Shaftesbury

SHAFTESBURY - AT A GLANCE

• Shaftesbury’s most famous landmark is the picturesque Gold Hill, a steep, cobbled lane with impressive views of the surrounding Dorset countryside.
   
• Set in two historic buildings, the Gold Hill Museum with its awarding-winning cottage garden, is packed full of artefacts from the town’s rich history. While the Shaftesbury Abbey Museum and Gardens tells the story of the Benedictine Abbey destroyed in Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.
   
• Don’t miss Park Walk and in the magnificent views over Blackmore Vale, the backdrop to most of Thomas Hardy’s work, including Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
   
• Find out more about this charming, historic town at VisitDorset.
   
• You can get to Shaftesbury by a combination of bus and train from London in around 2 hours and 30 minutes.