Outdoor activities in Dorset on this page cover the water, the woods and the coast. Events on soon come first, then places open all year. Every listing links to its source.
Outdoor activities
An evening cruise around Poole Harbour with a festive theme, including mulled wine on boarding and a two-course Christmas buffet. Guests can dance to music from an onboard DJ. It runs on Friday and Saturday nights through December.
Outdoor activities
Starting near Chesil Beach, we'll follow a stretch of the South West Coast Path towards West Bexington before heading inland and climbing onto the South Dorset Ridgeway, then across to the beautiful St Catherine's Chapel. We'll then loop back to our starting point, enjoying a varied route combining coastal scenery, countryside trails, village charm and far-reaching views. Whether you enjoy discovering new walking routes or simply want to spend a morning exploring the Dorset landscape with like-minded people, this is a great opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the company of fellow walkers.
Open all year
Isle of Purbeck Golf Club offers two heathland courses with views over Poole Harbour, set within a nature reserve where rare plants and birds can be seen. The 9-hole Dene Course suits golfers of all abilities, including beginners, while the Purbeck Championship course challenges more experienced players. The clubhouse has a restaurant and pro shop.
Open all year
Gorcombe Xtreme Sports is an activity centre offering quad biking, clay shooting, rage karting, paintballing, archery and crazy footgolf, alongside challenge courses with obstacles such as monkey bars and swinging ropes. Visitors can also use an indoor swimming pool, walk through a sunflower field, pick pumpkins and meet the site's goats, with a cafe on site.
Open all year
Poole's historic quayside, where tall ships, fishing boats and Sunseeker powerboats come and go, and boats leave for harbour cruises, Swanage and Old Harry, and for Brownsea Island every 30 minutes in season. Explore the Old Town on the Cockle Trail, head up to the viewing platform of the Sea Music sculpture, try crabbing or sit with the life-size statue of Lord Baden-Powell. Shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs line the quay.
Open all year
Pleasure boat trips departing from the quayside in Poole, giving views of Poole Harbour and the Dorset coastline. Cruises last around an hour, with booking preferred in advance though visitors can also turn up at the kiosk on the day.
Open all year
A large urban park beside a boating lake, with play areas, a café, tennis, bowls, minigolf, a fitness trail and water sports. The Poole Park railway runs through the park seven days a week. There are three free car parks with maximum stays, plus free parking on the park's roads, but cars can't drive in from 7.30am to 10am, Monday to Saturday. Dogs are welcome except in the fenced play areas.
Open all year
A 250-passenger cruise vessel departing from Weymouth Harbour, sailing along the Jurassic Coast towards landmarks such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. Daytime cruises suit families, couples and groups, while evening sailings feature themed parties and live music, with indoor and outdoor seating and a licensed onboard bar.
Open all year
Wareham River Boat Hire, in the town centre, rents motor boats, kayaks, canoes, rowing boats and paddleboards for exploring the River Frome and its swans, ducks and herons. There is no need to book: just turn up, though larger groups can book. Life jackets are included and dogs are welcome aboard. Under-8s must share a craft with an adult, and motorboat hirers must be over 18. A wheelchair accessible boat can be booked in advance.
Open all year
A chain ferry crossing between Sandbanks and the Isle of Purbeck in around four minutes, offering coastal views along the way. It provides a quick link to nearby National Trust sites such as Studland Bay and Corfe Castle, running seven days a week with no need to pre-book. Foot passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists and cars can all travel, with foot passengers going free from Studland to Sandbanks.
Open all year
An activity venue in Blandford Forum offering laser tag, archery, and axe and knife throwing. It caters for birthday parties, stag and hen groups, team building days and family sessions during school holidays.
Open all year
Guided sea kayaking, stand up paddleboarding and coasteering trips based in Castletown, Portland, with easy access into Portland Harbour. Trips explore the fleet lagoon, Chesil Beach and hidden coves and caves. Suitable for individuals, groups and families, with no experience required and double kayaks available for children as young as five.
Open all year
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
A single wood-fired sauna for up to eight on the left as you enter Lulworth Cove. Book a 65-minute communal or private session, or a private guided ritual, and cool off in the sea, where pebbles, shingle and sand slope away; swim shoes help. Changing, lockers and a hot spring-water shower are at Lulworth Lodge, two minutes' walk away. The sauna is reached by a sea ladder, so it isn't easy for everyone. Guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
Coastal Cruises Poole Ltd runs boat trips along the Jurassic Coast, to Swanage and around Poole Harbour. A uniformed crew provides commentary on the coastline and landmarks, and refreshments including a bar are available on board. Evening cruises and private charters can also be arranged, and dogs are welcome on all trips for a small charge.
Open all year
Skippered RIB boat trips along the Jurassic Coast, departing from Bridport Harbour in West Bay. Options range from fast-paced adventures to relaxing sightseeing cruises and private hire, suiting families, couples and groups. Trips run from Easter through to the end of October, weather and sea conditions permitting.
