Colesmoor Farm

Dorset landmarks are aplenty, so it’s time for some exploring. Perhaps start with spectacular Jurassic Coast (20 minutes’ drive) landmarks like crescent-shaped Lulworth Cove (50 minutes) and the dramatic Durdle Door (both 50 minutes) sea arch. For sandy beaches, head for West Bay (20 minutes), while Chesil Beach (half an hour) is the spot for long bracing walks on shingle. Walkers can potter alongside streams in Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve, or look out for woodpeckers, rare butterflies and wild ponies at Powerstock Common Nature Reserve (both five minutes), where the path follows a former railway line through woodland and heath. For strolls with an historic theme, make for Iron Age Eggardon Hill Fort (45 minutes’ walk) straight from your tent – and don’t miss the sea views from the top – or hike up to the grass-covered circular ramparts of Maiden Castle (half an hour’s drive). You can follow a gravel trail to the stubby hillocks of Winterbourne Poor Lot Barrows (15 minutes), and meander uphill to the National Trust’s mysterious Cerne Giant (20 minutes), carved from the chalk hillside at a date yet unknown.