Landscape

Dorset's Outstanding Landscapes

The Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is blessed with some of the most striking sequences of beautiful countryside that are unique in Britain.

The high chalk escarpments and ridge tops of west Dorset offer uninterrupted panoramic views across the complex pattern and textures of the surrounding landscape. The landscape includes numerous individual landmarks, such as hilltop earthworks, monuments and tree clumps, and supports a range of habitats and associated species that is unusually rich.

In addition to its outstanding scenic qualities, the AONB retains a sense of tranquillity and remoteness that is an integral part of these landscapes. It retains dark night skies and an undeveloped rural character including an exceptional undeveloped coastline, renowned for its spectacular scenery, geological and ecological interest and unique coastal features.

The landscape has a rich historic and built heritage as generations have successively shaped the area, and a rich legacy of cultural associations that bring an extra dimension and depth of understanding to our appreciation of the Dorset Landscape.