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A unique place

Set high on a hilltop overlooking Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland, this 14th century chapel was built by the monks of the nearby Abbotsbury Abbey as a place of pilgrimage and retreat. Today the chapel still sits in splendid isolation.

Worth the effort 

St Catherine’s Chapel sits on top of a steep hill but the short, sharp walk up Chapel Hill is well worth it – you will feel on top of the world when you get there! After looking around the Chapel; fly kites, picnic, head for the village tea rooms or enjoy the timber play park at the foot of Chapel Hill.

Visit the English Heritage website for further information

St Catherine's from the South Dorset Ridgeway by Mike Cowley

Abbotsbury Walks

Walk a little or a lot

  • Try either a  2 mile route around Chapel Hill or a 3.5 mile walk around the beach & gardens following this bus stop trail 
  • Enjoy a 2.5 mile circular walk inland, taking in the Abbotsbury Plains and White Hill.
  • For a longer leg stretch try our 5 mile Abbotsbury Hillfort walk and enjoy discovering the ancient landscape of the South Dorset Ridgeway, as you follow the illustrated route map.

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