Dorset Knob Throwing is exactly what it sounds like: a contest to see who can throw a Dorset Knob, a hard local biscuit, the furthest. It was invented in Cattistock and now sits inside the Cattistock Countryside Show, which in 2026 was held on Sunday 19 July. The 2027 date is still to come.
What happens
Competitors throw three knobs underarm and the furthest is measured where it lands. There is no age limit. At the 2026 event the men’s record went to 37.25m, the ladies’ to 29.25m and the under-12s to 33.65m, all new marks.
The knob throw is the original game, but the arena has plenty of others, among them Pin the Knob, Splat the Knob, Knob Darts, Putt the Knob, Knob Catapults and a pyramid game. The event started behind the Fox and Hounds pub in Cattistock, moved to the village play area and then the football pitch, and was later held at Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester before joining the Countryside Show.
The show around it is a traditional country day with pony classes, dog shows, a retrieving dog test, a flower and produce show and trade stands. Volunteers from the village run the knob games, and the money raised goes to village clubs and charities nominated by the volunteers.
Visitor information
Dates: To be announced for 2027. The 2026 show was on a Sunday in July.
Tickets: Sold through the show website.
Getting there: The show is held just outside Cattistock.
Family friendly: Yes. The throwing has no age limit, with its own under-12s record, and the show has classes for ponies and dogs.
Where to stay
Cattistock sits in the Frome valley, and Maiden Newton is a Frome valley village with a railway station on the Heart of Wessex Line. Browse places to stay near Maiden Newton.
