Dorset Holiday Cottages

A cottage holiday in Dorset will provide you with splendid scenery, as The Dorset Coast & Countryside is probably the most varied and beautiful in England. The Dorset area has been awarded to be an Area of outstanding natural beauty, AONB, due to its spectacular scenery, unique geological finds and wildlife. The Dorset & East Devon Coast was also awarded World Heritage Site status in December 2001.

A cottage holiday in Dorset provides a relaxing place to unwind, with its rolling hills, breathtaking countryside, beautiful villages, sandy beaches and a coastline so improved it has acquired World Heritage status. If you enjoy these opportunities, then taking your cottage holiday in Dorset is the place for you and your family. Dorset boasts a wealth of attractions, from historic houses & museums, to country parkland, shops and markets selling fine local crafts and produce.

Should you be feeling more energetic then you can enjoy your cottage Dorset holiday on bicycle or maybe on horseback, or have a relaxing round of golf or take a peaceful afternoon fishing.

Dorset Town & Villages:-

Abbotsbury, Arne, Beaminster, Bere Regis, Blandford Forum, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Bridport, Broadstone, Canford Cliffs, Cerne Abbas, Charmouth, Christchurch, Corfe Castle, Cranbourne, Dorchester, East Stour, Evershot, Ferndown, Highcliffe, Lyme Regis, Lytchett Minster, Milton Abbas, Norden, Parkstone, Poole, Preston, Puddletown, Sherborne, Southbourne, Stalbridge, Studland, Sturminster Marshall, Sturminster Newton, Sturminster Newton, Swanage, Tarrant Hinton, Verwood, Wareham, Warmwell, West Lulworth, Westbourne, Weymouth, Wimbourne Minster, Witchampton, Worth Matravers.

Dorset cottage holidays are in an ideal county for trekkers and walkers. Dorset offers walking enthusiasts fantastic paths and hill walking along 88 miles of coast offering dramatic cliff and beach walks all year round due to its southerly mild climate on the English south coast.

Many geological finds of significance have been found in Dorset, some dating back over 200 million years containing Jurassic rocks and fossil finds which have generated world wide interest. Photographers can capture stunning seascapes and beach shots as well as rolling landscapes.

A cottage holiday close to Dorset's coastline can provide many times of marine recreation such as sailing, windsurfing, fishing, diving as well as climbing activities. Dorset is also rich in archaeology, with unspoilt rural villages, where, formerly the home of Saxon royalty, Dorset was also influenced by Roman occupation.

Literature has benefited as Dorset is Thomas Hardy country - Ancient Wessex - the home of the 'Mayor of Casterbridge' and 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', which were created in Dorchester. Dorchester and the surrounding countryside were immortalised in Hardy's 'Casterbridge', his birthplace, Hardy's Cottage, (where Hardy wrote his first novels 'Under the Greenwood Tree' and 'Far from the Madding Crowd') and his later home, Max Gate, where he died.

Dorset Attractions:-

Bournemouth Oceanarium, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre [Archeological], Compton Abbas Museum, Compton Acres Gardens, Discovery Science Centre, Highcliffe House, Lulworth Castle, Mill House Cider Museum, Moors Valley Country Park, Poole Pottery, Russell Cotes Arts Gallery, Swanage Railway, Tank Museum, Wimborne Model Town & Gardens, Abbotsbury Tithe Barn, Bradstock Working Horse Farm, Monkeyworld, Old Farm Collection Bradstock, Upper Farm Wimborne.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is one of the most popular destinations on the English south coast and the primary town of Dorset. Bournemouth enjoys approximately 7 miles of a fine long beach, the southerly mild climate and easy access to the nearby New Forest. The Jurassic coast of Bournemouth enjoys the warmest and driest weather in Britain.

If you choose a holiday cottage close to Bournemouth you can enjoy the bustling town's plentiful activities, shops, and attractions of a traditional English coastal town as well as England's sunniest weather.

Bournemouth has been traditionally viewed as a retirement town, but more recently Bournemouth now houses many students who attend the Bournemouth University, which is well known for its media degree curriculum, and the Arts Institute.

The town has been an important venue for major conferences at the International Centre (BIC), which stands over looking the pier and town from its cliff top location. It has also been the town's main venue for large conferences including in 2003 the Labour Party annual conference.

Poole

Poole Harbour & Quay, 3 miles of golden Dorset sands.

Poole Harbour is Europe's largest natural harbour enjoying 3 miles of golden sands with regular cross channel sailings to France and the Channel Islands. There are regular harbour cruises to take you along the Dorset coast and even to the Isle of Wight, or you can also hire your own self drive motor boat.

Poole is famous for its pottery and you can visit the Poole pottery factory where you can throw a pot yourself or purchase collectors pieces or lovely table ware.

Poole has a well packed and prosperous town centre with the big name shops, as well as a quaint cobbled street old town. Poole also houses Dorset's largest undercover shopping centre.

Christchurch

A cottage holiday in the medieval town of Christchurch is one of the finest parts of the country which is renowned for its good weather, fresh healthy air with gloriously fine beaches. This historical town has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and has been described as one of the best kept secrets on the south coast.

Weymouth

Weymouth is a quaint seaside town on the Dorset coast and popular with small leisure craft and boats. Originally Weymouth was a small industrious fishing village and grew during the 17th century. Once frequented by King George III the German speaking King of England spent his summers in the town. Evidence can still be seen in the local architecture with the curves of the Georgian Esplanade which looks out over Weymouth Bay. The town also played a key role in the D-Day invasion.

Take your cottage holiday in Dorset and enjoy its small market towns and traditional villages, with the local village pubs serving value for money pub grub set in rural rolling countryside. A cottage holiday in Dorset ranges from traditional thatched cottages, converted barns, bungalows and converted houses, which can offer you and your family a touch of rural Dorset (some of which will permit you to take your pet).

Weymouth has been nick-named as "England's Bay of Naples". The town has a long history and is now a busy seaside resort and a popular destination for cottage holiday visitors.

Come to Dorset and bring the family for your cottage holiday vacation and enjoy the warmest sunniest weather in the British Isles.

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