, be it local food, brewery tours, peaceful
waterways, horse-riding, beach walks or simply escaping to an unspoiled
corner, Bradt’s Dorset is the ideal companion.
1 North Dorset – the Blackmore Vale, Cranborne Chase & Sherborne
Getting there & around, The Blackmore Vale, Cranborne Chase, Sherborne & around
2 Dorchester & the Piddle & Frome valleys
Getting there & around, Dorchester & around, North from
Dorchester towards the Blackmore Vale, The Piddle Valley & Bere
Regis, The Frome Valley, Bulbarrow Hill, Milton Abbas & surrounds
3 The Marshwood Vale & West Dorset
Getting there & around, Lyme Regis to Bridport & West Bay, East
of Bridport via the Bride Valley to Abbotsbury, From the Somerset border
to the Marshwood Vale, Eastwards from Beaminster
4 Weymouth & the Southern Coast
Getting there & around, West of Weymouth, including Chesil Beach, The Isle of Portland, East of Weymouth
5 Isle of Purbeck
Getting there & around, Wareham to Swanage & north of the A351, Beyond Swanage to Lulworth Cove
6 Poole, Bournemouth & the east
Getting there & around, Poole & surrounds, Bournemouth & Christchurch, Wimborne Minster & surrounds
Reviews
‘Eye-opening and wonderful’ The Sunday Times Magazine
Recommended reading by Wanderlust Magazine
‘Perhaps the greatest compliment we can pay this beautifully written
and carefully researched book is to say that it should be on every
Dorset-lovers’ bookshelves – or in the passenger’s seat pocket of every
Dorset driver’s car. It is a treasury of fascinating facts, delicious
food and drink, extraordinary events and a celebration of the history,
landscape and people of this beautiful county.’ The Fine Times Recorder
‘It is impossible to praise this book too highly.’ Dorset Wildlife Trust
