Pub & Restaurants
The Museum pub is the same building that Pitt Rivers used to display his collection of archaeological specimens in the 1890s. This fantastic gastropub is renowned in the area - it is essential to book a table if planning to dine on the weekend, but even on other days it is advisable. It is about 400 yards down the lane from Yew Tree cottage. A sample menu can be found here. Tel: 01725 516 261
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Another highly-regarded gastropub in the local area with
an excellent menu. The pub beer garden is extremely
tranquil, being set in a small valley among the hills of
Tollard Royal. Essential to book on weekend evenings,
but highly advisable on other nights too. A sample
menu can be found here. Tel: 01725 516 207
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Approximately 15 minutes away, the Langton Arms is run by a family
who have been farming in the Cranborne Chase for 5 generations and run
a butchery in Tarrant Rawston. Therefore, the food is considered excellent.
The pub is a loverly 17thcentury thatched building. Tel: 01258 830 225
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Excellent pub in the centre of Fontmell Magna; the building
straddles a stream and used to have a mill. The pub is
cheerful and lively, especially when showing 6 nation rugby
matches. The restaurant is extremely good and tables need to
be reserved. Tel: 01747 811 441
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Indian restaurants
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Chutney's (Shaftesbury) is our favourite. In the evening, you can normally drive there in 15-20 minutes in the event that you wanted a take away. The menu can be found here. Tel: 01747 852 585
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Simla Tandoori (Blandford). Tel: 01258 452 096
Larmer Tree Gardens
Larmer Tree Gardens were established by Lt Gen Pitt Rivers shortly after he inherited Rushmore estate in 1890. He created the gardens for public "enlightenment and entertainment"! By 1899, the gardens attracted over 44,000 each year. The singing theatre was used for musical performances and poetry readings. Picnics were encouraged and the lawns were used for tennis, croquet and other games.
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Today the gardens are a beautiful and tranquil retreat to amble around and enjoy. Peacock are usually found roaming around and if you are lucky will fan their train of feathers. There is usually croquet and other games to play with, in addition to lots of ornate buildings scattered throughout the gardens. There is a popular tea room and cafe. The gardens are usually open from Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 4.30 pm (it is always closed on Fridays and Saturdays for weddings and other events). Dogs are allowed on leads (but not in the main gardens because of the peacock) and children are welcomed. Children under 5 are free.
Larmer Tree Gardens is a special place for us as we married there in September 2013. It is an extremely popular wedding venue.
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The Larmer Tree Gardens website is: http://www.larmertree.co.uk
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Music Festivals
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Larmer Tree Gardens, in addition to hosting frequent weddings, also hosts two music festivals annually: the Larmer Tree Festival and the End of the Road Festival.
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The 2020 Larmer Tree Festival is confirmed for the weekend of July 16th - 19th. The festival began in the late 1970s,having been inspired by the Bracknell Jazz festival. It grew in size and popularity until it became a large, 5 day event in the 1990s. Tickets are intentionally limited to about ~4000 revellers per day, in order to maintain the "small festival" atmosphere. It is extremely family friendly, and the surrounding fields are converted into campsites. Music usually continues until about 2 am, but up to 4 am during the weekends. The 2020 festival line-up includes: Tom Odell, Kate Tempest, The Cat Empire, The Shires, KT Tunstall, Gomez and many, many more bands.
See: www.larmertreefestival.co.uk Email: info@larmertreefestival.co.uk Telephone: 01725 552 300
The 2020 End of the Road Festival is confirmed for September 3rd - 6th. The festival began in 2006 after being dreamt up by festival junkie Simon Taffe. It is considered a down-to-earth gathering of musical obsessives. There are no VIP areas, and the emphasis is on local organic foods wide range of local real ales and the surrounding fields are converted into huge campsites.
See: www.endoftheroadfestival.com
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Stonehenge and other ancient sites
This prehistoric cultural icon is only 40 minutes away. The monument is a collection of standing stones - weighing up to 25 tons each - which dates from between 2200 BC and 3100 BC, and is situated among the most dense collection of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England. The largest standing bluestones originated in Pembrokeshire, about 150 miles away, so construction of the site was an extraordinary feat.
