Sixty years ago, a line was drawn around nearly half of Dorset’s landscape from the vales in the west, along the South Dorset Ridgeway, right across to Poole Harbour in the east. This line marked our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a designation which alongside our National Parks make up our finest countryside and landscapes protected in the national interest for future generations.

We’re inviting you to join in the celebrations. There will many lots of different opportunities to get involved in our 60th celebrations, thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We will be launching some great projects and events:

  • 60th Anniversary Fund for communities and organisations FIND OUT MORE
  • Landscapes for Life photo competition to showcase your favourite landscapes FIND OUT MORE
  • Have-a-go sessions in hedge-laying, woodland management, dry stone walling and fingerpost restoration FIND OUT MORE
  • Schools project focusing on our Outstanding wildlife FIND OUT MORE
  • Our ‘Talking Tent‘ to hear from local people what makes their landscape tick
  • ‘Beyond the Map‘, a creative project to discover what local people love about the Char Valley

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Our Landscapes for Life Festival at the end of September kick-started the celebrations. Over 400 people joined artists, story-tellers, wildlife experts, geologists, farmers and archaeologists to uncover what makes the landscapes they love so outstanding.

The Festival started with our ‘national moment’ on Saturday 21 September 2019 at the Cerne Giant, when we joined AONBs across the country by putting a heart in the landscape to show our love for our outstanding landscapes.

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