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Dorset Days Out

    Things to do in East Dorset

    Today (Mon 9 Nov) · East Dorset

    Photo: Bellminsterboy

    East Dorset covers places around Wimborne Minster, Verwood and Ashley Heath. Listings include Kingston Lacy, the Museum of East Dorset, the Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park and Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, home to Go Ape. The Stour Valley Way also passes through for longer walks.

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    Open all year

    • Open all year

      Moors Valley Country Park and Forest

      Ashley Heath · East Dorset · Nature and wildlife
      • Family-friendly
      • Dog-friendly
      • Accessible
      • +2 more

      A family-friendly country park and forest offering adventure play trails and tree-top challenges. Visitors can explore 1000 acres of woodland, meadows and lakes on foot or by bike, try adventure golf or a mini Land Rover course, or ride the narrow-gauge steam train. Dogs are welcome, and wheelchair and mobility tramper hire is available.

    • Open all year

      Badbury Rings

      Shapwick · East Dorset · Heritage
      • Free
      • Family-friendly
      • Dog-friendly
      • +2 more

      One of Dorset's finest Iron Age hillforts, set in chalk grassland that is home to ground-nesting skylarks, wild orchids and butterflies, with an avenue of beech trees and views across the Dorset countryside. It's free to visit from dawn to dusk, and parking is free for National Trust members. The ground is uneven and steep in places and there are no toilets. Sheep and cattle graze here, and dogs must be on a lead from late February to August.

    • Open all year

      Stour Valley Way

      Stour Valley · North Dorset · Walks

      A 64 mile long distance walking route that follows the River Stour from its source at Stourhead down to Christchurch Harbour, where it meets the sea. In Dorset it passes through Sturminster Newton, Wimborne Minster, Ferndown, Bournemouth and Christchurch, and is signposted with a kingfisher logo.

    • Open all year

      Kingston Lacy

      Wimborne Minster · East Dorset · Heritage

      Kingston Lacy is a 17th century Italian-style country house with formal gardens and parkland. Visitors can view paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Titian, and see one of the UK's largest private collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts. The estate also includes woodland walks, a Japanese garden and Badbury Rings.

    • Open all year

      Go Ape Moors Valley

      Moors Valley · East Dorset · Outdoor activities
      • Family-friendly

      An outdoor adventure park within Moors Valley Country Park offering high ropes, zip lines, all-terrain Segways and a multi-level nets playground. Experiences range from a gentle introduction for younger children to a longer treetop challenge with Tarzan swings for older kids and adults. Suitable for adventurers aged four to one hundred and four.

    • Open all year

      Museum of East Dorset

      Wimborne Minster · East Dorset · Heritage
      • Family-friendly
      • Accessible
      • Rainy day
      • +2 more

      A family-friendly museum set in a historic town house off Wimborne's High Street, with 11 galleries covering local history and archaeology. Visitors can enjoy interactive exhibits, face-to-face encounters with figures from Wimborne's past, and a collection of Victorian Valentine cards. The site also has a walled garden, tearoom, second-hand bookshop and gift shop.

    • Open all year

      Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park

      Verwood · East Dorset · Nature and wildlife
      • Family-friendly

      A family-run farm park near Verwood built around a rare breed of heavy horses. Visitors can meet and feed the horses, take carriage and tractor rides, explore play barns and a trampoline barn, and see a vintage vehicle collection. The park is open from April to November, with a café on site.