Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
is a county in South West
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Due to its position on the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes have led to the decline of its ports.
Rail
Dorset is connected to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by two main
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
lines. The
West of England Main Line runs through the north of the county at
Gillingham and
Sherborne. The electric
South West Main Line runs through the south of the county, at
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
,
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
,
Dorchester and the terminus at
Weymouth, and was part of the
London and South Western Railway (later
Southern Railway). Additionally, a secondary line, the
Heart of Wessex Line runs from Weymouth to
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, via
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...
and
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, in Somerset. This line was part of the
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway (later
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
).
Railway closures in Dorset began with the West Bay line south of Bridport in the 1930s. Then lost in the 1950s were the branch lines to
Abbotsbury and
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. The
Beeching Axe
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...
of the 1960s led to the closure of other Dorset lines, the Lyme Regis and
Bridport branches. The latter remained open until 1975 although the Beeching report was published in 1963. The biggest loss was the entire
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercreec ...
, between Bournemouth and Bath. Through Dorset, this line roughly followed the
Stour Valley, serving the market towns of
Blandford Forum
Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this ...
and
Sturminster Newton
Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which ...
in the
Blackmore Vale, and is being converted into a long-distance trail for cyclists and walkers. Another through line, the
Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway
The Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway was a railway company, that built a line from a junction near Salisbury to another near West Moors on the Ringwood to Wimborne line. It ran through the counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset in Eng ...
, roughly followed the
Avon Valley from Bournemouth to
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
. With the closure of the lines which terminated in Bournemouth, the
terminus station in the town centre was also closed, leaving only the through stations. The station at
Semley
Semley is a village in Sedgehill and Semley civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about north-east of Shaftesbury in neighbouring Dorset. The hamlet of Sem Hill lies about a quarter of a mile west of the village.
The River Sem, from which the v ...
on the West of England Main Line also closed. As this had been the nearest station to
Shaftesbury, travellers from that town would have to use
Gillingham, on the same line. An oddity is the
Swanage Branch. Although omitted from the Beeching plan this line closed in 1972 and most of the track was lifted. However it has now been rebuilt as a
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
.
Rural roads
Dorset is one of only five non metropolitan counties in England to not have a single motorway, however, two
trunk road corridors run east–west through the county. In the north, the
A303 London to
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
and
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
road briefly enters the county, though for most of its route it is north of the borders with Somerset and Wiltshire. Further south, the
A31, a continuation of the
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in Hampshire (Southampton and Portsmouth) with a direct mot ...
from Hampshire, serves as a northern bypass for the
South East Dorset conurbation, merging into the
A35 to continue west through the county, bypassing Dorchester and Bridport.
Several
primary route
The United Kingdom has a network of roads, of varied quality and capacity, totalling about . Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour (mph) or by the use of the national speed limit (NSL) sy ...
s also run through the county. These are:
*
A338, Bournemouth relief road, and through route to Salisbury.
*
A35, from its split from the A31 trunk road, east through Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.
*
A350
The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus.
The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 w ...
, Poole relief road, and through route to the A303, via
Blandford Forum
Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this ...
and
Shaftesbury.
*
A354
The A354 is a primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Easton on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a total distance of . From Salisbury the road crosses Cranborne Chase. At Woodyates the road follows the route of Acklin ...
, from Weymouth and Portland to Salisbury, via Dorchester and Blandford Forum.
*
A37, from Dorchester to Yeovil and Bristol.
Other 'A' roads are:
*
A30, London to the West Country, runs east–west through the north of the county, between Shaftesbury and
Sherborne, but through traffic is directed to the A303, which acts as a bypass for the towns on the A30.
* A351, Poole to
Swanage
Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil ...
, via
Wareham.
* A352,
Sherborne to Wareham, via Dorchester.
* A353, Weymouth, to the A352 east of Dorchester.
* A356, from the A37 west of Dorchester, to the A303 west of Yeovil, Somerset.
* A357, Blandford Forum to the A303 at
Wincanton, Somerset, via
Sturminster Newton
Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which ...
and the
Blackmore Vale.
* A3030, Between Sherborne, and the A357 near Sturminster Newton.
* A3066, Between Bridport, and the A30 at
Crewkerne, Somerset.
Suburban roads
The suburban roads of the
South East Dorset conurbation (
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
and
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
): the A341, A347, A348, A349, A3049, and A3060. These routes do not follow a straight line but do all link up forming an asymmetrical
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
around the
built up area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
.
