Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury is a hilltop town in north Dorset, close to the Wiltshire border. It stands about 215 metres above sea level, 20 miles west of Salisbury and 23 miles north-north-east of Dorchester, and had 9,160 residents at the 2021 census.

Gold Hill is the street everyone comes for: a steep cobbled lane that Ridley Scott filmed for a 1973 Hovis bread advertisement. The cobbles run alongside the Grade I listed walls of the old abbey precinct. At the top, St Peter’s Church dates from the 14th century, and the volunteer-run Gold Hill Museum occupies two old buildings beside it. The museum opens seasonally, so check goldhillmuseum.org.uk before you plan a visit. Close by are the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey, a nunnery founded by King Alfred in 888 and destroyed in 1539. The foundations sit in a walled garden with a small museum. Entry is free, with donations welcome, and the museum and garden open seasonally, so check shaftesburyabbey.org.uk before you go.

Park Walk, given to the town in 1753, offers views south across the Blackmore Vale towards Melbury Hill. Viewpoints on the higher ground around the town look as far as Glastonbury Tor.

The town has never had a railway. The nearest station is Gillingham, about 4 miles to the north-west. The A30 and the A350 both serve the town.