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Wild Wessex

The moors, cliffs and romantic woods of

Wessex have inspired literary greats such as

Thomas Hardy and Samuel Taylor Coleridge for

centuries, and helped repopularise the Anglo-

Saxon name of this ancient region.

Valley of the Rocks on

the North Devon coast

Moors, hills & heathland

Jurassic Coast Ancient relics

DURDLE DOOR

The poster child of Dorset’s

Jurassic Coast, this immense 150-

million-year-old Portland stone

arch was created by a

combination of massive earth

movements and erosion. Today,

it’s framed by shimmering bays;

bring a swimsuit and head down

the steps for a dip. You can park

at the top of the cliffs (US$6 for

four hours), but it’s best to hike

the coast path from Lulworth

Cove (one mile).

PORTLAND

The ‘Isle’ of Portland is a hard,

high comma of rock with

dramatic views, fused to the rest

of Dorset by the ridge of 18-mile

Chesil Beach. Its white limestone

has been quarried for centuries,

but these days it’s the water-

sport facilities, birdlife and stark

cliffs that make it worth a visit.

Don’t miss the disused workings

at Tout Quarry, which now house

labyrinthine paths and sculptures

hacked out of the rock by artists

including Antony Gormley (near

Fortuneswell; free).

LYME REGIS

Defined by its fossilised booty,

Lyme Regis is surrounded by cliffs

from which rock-hard relics of the

past pop out repeatedly, exposed

by the landslides of a retreating

shoreline. The town is now a pivot

point of the UNESCO-listed

Jurassic Coast – and fossil fever is

forever in the air. Everyone, from

serious palaeontologists to those

out for a bit of fun, can head out

coastal rummaging. Sandy

beaches, plus some delightful

places to sleep and eat, make this

quaint spot even more attractive.

Exmoor is known for its broad,

russet views. In the middle sits

the higher moor, an expansive,

other-worldly landscape

harbouring the picturesque

village of Exford. In the north,

sheer, rock-strewn river valleys

cut into the plateau and black

cliffs lurch toward the sea. Life

on Exmoor is attuned to the

rhythm of the seasons (exmoor-

nationalpark.gov.uk; free).

With typical English irony, New

Forest is anything but new – it was

first proclaimed a royal hunting

preserve in 1079. It’s also not

much of a forest, being mostly

heathland. Designated a national

park in 2005, the forest is a joy to

explore. Wild ponies graze, deer

tiptoe and birds flit about.

Photo-worthy villages dot the

landscape, connected by walking

and cycling trails (thenewforest.

co.uk; free).

QUANTOCKS

The red sandstone hills known as

the Quantocks trace a 12-mile

curve across Somerset’s northern

edge. A mix of moors, valleys and

woods, these hills offer stirring

views across the Bristol Channel

to the Gower coast. An Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty

since 1956, the Quantocks

receive far fewer visitors than

Exmoor and Dartmoor, making

them perfect for hikers and bikers

(quantockhills.com; free).

AVEBURY

With a diameter of 348m,

Avebury is the largest stone circle

in the world. It’s also one of the

oldest, dating from 2850 BC to

2200 BC. Today, more than 30

stones are in place, and pillars

show where missing stones would

have been. There’s also an on-site

museum (10am–6pm; US$5.50)

displaying archaeological

treasures (nationaltrust.org.uk;

dawn–dusk; free).

MAIDEN CASTLE

On the southern fringes of

Dorchester, Maiden Castle is the

largest and most complex Iron

Age hill fort in Britain. The first

defences were built on the site

around 500 BC; in its heyday, the

fort was densely populated with

clusters of roundhouses and a

network of roads. The steep-sided

chalk ramparts flow along a hill’s

contour lines and surround 48

hectares (english-heritage.org.uk;

dawn–dusk; free).

The limestone arch of Durdle

Door, on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast

Wild horses are a common sight

in the New Forest, Hampshire

The giant stone monoliths of

Stonehenge in the evening light

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MINI GUIDE

STONEHENGE

Standing dignified atop Salisbury

Plain, Stonehenge is a great

archaeological mystery: despite

countless theories about the

site’s purpose, ranging from a

sacrificial centre to a celestial

timepiece, no-one knows for sure

what drove prehistoric Britons to

build it. The first stones were

erected around 3000 BC, and the

monument’s history is told at the

visitor centre (english-heritage.

org.uk; timed tickets, advance

booking US$19.25).

EXMOOR NATIONAL

PARK

NEW FOREST

NATIONAL PARK