What towns in Dorset are the best to visit

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A. Dorset is a beautiful county full of old villages, breathtaking scenery and some of the finest sandy beaches in the UK. Some of the best towns to visit include the following (in alphabetical order):

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Abbotsbury: is an old village that is well known internationally for its swannery, which is over 600 years old.

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Bournemouth: is one of the most popular towns in the county. There is a full article on Answerbank on Bournemouth at:

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Christchurch: sits in the estuary between the River Avon and the River Stour and grew up around a priory of the same name that dates back to 1100AD. Some of its main attractions include the remains of a Norman house and castle and the geological Red House Museum.

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Corfe Castle village: is named after the ruins of the medieval castle that dominates it. It dates back to 975 and over the centuries has been renowned as a place for storing treasure because of its inaccessibility and has also been a prison and a fortified depot for royal jewels. The village, most of which dates back to 1700, is separated from the castle by a large, natural moat.

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Dorchester: is the county town of Dorset and dates back to 43AD. Some of its most famous monuments include a statue of Thomas Hardy who made the town famous in his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge and the Old Crown Court where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. The Tourist Information Centre can be found at Unit 11, Antelope Walk, Dorchester. Telephone: 01305 267992.

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Lyme Regis: is one of the most popular towns in the county and is located on its most Western tip in the mouth of the River Lym. It dates back to 1284, has many old cobbled streets and has been popular since the 18th Century when sea bathing first became popular. The area is also renowned internationally for its fossils and its geological heritage. It is featured in many classic novels which include Northanger Abbey and Persuasion by Jane Austen, and The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

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Poole: has some of the best beaches in the whole of Britain which cover over five miles. It has been a port and fishing village since the early 13th Century and is today one of the most popular resorts in the county.

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Swanage: has been a popular seaside town since the 19th Century and is best known nationwide as the home of Purbeck marble which was used to build Westminster Abbey and many other cathedrals around the country. You can find out what to do in Swanage online by visiting www.virtual-swanage.co.uk.

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Weymouth: this pretty seaside town dates back to 1252 and is best known historically as the port where the plague entered Britain in 1348. It came into its own as a seaside resort in 1789 when George III visited and put the town on the map.

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Q. Can you tell me where I can find good, cheap accommodation in Dorset

A. There are two great websites that list accommodation in the county, these are: http://www.dorset-cc.gov.uk and http://www.thedorsetpage.com/Dorset_Home.htm

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Q. Is it easy to reach Dorset from the rest of the country

A. There are good road and rail connections to the county from the rest of the country. There are quick road connections to London, Birmingham and the north. The A31 and A35 trunk roads across the county give access to the West Country and, via the M27 motorway to the M3 and on to the M25, M1 M4 and M40. By rail there are fast links to London Waterloo from Dorchester; fast links to the midlands, north west and Scotland from Bournemouth and Poole; and links to Bristol and Wales from Weymouth.

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By Karen Anderson