Dorset | Routes, Landscapes & Self-Guided Journeys

Coastlines, Downs, Heathland, and Historic Routes

From the cliffs and coves of the Jurassic Coast to the chalk landscapes of the Dorset Downs and the heathland of Purbeck, Dorset contains a diverse network of routes, landscapes, and places shaped by geology, the sea, and centuries of movement through the land. Trails such as the South West Coast Path, Wessex Ridgeway, Hardy Way, and Stour Valley Way reveal many of these environments, while landscapes including the Jurassic Coast, Dorset National Landscape, Purbeck Hills, and Cranborne Chase National Landscape showcase some of the county's most distinctive natural environments.

Long-distance routes pass through coastal landscapes, chalk hills, heathland, woodland, river valleys, farmland, and historic settlements, linking places that have shaped the character of Dorset for generations. Together, these routes and landscapes reveal the character of the county while providing opportunities to explore at a slower pace through self-guided travel and independent exploration.

Featured

Trails

The South West Coast Path

Walk the South West Coast Path from Minehead to Poole Harbour, linking cliffs, beaches, harbours, and protected coastal landscapes on a 630-mile self-guided travel route.

Wessex Ridgeway

Long-distance route between Marlborough and Lyme Regis, linking chalk ridges, ancient trackways, hill forts, rolling countryside, and the landscapes of Wiltshire and Dorset.