Picturesque Abbotsbury © Richie's Incredible Britain
Milton Abbas is one of Dorset's prettiest villages
Explore the pretty village of Corfe Castle

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Villages in Dorset

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Highlights

Abbotsbury

A chocolate box village steeped in history and surrounded by spectacular scenery
Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle village is overlooked by the outstanding ruins of its castle perched on a hill in a gap in the Purbeck Ridge
Cerne Abbas

A charming and quaint village that is world renowned for the Cerne Giant, a 180 ft high ancient chalk figure carved out into the steep sloping hillside above the village
Charmouth

A friendly village situated at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast, an ancient coastline of dramatic cliffs, fossils and beautiful scenery
Cranborne

An ancient royal hunting area now populated by small picturesque villages in a large open landscape dissected by clear rivers and streams
East & West Lulworth

Owned by the Weld Family, the villages on this country estate offer stunning scenery and the famous Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Lulworth Castle.
Milton Abbas

A picture book English cob and thatch village on the Milton Abbey estate

Dorset is home to some of the prettiest villages in England.

If you’re looking to wander down winding country lanes lined with sweet scented wild flowers, tinkling streams, thatched cobb cottages before chancing upon a quaint little village pub or tea room, you’ve come to the right place.

Picturesque Dorset Villages

One of the most popular villages in Dorset is Abbotsbury, a picture postcard village set in the Dorset AONB countryside.

Whilst here, visit the famous Swannery, or climb to St Catherine’s Chapel for tremendous views along Chesil Beach and the Jurassic Coast.

You’re in for a treat if you visit West Lulworth as the small hamlet is dotted with little trinket shops and ice cream parlours as it meanders down to the stunning Lulworth Cove.

Milton Abbas is also well worth a visit, with its uniformed line of thatched white cottages. Visit in July for the 18^th Century Street Fair and be whisked back in time.

And set in the heart of Cranborne Chase, once a mediaeval hunting estate, are the intimate, rural villages of the Tarrants, Chrichels and the Gussages.

Quirky village names

Dorset villages have their fair share of strange place names and many of these are often cause for much tittering.

Whilst in Dorset you may find yourself in the Piddle Valley and stumble across the villages of Piddlehinton and Piddletrenthide.

Whilst strolling in the beautiful Purbecks, you may see a signpost to Happy Bottom. And, what other English county has such evocative village names as Whitchurch Canonicorum, Rhyme Intrensica or Gussage All Saints?

There is one village name in Dorset which is far too rude to mention here but bound to cause a few laughs, why not come and visit and see if you can find it (we'll give you a clue, it's near Bere Regis).

Villages full of folklore and history

Each Dorset village has its own character, history, individual charm and tale to tell.

Visit Cerne Abbas and see the famous club wielding chalk giant, imagine historic battles as you stand in Corfe Castle with its romantic castle ruins, stand under the Martyrs Tree at Tolpuddle, birthplace of the Trade Union and hear the whispers in the walls at Tyneham – Dorset’s ghost village.

Make a wish at the Upwey Wishing Well, hunt for fossils at Charmouth, visit Thomas Hardy’s Cottage in the forest at Higher Bockhampton or ascend to Ashmore, the highest village in Dorset.

Experience the rural ideal and explore Dorset’s villages

As you can see there are many quirky little villages in Dorset, each with their own history, claim to fame and individual mysteries just waiting to be discovered and unless you spend a night or two, there’s no way you will be able to see them all!

Fortunately, there's lots of great accommodation close to each of these villages so why not take advantage, simply click the links below to get started:

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Number of results: 77

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Whitchurch Canonicorum

Lyme Regis

Planning on visiting Whitchurch Canonicorum?...If so, you have come to the right place!...Click here to get the latest information direct from the official Dorset tourist information site!

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Bradford Peverell

South Walks House, Dorchester

Bradford Peverell is one of the oldest villages in Dorset which pre-dates the Roman occupation of Dorchester. The village is the birthplace of John Hutchins (1698-1773), Dorset's most famous historian.

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Moreton

Moreton's highlights include St. Nicholas Church's beautiful glass windows engraved by the late Sir Laurence Whistler. T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) lived nearby at Clouds Hill, Bovington and his last resting place is in the cemetary.

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Highcliffe

Highcliffe, CHRISTCHURCH

Highcliffe's attractive coastline, with its panoramic views of the Isle of Wight to the east and Bournemouth to the west is just a few minutes walk from the village centre.

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Tolpuddle

South Walks House, Dorchester

Tolpuddle is a tiny, thatched village by the River Piddle which has become globally famous for the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

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Melbury Bubb

Sherborne

This attractively named farming village, tucked between a heavily wooded area and Bubb Down is refreshingly reminiscent of how the region would have looked in the 19th century.

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Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle village is overlooked by the outstanding ruins of its castle perched on a hill. The Castle, built in 1086, was one of the country’s great strongholds and was defended by Lady Bankes during the English Civil War.

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Langton Herring

Dorchester

This picturesque, rural village has a quaint appearance, with a number of original thatched cottages from the 17th and 18th century and four listed buildings.

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Mudeford

Mudeford, CHRISTCHURCH

Mudeford has an intriguing history of smuggling over the centuries and the picturesque quay is still the focal point of the local fishing industry.

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Abbotsbury

Bridport

Abbotsbury is a popular, pretty, picture-postcard village steeped in history and surrounded by spectacular scenery.

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Higher Bockhampton

South Walks Road, Dorchester

Higher Bockhampton is a tiny hamlet on the edge of Puddletown Heath containing the woodland cottage where Thomas Hardy was born on 2nd June 1840.

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Chedington

Bridport

Chedington is an attractive village made entirely of rich golden ham stone and commands one of the finest views in Dorset.

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Cranborne

Wimborne

A charming village of red brick and cob houses on the River Crane. The village has two pubs, a restaurant, village stores selling local produce and a garden centre.

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Winterborne Came

South Walks Road, Dorchester

Winterborne Came is a small rural parish located 2 miles south of Dorchester and is well known for its connections with the Dorset dialect poet William Barnes, who was rector here for 24 years until his death in 1886.

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Buckland Newton

South Walks Road, Dorchester

Buckland Newton is an average sized village which sits at the head of the Blackmoor Vale and lies amongst lush AONB meadow land and gentle hills.

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Frampton

South Walks Road, Dorchester

A quirky village with many attractive cottages.

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West Stafford

South Walks House, Dorchester

West Stafford is a small, thatched village in the Frome valley with good connections to Thomas Hardy’s work..

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