Open all year
Sailing trips aboard the tall ship Moonfleet, a gaff rigged cutter based at Portland Marina, suited to both beginners and experienced sailors. Passengers can either relax and watch the coastline or join the crew in tasks such as hoisting sails and taking the helm. Trips run most days but depend on the weather.
Open all year
Boat trips departing from the Cobb Harbour in Lyme Regis, offering views of the Jurassic Coast from a rigid inflatable boat. Choose fast paced adventures or slower sightseeing cruises to spot dolphins, seals and seabirds, with commentary from skippers. Suitable for those aged 5 and over, with lifejackets and a safety briefing provided.
Open all year
Dorset Foot Golf is an 18-hole hillside course combining football and golf, with sea views over West Bay and the Dorset coastline. Obstacles include tractor tyres, tunnels, ramps and hoops, alongside features referencing local landmarks such as Durdle Door and Colmer's Hill. On-site there is parking, toilets, a children's outdoor play area, indoor soft play, alpacas and a bar and restaurant.
Open all year
The Saltwater Sauna's flagship on Boscombe beach: an indoor communal sauna for 35 people overlooking the sea, open all year. Ninety-minute sessions range from open social sessions and silent ones to guided rituals led by certified sauna masters, with upbeat music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Between rounds there are hot and cold showers, a cold bucket shower, sea dips and a lounge with herbal tea. Overstrand car park is a four-minute walk.
Open all year
A bike hire centre in Purbeck Park offering mountain bikes and electric bikes for exploring the woodlands, heaths, beaches and hills of the Isle of Purbeck. Nine signed routes with pub stops cater for all ages and abilities, ranging from a 10 mile round trip to 24 miles. The centre is reachable by car, with a large car park, or by the Wareham to Swanage railway line, and is usually open from mid March to October.
Open all year
A high ropes adventure course set in the countryside just outside Lyme Regis and Charmouth, with a continuous belay system for safety. Suitable for children aged 6 and over with a minimum height of 1.2m, it suits families, groups of friends and team-building days out.
Open all year
An outdoor activity centre offering coasteering, climbing and abseiling, kayaking, paddleboarding, high ropes and bushcraft along the Jurassic coastline. Sessions suit families, private groups, schools and youth groups, with activities open to ages eight and upwards led by qualified instructors. A bunk-house residential centre is also available to hire.
Open all year
A windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding centre based within the National Sailing Academy grounds on Portland Harbour. It has an affiliated RYA school catering for all abilities, a shop selling watersports kit, and is a stockist of OneWheel electric boards.
Open all year
RockReef is an all-year, all-weather activity attraction at the end of Bournemouth Pier, with 28 themed climbing walls, a balance-testing Stairway to Heaven and an aerial HighLine obstacle course. Visitors can also try the Pier Cave, a Vertical Slide, and the PierZip, a pier-to-shore zip wire landing on the beach below. There is a cafe with sea views inside.
Open all year
Two wood-fired saunas, Big for up to eight and Small for up to six, beside the dunes on Sandbanks Beach. Between rounds of heat you can take a cold beach shower or wade in from the soft sand, which shelves gently, with views to Old Harry Rocks. It's an off-grid site with a small changing space in each sauna, so bring only the essentials. Sessions last 65 minutes and guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
A waterpark and mud trail set in woodland near Corfe Castle, suited to families and groups. The 18-acre site features inflatable water obstacles across two lakes, a 2km muddy adventure trail, and a spring-fed sauna with plunge pool. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome, and there is a picnic area with views of Corfe Castle.
Open all year
Two identical electric saunas on the promenade at Avon Beach, next to the occasion huts near the Noisy Lobster, each taking up to seven people and looking across the water to the Isle of Wight. The shore is a gently sloping mix of sand and shingle, so swim shoes are recommended for a sea dip. Each sauna has a small changing room, and Avon Run Road car park is about two minutes' walk behind. Guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
Insight Activities offers woodland archery, axe throwing and crossbow shooting in a private woodland setting near Dorchester. Its Medieval Trio session combines all three activities over 2.5 hours for ages 12 and over, with archery-only sessions available for children from age 6. Bushcraft sessions covering firelighting and knife skills are also offered.
Boat trips leave from Poole Quay, Weymouth, Lyme Regis and West Bay, with RIB rides and cruises along the Jurassic Coast. You can hire kayaks, canoes and paddleboards on the River Frome at Wareham, or join guided sea kayaking and coasteering from Portland.
Inland, there are high ropes and zip lines at Go Ape Moors Valley and The Tunnel Tree Tops near Charmouth, bike hire at Cyclexperience on the Isle of Purbeck, and archery and axe throwing at Insight Activities and Laserguys Activities. Beside the sea, The Saltwater Sauna has saunas at Sandbanks, Boscombe, Avon Beach and Lulworth Cove. Check age limits and booking on each activity's official page.