Howard's Wood

Dorset packs a mighty historical punch, and there are several Iron Age sites to see locally. Hike up to the fort at Rawlsbury Camp (50 minutes) for spectacular views over Bulbarrow Hill and Blackmore Vale, or glimpse the sea from the top of the burial mounds at Eggardon Hill Fort (25 minutes). Time-travel forward to Saxon times to see the National Trust-owned Cerne Giant (35 minutes’ drive) etched into the chalk hillside above thatched Cerne Abbas village (half an hour). A day on a Jurassic Coast beach may be in the sightseeing schedule too; choices include the fossil hub of Dorset at Charmouth (25 minutes) or the soft sandy town beach at popular Lyme Regis (half an hour). Heading east, Seatown Beach (20 minutes) is a quiet shingle spot for solitary walks, while trips to the West Dorset Heritage Coast repay with scenic hikes along Chesil Beach (40 minutes) and the chance to feed the swans at Abbotsbury Swannery (35 minutes). If you’d rather stay closer to home base, tour the orchards and taste a drop or two of local scrumpy at Dorset Nectar Cider (five minutes), and if the kids have been well behaved, reward them with cuddly donkey encounters at Donkey Walking Adventures (10 minutes).