Accommodation in Dorset
Things To Do in Dorset
Places To Eat & Drink in Dorset
Explore & Discover Dorset
Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.
To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
You are here: Explore > Villages
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.
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 18th 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.
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).
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.
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:
Number of results: 77
, currently showing 61 to 77.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bridport
Abbotsbury is a popular, pretty, picture-postcard village steeped in history and surrounded by spectacular scenery.
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.
Bridport
Chedington is an attractive village made entirely of rich golden ham stone and commands one of the finest views in Dorset.
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.
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.
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.
South Walks House, Dorchester
West Stafford is a small, thatched village in the Frome valley with good connections to Thomas Hardy’s work..
Copyright 2021 Visit Dorset. All Rights Reserved.