Things to Do in Dorchester

Durnovaria, as Roman Dorchester was known, had an amphitheatre and aqueduct and some remnants of the town walls can still be seen, as can the impressive foundations of a town house in Colliton Park, behind County Hall. 

Periodically modern Dorchester surrenders more Roman treasures such as the remarkable cache of 22,000 coins unearthed in South Street in 1936 – many of these finds are on display in the excellent County Museum that is undergoing extensive refurbishment this year.

Dorchester is of course synonymous with its most famous son, the author Thomas Hardy who renamed it Casterbridge and whose home at Max Gate is open to the public.

Just outside Dorchester is the Prince of Wales’ experimental sustainable development at Poundbury, home to Philip Jackson’s three-metre bronze statute of the late Queen Mother.   

A designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Piddle Valley villages of Alton Pancras, Piddletrenthide, Plush and Piddlehinton have much to commend them, as does Tolpuddle – where the injustice visited upon six farm labourers in 1834 helped secure the foundation of the trades union movement. 

Take a little time to browse through our selection of holiday cottages in Dorchester and it's neighbouring villages. We’re certain you’ll find something just right for a truly special Dorset holiday.