Dorset is one of the most popular places in the UK to visit on a long weekend! It’s not too far from London and there is so much to explore, from the beautiful Isle of Purbeck home to the iconic Old Harry Rocks, Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove to the coastal resort town of Bournemouth and the golden beaches of Sandbanks.
Here are some of the top things to do when you visit Dorset
Durdle Door
One of the most popular attractions in Dorset is of course Durdle Door. This is an iconic sight, and is made up of a cliff extending into the sea and with an archway carved at the end. It gets really busy here and the beach is really popular!
Once you’ve walked around and snapped a picture of the famous arch, I would recommend walking to Lulworth Cove! It’s not too far but there is quite an incline on the way back as you walk down into Lulworth. It took us about 35 mins and we walked all the way to the end of the path on the right hand side of the cove. It is really stunning and I actually think one of the best views is when walking down the steps which takes you to the car park!
Parking is quite expensive, it costs £5 for 4hrs. If you’re here to see Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove then this is more than enough time but if you’re planning on spending a lot of time on the beach or eating lunch out then you will probably want more time!
Blue Pool
The Blue (more like green) pool is a really nice place to visit and walk around. There’s trail through the woods that takes you around the pool and this takes around 30-45 minutes. There’s an entrance fee which at the time of writing is £5 for adults and £2.50 for under 18s.
Corfe Castle
Beautiful castle ruins sitting high upon a hilltop, you can explore round the castle ruins and soak in the views of Corfe village! You can spend as little or as long as you want here. We spent about an hour here before getting some lunch from the bakery in the village. There was a long queue but it’s worth it as it’s really nice and quite cheap too!
Corfe Castle is part of the National Trust so it’s free to enter if you have National Trust membership. If not, it costs £10. The National Trust car park is really small so if there’s no space here then there is a car park near Norden railway which costs £3.50 all day. From here it takes around 15 minutes to walk to the National Trust car park then it’s a 10-15 min walk to the castle entrance. I’d recommend doing this as the views of the castle from the walk down are actually really nice!
Hike to Champan Pool
If you like hiking then you could walk to Chapman Pool from Corfe Castle. It’s about 3 hours and you’ll find yourself walking through fields, woods and along a paved path. To hike there, follow signs from the village centre where the National Trust shop is. You’ll walk down a road lined with cute blue cottages and you’ll see a sign part way down, make sure you turn left here. Keep following the signs, you’ll walk through a park then a field. Continue walking straight, you’ll walk through fields, woods and then along a road. At Champans Pool we saw a seal swimming in the sea it was really cool! It took about 1hr 40 minutes each way. On your way back you’ll see panoramic 360 views of Corfe Castle and the surrounding greenery, it is beautiful!
THE PIG-on the beach
THE PIG are a group of country hotels where they are fully committed to local and home-grown produce. Each PIG has a garden where they grow their own vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and so much more! You can even walk round the garden and take a look at all the homegrown ingredients.
You absolutely have to eat at the restaurant, the food is so fresh. It’s either straight from the garden or sourced within 25 miles, each dish is unique and tastes amazing. As a vegetarian there was so much choice and variety than what’s available in other restaurants. Even the desserts are worth trying even if you have to share it because it you’re so full! If you do want to visit then make sure to book in advance as they get booked up very quickly.
The hotel is situated in a stunning rural location with amazing coastal views and a large relaxing garden.
Walk along Bournemouth Pier to Sandbanks
You can walk along the promenade all the way from Bournemouth Pier to the beautiful golden sand peninsula of Sandbanks, one of the UK’s best beaches! Although it doesn’t look too far it will take about 2 hours 30 minutes each way so make sure you have enough time! Starting from Bournemouth Pier you’ll walk past several arcades, ice cream shops and pastel coloured beach huts, and as you walk further you’ll notice there being fewer crowds and it’s more peaceful!
I hope you found this post useful! For more ideas about where to visit in the UK have a look at my other posts here.
