Step into Summer!
It may not feel like summer at the moment but the outstanding Dorset countryside offers plenty to do, whatever the weather!
The Explore page on our website has top tips on over 60 special places to go across the AONB. Choose from meadows, woodlands, heaths, hillforts, coastal walks and other hidden gems.
Pack a picnic and head into the great outdoors, or if the weather looks iffy then enjoy a café with a view until the storm has passed!
If you’re looking for fun, affordable and creative activities for your children during the school holidays, Artsreach have a popular children’s programme for the summer, with places still available at some of the events.
Other great places to head out to for summer adventures, with or without kids, include
- Durlston Country Park near Swanage;
- Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre;
- West Bay Discovery Centre,
- Kimmeridge Wild Seas Centre
- Kingcombe Centre near Maiden Newton.
Explore by bus
Some of our Explore sites are accessible by bus, using the Jurassic Coaster and Purbeck Breezer buses which also give spectacular views from their top decks (look out for the £2 price cap and group fares).
The Breezer buses call at Studland, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Corfe Castle, Wareham and lots of other towns and villages.
Summer on your sofa ...
Our Stepping into Nature team created the evocative ‘Seasons of Stories’ book collection, designed to bring the very essence of nature to your home. They are delighted to share the audio version of the Summer book, narrated by storyteller Martin Maudsley and poet Sarah Acton.
You can enjoy journeying through the chapters of summer told through story, poetry, traditions and imagery, by listening to the audio, viewing the book online or downloading a copy to print.
Walk Dorset's history
Six NEW history walk guides in Dorset, have just been launched by our Stepping into Nature project, in collaboration with Dorset Council’s Archaeologist Steve Wallis.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about the past, these guides will take you on a captivating journey through 12 towns and villages in Dorset.
The new walks include Abbotsbury, Beaminster, Bridport and Wareham. You can download the PDFs of the leaflets free or request a print copy from the team.
Celebrating 100th grant awarded ...
We don’t often blow our own trumpet but wanted to give a shout out to our wonderful Farming in Protected Landscapes team! They are celebrating the 100th grant they have awarded pushing the total to over £1million grant support for farmers and landowners in the Dorset AONB since the programme started in July 2021.
Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) is a funding programme from Defra which benefits nature, climate, people and place. A further £1million is available and our Farming in Protected Landscapes team would love to hear from you if you are a farmer or land manager and have a project in mind.
Coming soon, save the date!
The Inside Out Dorset festival brings artists from all over the world to create extraordinary events in extraordinary places. This year we’re supporting the events at Wild Woodbury (20-24th September); the festival also includes events at Moors Valley Country Park & Forest, Poole, Wimborne and Weymouth (15th – 24th September).
Wild Woodbury is Dorset Wildlife Trust’s rewilding site at Bere Regis and will provide a beautiful backdrop to performances by artists from France, Holland and the UK which draw on themes of food, nature and natural cycles, weather, climate change and soil health.
Find out more about Inside Out Dorset Festival 2023