NOBODY does festivals and events like North Dorset does and here we’ve selected what we consider to be the 17 best, chosen to reflect the sheer diversity and class of festivals in the region.  Not all will go ahead this year – but many of those that don’t have already announced dates for 2022, so put them in your diary too. Meanwhile, do please support and enjoy the events that are making so much effort to bring you pleasure.  Enjoy your abbreviated summer of festivals – we’ll see you soon! Visit Dorset: What’s on in Dorset calendar MAY CANCELLED TEDDYROCKS FESTIVAL, near BLANDFO ..read more

SIX new campsites have opened very close to Shaftesbury in the past two summers as the demand for safe breaks in the open air continues to be in demand. At least three sites have opened in the past month, taking advantage of relaxed planning rules which say temporary structures could be placed on land without planning permission. Farmers have jumped at the chance to open up more land to camping. The rules on social distancing mean that new campsites are also granting more space for pitches, some up to 20m apart, making healthy budget holidays even more attractive. Three of the new sites listed ..read more

SHAFTESBURY is again ready to welcome visitors to our hilltop town and the breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful landscapes that surround us. After months of lockdown, the doors will open on July 4 to a huge range of fantastic glamping and camping sites close to Shaftesbury, together with a large number of cottages, B&Bs, hotels and pubs/restaurants with rooms. Accommodation providers have been hard at work ensuring they meet all government requirements regarding distancing and cleanliness. In some cases, there will be gaps of 24 or even 72 hours between bookings to ensure deep cleaning ..read more

The town has attracted visitors from all over the world Shaftesbury can’t rest on its laurels. OK, we’ve had visitors from 89 countries and territories across the world but look at the map! We need to step up marketing to central Asia and Africa – and our efforts to woo visitors from the Indian sub-continent have frankly failed to get off the ground. Large countries such as Cambodia, Croatia and Indonesia could all do with a bit of love. Still, visitors from Namibia, Brunei, Panama and Iran have all had the pleasure of Shaftesbury: let’s hope they’ve raved to all their friends. How do we know ..read more

The long, slow return to a form of tourism normality has begun, with plans to re-open attractions such as Stonehenge and Wardour Castle shortly. Both are operated by English Heritage, which has said it will open the first of its 400 properties on June 13. Stonehenge is expected to be in the second wave, to follow in early July. Deer now nibble the grass around the stones, and a family of hares are nesting in the ring, says a report in The Guardian, in which EH chief executive Kate Mavor says people should expect a markedly different experience, much of which will become the “new normal” for v ..read more

The full English at the John Peel on Shaftesbury High Street Further reading: 8 surprising places to lunch near Shaftesbury THE TOP FIVE FULL ENGLISH SPOTS IN SHAFTESBURY (as voted for by members of the Shaftesbury, Dorset Facebook group). Last Saturday morning, at 8.30am, Paula Whitworth posed a question on the Shaftesbury Facebook group: “Best place to go for a full English breakfast?” Some 80+ comments and dozens of likes later, members of the 6,700-strong group had voted. And the results were: John Peel 52 High Street. Jonathan Thomas, editor of US publication Anglotopia and a reg ..read more

NOBODY does festivals and events like North Dorset does. And here we’ve selected what we consider to be the 20 best in 2020, chosen to reflect the sheer diversity and class of festivals in the region. The best music festivals? Larmer Tree has been voted the best family festival in the UK, while it’s sister event – The End of the Road Festival – has been awarded for Best Line-Up of the Year, also at Larmer Tree. More music? TeddyRocks marks its 10th anniversary this year with headliners The Amazons and Fratellis and will again be looking to raise more than £100k for a chil ..read more

Photo: King Alfred’s Tower by Paul Howell of Pictori Images IT’S OFFICIAL! Shaftesbury has one of the best stargazing spots in the world on its doorstep. The Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AoNB) has been recognised as an International Dark Sky Reserve, an area that restricts light pollution and promotes astronomy. The AoNB has the largest central area of darkness of any International Dark Sky Reserve in the UK. It’s also the first AoNB in the country to receive the recognition, and only the 14th reserve across the globe to join an exclusive club of International Union for ..read more

Click on this link to reveal the location of each place and details THERE are an awful lot of very good places to lunch in Shaftesbury when it comes to hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants. The surrounding countryside of The Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase also has some seriously good pubs serving top class food. The Fontmell in Fontmell Magna; The Crown Inn at Marnhull; The Ship at West Stour; The White Lion at Bourton; The Coppleridge at Motcombe; The Benett Arms at Semley; The Beckford Arms at Fonthill Gifford and The Forester in Donhead St Andrew are just some we can recommend. But ..read more

IN June, 2018, the Shaftesbury Tree Group published a walking map taking in the best examples of ancient and important trees in the centre of our hilltop town (see link below). Now the group has created a second walk, based on a circular amble around the town’s perimeter. Both maps are brilliantly illustrated by landscape artist Gary Cook, who lives just outside Shaftesbury. View and read the first map: Shaftesbury: walk ancient trees with glorious views The story of the second map: Read (and listen to) an interview with Gary Cook, plus Sue Clifford and Angela King from the Tree Group A LON ..read more