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KINGSTON LACY, Wimborne Minster Dorset BH21 4EA

A 17th-century house, designed by Sir Roger Pratt for Sir Ralph Bankes to replace his ruined family seat at Corfe Castle (see p.59). Altered by Sir Charles Barry in the19th century, the house contains the outstanding collection of paintings and other works of art accumulated by William Bankes. It is famous for its dramatic Spanish Room, with walls hung in magnificent gilded leather. The house and garden are set in a wooded park with attractive waymarked walks and a fine herd of Red Devon cattle. The surrounding estate is crossed by many paths (leaflet available from shop) and dominated by the Iron Age hill fort of Badbury Rings. The botanically rich rings are managed by grazing and dogs are not permitted. Point-to-point races are held early in the year and on these days a charge is made for car-parking

On B3082 Blandford--Wimborne road, 1½ml W of Wimborne

KINGSTON LACY ESTATE : LODGE FARM, Kingston Lacy Estate Office Dorset

A stone first-floor hall house of the early 15th century, built for Henry V or VI. Documentary sources suggest that it was the residence of the head park keeper, warrener and forester of Kingston Lacy manor 

WHITE MILL. Sturminster Marshall, nr Wimborne Dorset BH21 4BX

Rebuilt in 1776 on a site marked as a mill in the Domesday Book, this cornmill was extensively repaired in 1994 and still retains its original elm and applewood machinery (now too fragile to be operative). The setting, next to the River Stour, is delightful and there is a riverside picnic area nearby 

On the River Stour north of Sturminster Marshall. From B3082 Blandford to Wimborne road take right-hand turn signposted Sturminster Marshall. Mill is 1ml on right. Car park nearby

CLOUDS HILL, Wareham, Dorset Dorset BH20 7NQ

A tiny isolated brick and tile cottage, bought in 1925 by T. E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') as a retreat. The austere rooms inside are much as he left them and reflect his complex personality and close links with the Middle East 

9ml E of Dorchester, 1½ml E of Waddock crossroads (B3390), 4ml S of A35 Poole--Dorchester road, 1ml N of Bovington Camp

STUDLAND BEACH & NATURE RESERVE, Countryside Office, Studland, Swanage Dorset BH19 3AX

Fine sandy beaches stretch continuously for 3ml from South Haven Point to the chalk cliffs of Handfast Point and Old Harry Rocks, and include Shell Bay and a designated naturist area. The heathland behind the beach is a National Nature Reserve and a haven for many rare birds and other forms of wildlife. There are several public paths and two nature trails here. Spyway Farm and Blackers Hole, near Langton Matravers, support important bird and butterfly habitats, as well as rare plants, and give access to the sea at Dancing Ledge. There are NT car parks at Spyway Farm and Acton village, and information boards at Spyway farm buildings. Hartland Moor, part-owned by English Nature, is currently being restored from farmland to lowland heath and new footpaths have been created

CORFE CASTLE, Corfe Castle, Wareham Dorset BH20 5EZ

One of Britain's most majestic ruins, the castle controlled the gateway to the Isle of Purbeck and had been an important stronghold since the time of William the Conqueror. Defended during the Civil War by the redoubtable Lady Bankes, the castle fell to treachery from within, and was heavily slighted afterwards by the Parliamentarians. Many fine Norman and early English features remain. Nearby are Corfe Common, rich in wildlife and archaeology, and Creech Grange Arch, a folly with spectacular views

On A351 Wareham--Swanage road

HARDY'S COTTAGE, Higher Bockhampton, nr Dorchester Dorset DT2 8QJ

The small cob and thatch cottage where novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 and from where he would walk to school every day in Dorchester, six miles away. It was built by his great-grandfather and is little altered since.

3ml NE of Dorchester, ½ml S of A35

MAX GATE, Alington Avenue, Dorchester Dorset DT1 2AA

Novelist and poet Thomas Hardy designed and lived in this house from 1885 till his death in 1928. Here he wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge, as well as much of his poetry. The house contains several pieces of his furniture

1ml E of Dorchester on the A352 Wareham road. From Dorchester follow A352 until you reach the roundabout named Max Gate (at the junction of the A35 Dorchester bypass). Turn left and left again into the cul-de-sac outside the house

HARDY MONUMENT, Black Down, Portesham Dorset

A monument erected in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag-Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. It has been recently restored by the Trust

From the B3157 Weymouth--Bridport road, turn off at Portesham; the road climbs steeply to a car park signposted 'Hardy Monument'

BROWNSEA ISLAND, Poole Harbour Dorset BH13 7EE

A wonderfully atmospheric island of heath and woodland, privately owned until acquired by the Trust in 1962, and now haven for a rich variety of wildlife, including red squirrels and many species of bird. Part of the island is leased as a nature reserve to the Dorset Wildlife Trust. There are many fine walks and spectacular views of Poole Harbour