Dorset

Dorset is in South/West England, on the English Channel. The rolling countryside is crossed by the North Dorset and South Dorset downs; chalk ranges running East and West. The rocky coastline has an attractive, well used harbour at Poole. Fertile valleys like the Vale of Blackmore, the Stour, and the Frome are devoted to agriculture. The unique and well known marble of Portland and Purbeck are quarried here in Dorset. Tourism is increasingly important to the economy; Bournemouth has been a resort since the late 19th century.

For the visitor, Dorset offers a beautiful coastline as well as wonderful history. The county's pre-Roman antiquities include Maiden Castle and the author Thomas Hardy was born here; he makes mention of the region in some of his novels.

One of the best ways to take in the scenery of this county has to be aboard the award-winning Swanage Railway. It currently operates on the six miles of track between Swanage and Norden, through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, passing the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle. The ambitious goals of the Swanage Railway Trust (the controlling body of the Swanage Railway) are to restore the rail link between Swanage and Wareham and to create a comprehensive historical record of steam railways and steam technology in Southern England. The days of steam may have passed, yet the experience remains as exhilarating today as it must have been in the past.