Wareham

Ancient Saxon fortifications still circle this market town, their grassy ramparts now home to grazing sheep and dog walkers. Wareham sits where the Rivers Piddle and Frome meet, creating a watery maze of channels that once made it one of Dorset's most important ports. These days it's quieter, but that's rather the point.

The walls are the star attraction - you can walk the entire circuit in about twenty minutes, though most people take longer to admire the views across the water meadows. Inside the ramparts, the grid pattern streets reveal Saxon town planning at its most methodical. St Martin's Church, perched on the north wall, houses Lawrence of Arabia's effigy - he lived nearby at Clouds Hill before his fatal motorcycle accident.

Just outside town, Monkey World draws the crowds with its rescued primates, while the Monkey World Viewing Tower offers cracking views across the Purbeck countryside. The Royal Tank Regiment Memorial at Bovington marks another military connection - this area has long been associated with the forces.

Wareham makes a proper base for exploring the Purbeck Peninsula. You're fifteen minutes from Corfe Castle, twenty from the Jurassic Coast, and Poole's just up the road. The A351 runs right through town, making it dead easy to reach from most directions.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks puts you right in the heart of this landscape. Wareham Forest Tourist Park sits among the pines, while several sites around Wool offer a more rural feel. From here, you can tackle the Purbeck hills on foot or simply potter about the river valleys. It's peaceful country, dotted with ancient sites like Devil's Stone and crossed by old drovers' roads.