Attractions and Places To See around Donhead St. Mary - Top 20

Once one of the most important and wealthiest nunneries in England. The abbey's ruins, consisting mainly of its foundations and remnants of walls, are located in a peaceful walled garden next to the famous Gold Hill. Shaftesbury Abbey was founded by King Alfred the Great in 888 AD. It was the first religious house in England established exclusively for women, and Alfred's daughter, Æthelgifu, was its first abbess. The abbey grew in wealth and importance, particularly after it became the burial site and shrine of St Edward the Martyr, a Saxon king who was murdered at Corfe Castle in 978 AD. His shrine attracted a large number of pilgrims, which brought significant income to the abbey. By the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII in 1539, Shaftesbury Abbey was the second wealthiest nunnery in the country. It was the last abbey to be dissolved, and its buildings were systematically destroyed, with locals taking the stone for their own buildings. The ruins we see today are the excavated foundations of the church and other parts of the abbey complex. Entry is free, and the lovely volunteers are happy to offer a little tour with some details on the Abbey. It must have looked mightily impressive in its day.

Great place to hike/run all year round

One of the most beautiful places in the south of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and amazing views of Wiltshire and Dorset 🤩

The hill is now a National Nature Reserve (NNR) with common plants including milkwort, salad burnet, horseshoe vetch, squinancywort, pyramidal orchid and wild thyme. Rarer species include bastard toadflax, meadow saxifrage, early gentian and dwarf sedge. Butterflies include dingy skipper, grizzled skipper, chalkhill blue and Adonis blue. In August 2014, Hambledon Hill fort was acquired by the National Trust for £450,000. The money to buy the hill had come from a Natural England grant and a legacy gift left to benefit Dorset countryside. The hillfort is a Scheduled Monument, as is the adjacent Neolithic causewayed camp.

Win Green at 277 m is the highest point on Cranbourne Chase. The tree topped summit also has a Bronze Age hill barrow, topography stone and trig point. Lots of great running loops from here as well as easy parking close by.

Former Benedictine Abbey from 888. It became really famous as a place of pilgrimage after the relics of King Edward the Martyr were brought here a good 100 years later. Today everything lies in ruins, but is lovingly cared for and managed by a trust. Admission is free, but donations are requested. With a souvenir shop, many benches and toilets. We liked it!

Not as stunning from below as from above!

Tip: We have been here three times over the last few years and each time we managed to get a table in the café at the top of the street. One of the most beautiful views in England is made even more beautiful with cream tea or another treat! Here you sit quietly and just wait until no one is in sight: and then quickly take your dream photo! In addition, the service is friendly and the prices are not too high. The view of Gold Hill is nowhere better than from here.