Afoot In Britain - Dorset and Wiltshire Countryside 2 Day Personal Guided Small Group Tour

Afoot In Britain - Dorset and Wiltshire Countryside 2 Day Personal Guided Small Group Tour

Dorset and Wiltshire Countryside 2-day Personal Guided Tour

Dorset and Wiltshire contain some of the most beautiful countryside in Southern England.  We spend our days visiting quaint little villages, historic market towns and the rolling chalk landscape of these two lovely counties.  We’ll travel through designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as Cranborne Chase and the South Wessex Ridgeway.

Day 1

After meeting at Bath or Salisbury railway station, we begin our tour with a visit to the historic town of Shaftesbury, built on a ridge high above Cranborne Chase and the Blackmore Vale.  Containing many historic buildings, it is particularly famous for Gold Hill, a steep cobbled street that the film director Ridley Scott used as the setting for an iconic television advertisement for Hovis bread that was frequently broadcast in the 1970s and 1980s.

From Shaftesbury, we travel on to Sherborne, another historic market town also Sherborne is famous for its ancient buildings, including its abbey, a manor house, several famous independent schools, and two castles (the 'old castle' ruins of a 12th century fortified palace, and a 'new' 16th century mansion, known as Sherborne Castle, built by Sir Walter Raleigh). Much of the old town, including the abbey and many medieval and Georgian buildings, is built from the distinctive ochre-coloured ham stone.

After lunch in a local country pub, we visit the quaint village of Cerne Abbas located in rolling chalk downland of central Dorset. Voted Britain's "Most Desirable Village" in 2008, it is notable as the location of the Cerne Abbas Giant, a mysterious chalk figure of a giant naked man carved into the hillside.  An ideal spot for afternoon tea!

We return to our hotel via Cranborne Chase, a high chalk plateau, which straddles the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.  As well as numerous pretty villages, it has a history that stretches back to the very earliest times in England.

Day 2

After breakfast, we travel south and begin our day with a quick visit to Blandford Forum, the most complete market town in England, rebuilt almost entirely in 1733 after a devastating fire.  From Blandford we travel on to Corfe Castle, a picturesque village and dramatic, ruined castle that stand in a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage.  Its quaint streets and buildings have been the setting for many film and TV programs.  After lunch we visit Swanage, a popular sea-side resort, and the stunning Jurassic coastline of Southern Dorset.  Our day finishes with Knowlton Circle, a prehistoric henge monument which encloses a ruined Norman church.

Day 3

After another splendid breakfast we run you back to the railway station, from where you can travel back to London or carry on to destinations such as Bath and the Cotswolds.

Cost = $200 per person/day and does not include accom or meals. We will customise the itinerary to meet your wishes and needs.

Contact us for more information  afootinbritain@gmail.com