Places to see & places to go in Dorset
Cerne Abbas Giant
The Cerne Abbas giant is a hill figure of a giant naked man on a hillside near the village of Cerne Abbas, to the north of Dorchester. The 180 ft (55 m) high, 167 ft (51 m) wide figure is carved into the side of a steep hill, and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley. The carving is formed by a trench 12 in (30 cm) wide, and about the same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlying chalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 120 ft (37 m) in length.
The Cerne Abbas giant is often thought of as an ancient creation. However, like many of the other figures, its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic, Roman or even Early Medieval periods difficult to prove with the earliest written reference to the Giant being made in 1694, in a record for payment in the Cerne Abbas churchwarden's accounts of three shillings toward the re-cutting of the giant. Local folklore states that a Danish giant who was leading an invasion of the coast was beheaded by the people of Cerne Abbas while he slept on the hillside. The chalk line 
represents the location of his body.
In 1920, the giant and the 1 acre on which he sits was acquired by the National Trust and is listed as a Scheduled Monument. During World War II the giant was disguised in order to prevent his use as a landmark for enemy aircraft. The giant is re-chalked every 25 years.
In modern times the Giant has been used for several publicity stunts, the latest being for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on the 16 July 2007, when a giant Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was outlined in water-based biodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas giant.
^ Back to topLyme Regis
Lyme Regis lies within the World Heritage Site status because of the outstanding earth science interest. The town has a long and varied history; records start in 774AD. There has been no noticeable development and so Lyme Regis remains unspoiled. It is famous for not only its finds of fossils and its geology, but also the abundance of famous personalities that have lived and visited here and its uniqueness in these modern times.
Many people know Lyme Regis from the film, the French Lieutenant's Woman, with the famous scene on the cobb with Meryl Streep. You can recreate the scen yourselves today as nothing has changed since the film was made back in 1981.
Lyme Regis stands on a layer of Blue Lias, a soft sedimentary rock formed in the Jurassic period, approximately 180 million years old. It is in this rock that the world famous fossils are found. Mary Anning, born in Lyme Regis in 1799, was the first person to excavate a fossil. Regular fossil hunting expeditions are conducted by experienced guides, including the celebrated Dr. Colin Dawes.
In June the town hosts the start of the annual coast to coast motor cycle rally, over 500 Vintage and Classic motor cycles can be viewed before their departure. The first weekend in July sees the International Jazz Festival which has acquired an international reputation with many renowned Jazz Bands playing.
Old Harry's Rock
Old Harrys Rocks are made from chalk, formed by cockels and are located directly east of Studland and to the north of Swanage. The rocks are part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site of which they form the eastern end. It is also believed that the rocks were once connected to The Needles on the Isle of Wight.
The cliff is chalk, with some bands of flint, which have been gradually reduced over the centuries, some of the earlier stacks having fallen (old Harry's original wife fell in 1896), while new ones have been formed by the breaching of narrow isthmuses. Study of the rocks is a very important part of preserving them in their natural state as they are a vital part to our coastline, and many teams have been working on saving the formations.
Legend says that the Devil had a sleep on the rocks, which lead to the old euphemism of the Devil being called "Old Harry". Another possible source of the name is that the rocks were named after a famous Poole pirate, Harry Paye, who used to store his contraband nearby.
^ Back to topGolden Cap
Golden Cap is a hill and cliff situated between Bridport and Charmouth. The cliffs are the highest point on the south coast of Great Britain. The hill is owned by the National Trust and forms part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. The name derives from the distinctive outcropping of golden Greensand rock present at the very top of the cliff.
The 626 ft hill is visible for tens of miles in each direction along the coastline. There is a coast-path leading up from Seatown and for those fit enough to try it, takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get to the top. Directly behind the cliff is a small wood of Corsican Pine known as Langdon Wood, planted in the 1950s and originating from a copse of trees known as "Eleanor's Clump". Langdon is owned by the National Trust and has a car park and a circular walk around the wood of almost exactly one mile.
The base of the cliff is shrouded by various large boulders, which are frequented by fossil collectors and tourists alike. Following a storm, thousands of fossilised Ammonites and Belemnites are visible in the Blue Lias base. The base of the cliff is accessible through Chideock Beach or Charmouth. Extreme caution must be taken when visiting the base of Golden Cap, as the tide completely envelopes the beach below the cliff.
^ Back to topBlue Pool
The Blue Pool is a lake in the Furzebrook Estate, a 25 acres park of heath woodland and gorse near Furzebrook in Dorset, England. The pool is a flooded, disused clay pit where Purbeck Ball Clay was dug from from the 1600s to the early 1900s to make smoking pipes and tea pots. The Estate is a habitat for the Green Sand Lizard and the Sika deer. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. In 1935 a cafe was opened at the site. There is also a museum and gift shop.
Weymouth Sea Life Centre
Opened in 1983, the Weymouth Sea Life Centre is now one of the most diverse animal attractions in the south of England. Spectacular marine life displays covering a variety of habitats, from British coastal rockpools to tropical lagoons, house creatures ranging from humble shrimps and starfish to sharks, rays and seahorses.
The Weymouth Sea Life Centre also houses a fledgling colony of rare Humboldt penguins; a family of Asian short-clawed otters and five resident common seals in a fantastic pool complex including a breathtaking underwater observatory.
^ Back to topLulworth Cove
Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The cove is one of the finest examples of such a landform in the world, and is a tourist location, with over 1 million visitors a year. It is close to Durdle Door and other Jurassic Coast sites. It was featured on the TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the South.
The cove has formed because there are bands of rock of alternating resistance running parallel to the shore (a concordant coastline). On the seaward side the clays and sands have been eroded away. A narrow band of resistant Portland limestone forms the shoreline. Behind this is a narrow band of slightly less resistant Purbeck limestone. Behind this are 300-350 metres of much less resistant clays and greensands.
Forming the back of the cove is a 250 metre wide band of chalk, which is considerably more resistant than the clays and sands, but less resistant than the limestones. The entrance to the cove is a narrow gap in the limestone bands. This was formed by a combination of erosional processes by wave action and glacial melt waters. The wide part of the cove is where the weak clays and greensands have been eroded. The back of the cove is the chalk, which the sea has been unable to erode as fast.
^ Back to topSwanage Railway
The Swanage Railway is a six mile-long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line (Norden Park & Ride - Corfe Castle - Harman's Cross - Herston Halt - Swanage), and has been re−connected to the mainline at Wareham along a stretch of the branch line that remained open to freight until 2005. Trains operate on the Swanage Railway between Swanage and Norden Park & Ride every weekend and Bank Holiday from mid-February to the end of the year, and every day of the week from April to October and with Santa Special services in December. The first public passenger service between Wareham and Swanage since 1972 will be "The Purbeck Pioneer" a diesel-hauled railtour from London Victoria to Swanage, via Wareham, which is scheduled for 1st April 2009.
To bring your group to the Heights Hotel so that you can explore Dorset, please call Jenny or Kathy to discuss your personal requirements on 01305 821361.
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