Stonehenge information: www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/
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Dorset is rich in other Bronze Age, Saxon and Roman sites to explore. Below are links to follow for ideas and further information:
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https://www.visit-dorset.com/things-to-do/attractions/ancient-sites
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https://dorsetcountymuseum.wordpress.com/tag/bronze-age/
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https://www.heritage-explorer.co.uk/web/he/imagebytheme.aspx?ctid=122
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http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/dorset/roman/index.htm
The Great Dorset Steam Fair
Each year, in late August, the roads of North Dorset are taken over by huge, old steam engines slowly winding their way through country lanes...all headed for the Great Dorset Steam Fair. It is the world's largest exhibition showcasing the industrial and agricultural history of steam and early internal combustion engines.
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It is huge. It takes over a vast area of farmland about 10-15 minutes south of Yew Tree Cottage, on the A354 in Tarrant Gunville (towards Blandford). The 2020 Great Dorset Steam Fair is confirmed for August 27th - 31st.
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It is a great day out! Even if you are not obsessed with steam engines. There are large tents with arts and craft, antique tractors, lots and lots of steam engines (ranging from enormous train engines down to tiny model steam engines), other antique engines and motorbikes, displays of modern construction equipment, a fun fair and lots to eat and drink. There are exhibition fields (with hilarious commentary) that have parades of historic tractors and other engines. There are also displays of monster trucks and other strange shows, such as tractor pulling competitions and sheep parades!
See: www.gdsf.co.uk
The Dorset Coast
Only 45 minutes away lies 185 million years of history - the spectacular Jurassic coastline of Dorset. This short section of coast is a paradise for geologists, palaeontologists, hikers, sailors, windsurfers, cyclists and sand-loving beach sunbathers!
Sandy beaches for sunny days: (*marks our favourites!)
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Bournemouth:
- Bournemouth pier
- Branksome chine
- Alum chine ​
- Durley chine
- Boscombe
- West cliff beach
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Poole:
- Sandbanks*
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Studland Bay*
Swanage beach
Weymouth beach
Lyme Regis beach
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Gorgeous pebble beaches:
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Chesil beach*
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Hurst spit (actually located in Hampshire, on the border of the New Forest, this is a very long pebble spit with Hurst castle at the end to explore. Hurst spit lies at the mouth of the west Solent, just opposite the Needles rocks on the Isle of Wight).
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Old Harry's rock
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Swanage and Corfe Castle
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Kimmeridge
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Lulworth Cove
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Durdle Door
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Portland Bill
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Chesil Beach
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Hiking and biking
There are heaps of lovely hikes locally, spanning the entire spectrum from quick morning walks through to tough hikes that take all day! In particular, the Jubilee Trail - a popular 90+ mile hiking route that meanders through Dorset - passes adjacent to Chettle (the adjacent village). If you hike a section of the Jubilee Trail, Chettle village store will prepare a hot pie or pastie ready upon your return if you forewarn them!
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Links to the Jubilee Trail are here, here and here.
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With our small kids, our ideal walk is ~2hrs through woods and fields so that they can run around. There are plenty of these. Our favourite spots for local short walks include: Win Green (spectacular views), Ashmore Woods (cosy, wooded walks) and Farnham woods. These are all shown on the map in this link. For Ashmore Woods (marked in red), there is parking exactly where the number "126" is indicated on the Ordnance Survey map in this link. There is an ordnance survey map on the bookshelf in the cottage that has local trails marked in green.
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Various links to local walking and cycling routes include:
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Ideas for activities and days out with kids
One of the Dorset beaches listed above
Buckler's Hard and Beaulieu
Visit the New Forest for ponies, biking and walks
Farmer Palmer's
Moors Valley Country Park (Gruffalo)
Go Ape! zip-wiring at Moors Valley
Lunch or tea at Compton Abbas airfield cafe (very local grassy airfield)
Kingston Lacey
Lulworth Castle
Sherborne Castle
Cranborne Manor Gardens
Mapperton House and Gardens
Upton House Gardens
Corfe Castle
Stone Henge
Crazy Monsters Indoor softplay
Coolplay Indoor softplay
Blandford leisure centre (swimming)
Monkey World
Peppa Pig World
Swanage railway
Brownsea Island
Wimborne Model Town
Weymouth Sealife centre
Sandworld Weymouth
RSPB Arne (bird and wildlife sanctuary)
Abbotsbury swannery
Dinosaur museum
Fossil hunting in Charmouth Bay
Jurassic coast drive, bike or walk
Crabbing at West Bay
Tank museum
Museum of Army Flying
Splashdown Water Park
Putlake Adventure Farm
Kiting or model aeroplane flying from Win Green
Lots of local playgrounds (Chettle village has one of the most eclectic!)
Other good playgrounds: Farnham village, Fontmell Magna, Langton Arms pub