Beautiful cathedrals, stunning scenery and quaint little villages, Dorset has so much to offer!
In May 2021, following some easing of lockdown restrictions in England, Wally and I were lucky enough to escape London for a week in Dorset. Instead of hiring a car from near home in London, we decided to get the train out of London to Winchester, and then hire a car from there instead- we really did not feel like spending an hour or so stuck in London traffic like last time!
We were somewhat lucky with the weather- we left behind a cold and grey London, and apart from a freak hailstorm on the way, arrived to sunshine in Dorset, which lasted most of our holiday. As we haven’t really been out much due to the recent lockdown, we wanted to do a bit everything during this trip- a bit of walking, some culture and history and some eating and drinking. In this post we’ve summarised some of what we got up to during our trip, and a few recommended places to eat and drink… For some of the days, such as for the visit to Stonehenge, Corfe Castle, Durdle Door, we have put together more detailed posts- scroll down to see more!
Day 1- Visiting Stonehenge
First stop on our trip was Stonehenge- the incredibly famous and instantly recognisable prehistoric landmark, which is certainly worth a visit.
As there is quite a lot to say about Stonehenge (and tons of photos!) we’ve put together a separate blog post on this- click here to read more…
Day 2- Corfe Castle and Old Harry Rocks
On the second day of our trip, we spent most of our time at Corfe Castle, and then walking around Studland Bay to Old Harry Rocks. By chance, we also realised that our route to Corfe castle would take us by the Cerne Giant- so we managed to squeeze in a quick pit stop. Click here to read more…
Day 3- Sherborne
We decided to take it a bit easy this day, and just spend some time walking and exploring Sherborne. Previously unknown to us and only really discovered when driving to the airbnb on the first day, Sherborne is an incredibly pretty market town not too far from Yeovil and is certainly worth a visit if you are nearby!
As well as a quaint high-street, with a number of bakeries, butchers, greengrocers and independent stores, cute little coffee shops, there is a beautiful abbey which is worth visiting, with incredibly stunning architecture. If that’s not enough, there is also Sherborne Old Castle (a 12th century ruin) and the New Sherborne Castle castle near to the castle ruin, with stunning gardens… see more here for details on visiting.
We spent a few hours doing some window shopping, getting a few things to have for dinner and a bottle of wine or two for our barbecue. There seems to be something for everyone in this town, and was a very welcome change of scenery from the hustle and bustle of London!
Day 4- Wells Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens
On the next day, we met some friends for lunch in the Litton- a very nice gastropub between Yetminster and Bristol, which we would very much recommend- see below in the food and drink section. After lunch, on the way back, we decided to stop in Wells and check out the beautiful cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens… Click here to find out more!
Day 5- Bennets Water Gardens, Abbotsbury Swannery and Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
This was perhaps our busiest day… but all three of the places we visited were near each other so make for an easy day out. Alternatively, you can visit just one or two of these attractions, depending on how much time you have and preferences etc. And obviously the weather will have an impact as well… Read more here to read more on the Gardens and the Swannery.
Day 6- Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Kingston Lacy
For our penultimate day, we woke up to lots of sunshine, which was lucky given that we were going to to the coast. We spent half the day walking around Lulworth Cove and nearby Durdle Door, and then visited Kingston Lacy which is not too far away… click here to find out about Lulworth Cove and Durdle door, and click here to read more on Kingston Lacy.
Day 7- Walking around Winchester and pub lunch
For our last day, we drove back to Winchester to drop the car off and get the train back to London. We managed to have a quick walk around and also visit the stunning Winchester Cathedral.
For lunch, we grabbed a quick bite to eat in The Old Vine- read more in the food and drink section below…
Winchester Cathedral
The medieval cathedral is stunning, and is famous for being the resting place of Saxon royalty, bishops and also Jane Austen- read more here about Jane Austen and other famous people at the cathedral. Unsurprisingly there were quite a number of tourists during our visit!
As we visited during Covid, there was a one way route in operation and social distancing but that still allowed you to see almost all of the cathedral with some exceptions . On the day of our visit, admission was via donations, however from their website it seems that they charge around £10 for adults normally, which gives unlimited visits over the period of a year- see more here .
The cathedral’s foundations date back to the early 11th century, and you can see a lot of the cathedral’s history throughout. The cathedral is in fact one of the largest in the UK, and similar to the Wells Cathedral, has stunning stained glass throughout, as well as medieval woodwork.
We finished the trip off walking around the city- Winchester is a very quaint (but busy!) city. In addition to the cathedral, there is the Jane Austen house nearby, various museums, and the Hospital of St Cross- a stunning Grade I listed building, just to name a few attractions (read more here). So it seems we might need to do a return trip here at some point!
Best Food & Drink
As we actually had rather good weather and a barbecue at our disposal, we ended up having a barbecue on most days, but did come across a few places we would recommend…
The Litton
(Litton, near Wells)
The Litton was a gastropub (as well as having accommodation). The food was very good- we had a full three course meal! The atmosphere was also great, with many different terraces and outdoor dining options. Being in Somerset, we may have perhaps expected a bigger cider menu, but the ciders they did offer were good. See more here for details and for the menu.
The Old Vine
(Winchester)
The Old Vine is located in the city center and also serves as a hotel, pub and restaurant). We managed to get a table on the terrace at the back, and found the food to be very tasty- would definitely recommend this place if in the area! Click here to read more and see the menu
Above and below: food at the Old Vine
Suggested itineraries for Dorset
Weekend trip
If you’re only visiting Dorset for a weekend, then we would highly recommend a trip to Corfe Castle (and perhaps Kingston Lacy), and then a walk around Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. If time permits, the swannery is also not to be missed.
Week-long trip
If you are visiting Dorset for a week or so, then you should have more than enough time to check out almost everything we’ve mentioned above- Stonehenge, a trip to Wells, Bennets Water Gardens and the Abbotsbury Swannery and Subtropical Gardens.
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