Dorset and the Jurassic Coast

May 2024

This route is available as self-guided with luggage transfers included, meaning all you need do is cycle. You will receive detailed information about places to visit, coffee and lunch stops and our insider tips and knowledge come as standard!

Explore the wonderful scenery of Dorset, much of it designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the World Heritage Jurassic coastime on this lovely four day ride. Starting in the delightful market town of Sherborne, famous for its ancient abbey and home to two castles - one of which was owned by Sir Walter Raleigh, this ride takes you on a clockwise look through the very best of the county on quiet roads many of which are only known to local cyclists like us! There is more history on the Isle of Purbeck as you stay in Corfe Castle with its famous ruins and then follow the Frome valley on a predominantly flat day to Dorchester, the county town, and then on to Lyme Regis, a lovely seaside town famous for its harbour and Cobb. The last day meanders back through the Marshwood Vale to Beaminster and Evershot, visiting the Cerne Abbas Giant before finally delivering you back to Sherborne. There are some hills on this tour, especially on the last two days, but nothing insurmountable and the views are simply fantastic!

As a Dorset based company we know our area intimately and we also know the roads like the back of our handsa, so you are guaranteed the best cycling available. Indeed, over the 40 years we have lived here we have ridden on every road outside the main conurbations and have even coloured in a map to prove it!

Landscape made famous by Thomas Hardy
Lovely market towns and villages
Historic remains from iron age hillforts to Civil War castles
World Heritage Jurassic coast
Quiet roads and lanes in this rural and sparseley populated area
Fine routes through our home county along the best roads for cycling

Your Next Adventure Awaits

What you need to know...

Start Location
Sherborne

Finish Location
Sherborne

Country/Region
United Kingdom

Grading
Moderate

Shortest Day
45

Longest Day
50

Total Days
6 (4 days riding)

Total Miles
190

Departure Dates & Prices

Month	Dates	Tour Price	Single Supplement*	Bike Hire From	Enquire	Book
May 2024	7th to 12th May 2024	7/5/24 to 12/5/24	£995	£295		Check Availability	Book Now

*A single supplement is only payable if you would like a guaranteed room to yourself. If you are happy to share with another traveller of the same gender, no supplement is payable.

Day 2

You will leave the town passing Sherborne old castle, one home to Sir Walter Raleigh and before long will be in the evocative coutryside of the Blackmore Vale. Little has changed here for centuries and quiet lanes takes you through pretty villages, and glorious views of the vale as you ride past ancient hedgerows and oak trees. It is an easy route to the Isle of Purbeck and mid way you may well decide to pause for coffee in the delightful village of Milton Abbas, with its wide high street of thatched cottages. Continuing on you skirt the eastern frionge of Egdon Heath before the walled Saxon town of Wareham - an ideal spot for lunch. The last stretch takes you to Corfe Castle, famous for the ruins of its castle destroyed during the Civil War, which you should have plenty of time to visit. About 45 miles.

Day 3

From Corfe Castle you take a quiet back road to Swanage with its fine beach and views over to the Isle of Wight. It's not far to there, but you may still decide to stop for refreshments and bit of people watching. You then loop back to Corfe before heading west towards the county town of Dorchester, famed as Thomas Hardy's Casterbridge. It is an easy run along the Frome Valley to Hardy's Casterbridge, passing the grave of Lawrence of Arabia and with Hardy's birthplace but a short distance off our chosen route. This is a straightfoward day leaving you ample time to explore Dorchester. About 41 miles.

Day 4

From the county town you will skirt the edge of ancient iron-age Maiden Castle before climbing up to Hardy Monument - named after Nelson's Flag Captain, not the author, from where there are simply wonderful 360 degree views over coast and countryside. You then ride down the unspoilt Bride Valley to emerge at West Bay, an ideal stop for coffee or an ice-cream by the little harbour. Bridport is just inland and after visitong this lovely small town, famed for its range of independent shops and boutiques, you will enter the Marshwood Vale which has changed little over the years. Quiet lanes tale you through wonderfully-named villages and eventualy you will emerge above Lyme Regis, a seaside resort fashionable since Georgian times. Your hotel is right in the centre with the sea a stone's throw away, and an evening walk along the promenade to the famous Cobb is an excellent way to round off the day. About 40 miles.

Day 5

There is no escaping the fact that the only way out of Lyme Regis is up, but after conquering the hill it then gets easier - although this is still the most energetic day of the tour of this diverse county. Dipping back down into the Marshwood Vale you will emerge at Broadwindsor, having no doubt paused on a number of occasions to admire the view on your right. A gently rising road takes you above Beamonster and from here you can glance northwards deep into Somerset, and on a clear day see Glastonbury Tor. Passing through more pretty villages you arrive in Cerne Abbas, via a couple of hills, an excellent spot for lunch and surely one of Dorset's prettiest villages. On the way out you will see the famous Cerne Giant and before long you are on the run-in to Sherborne along more quiet lanes with not much in the way of challenging terrain, to arrive in good time to make the most of your last night in this wonderful, hidden and unspoilt county. About 45 miles.