A341 road
The road begins in the north west of the Bournemouth-Poole conurbation at
Merley
Merley is a large housing estate in the unparished area of Poole, a mile (2 km) south of Wimborne Minster. Originally called Myrle, Merley was a manor in the tithing of Great Canford (or Canford Magna). The village merges with that of Oakle ...
.
Queen Anne Drive at Gravel Hill travels east and becomes Magna Road. The road continues to
Bear Cross, then through
Kinson and terminates at the
Northbourne Roundabout.
A347 road
The A347 road travels north to south. It begins at
Ferndown
Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called ''Hampreston'', includes the communities of Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill and Trickett' ...
and runs down on New Road through
West Parley. At
Northbourne Roundabout, the route continues onto Wimborne Road. The A347 turns into Whitelegg Way and continues around the north east boundary of Northbourne to the
Redhill Roundabout where it goes south, coming off Wimborne Road onto Redhill Avenue. At the
Ensbury Park
Ensbury Park is a mainly residential suburb of Bournemouth, in Dorset, England. It includes the housing estate of Slades Farm and lies within the ward district of Northbourne and Redhill.
Initial development
Ensbury Park takes its name from the ...
junction the route crosses straight onto Boundary Road which continues to the Boundary Roundabout by
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s.
The univer ...
. The A347 road goes eastwards along Talbot Avenue, cross the Talbot Roundabout and straight to the East Avenue Roundabout where the route re-joins Wimborne Road at South
Winton. Wimborne Road turns immediately south at
Cemetery Junction and the A347 road follows it to
Richmond Hill Roundabout where the route terminates.
A348 road
The A348 road begins at
Trickett's Cross
Trickett's Cross is an estate situated on the outskirts of Ferndown, Dorset, England. It lies at the junction of two primary routes, the A31 road and A348 road. It has a church and a youth centre which runs clubs, such as scouts and a Jitsu club.
...
,
Ferndown
Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called ''Hampreston'', includes the communities of Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill and Trickett' ...
and travels south towards along Ringwood Road towards
Longham
Longham is a village situated in the Breckland District of Norfolk and covers an area of 540 hectares (2.1 square miles) with a population of 219 in 100 households at the 2001 census, increasing to a population of 224 in 99 households at the 20 ...
. The route crosses the
Bear Cross Roundabout and continues south towards
Turbary Park
Turbary Park is an area of West Howe, Bournemouth in Dorset. Turbary Park is south of Kinson and north of Wallisdown.
Geography
Turbary Common is the largest area of heathland in North Bournemouth. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Inte ...
, crossing the
West Howe
West Howe is a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England, located in the north-west provinces of the borough.
Largely consisting of affordable housing owned by the Local Authority, many of the homes have been purchased by long term residents of th ...
Roundabout and follows Ringwood Road south over the Mountbatten Roundabout at
Knighton Heath and
Wallisdown Road. The A348 route becomes the A3049 road and turns off at the
Alderney
Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide.
The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...
Roundabout onto Canford Way towards
Canford Heath
Canford Heath is a suburb and area of heathland in Poole, Dorset, known for being the largest heathland in Dorset, and the largest lowland heath in the UK. It is also the name of the housing development built on the heathland in the 1960s, 197 ...
. At Mannings Heath Roundabout the route turns south onto Dorset Way and continues past
Tower Park
Tower Park is a leisure and retail park, located at Mannings Heath, in Poole, Dorset, England. It was one of the first complexes of its kind in Europe when it opened in 1989.
History
The leisure park, which opened in 1989, was a development in ...
and across Tower Park Roundabout. The road then travels west forming the border between
Canford Heath
Canford Heath is a suburb and area of heathland in Poole, Dorset, known for being the largest heathland in Dorset, and the largest lowland heath in the UK. It is also the name of the housing development built on the heathland in the 1960s, 197 ...
and
Oakdale, crossing the
Fleetsbridge gyratory and terminates at the
Upton
Upton may refer to:
Places United Kingdom England
* Upton, Slough, Berkshire (in Buckinghamshire until 1974)
* Upton, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet near Aylesbury
* Upton, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough
* Upton, Huntingdonshire, a location in Cambridge ...
Services at
Holes Bay
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...
North Roundabout.
A349 road
The A349 road begins at
Oakley, travels south on Gravel Hill past
Broadstone and
Creekmoor
Creekmoor is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England, with a population of 9,257, reducing to 9,180 at the 2011 census. Bordered by the Upton Heath Nature Reserve and Upton Country Park, the area is mainly populated by families. The suburb is re ...
, through
Waterloo
Waterloo most commonly refers to:
* Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat
* Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place.
Waterloo may also refer to:
Other places
Antarctica
*King George Island (S ...
and terminates at
Fleetsbridge.
A3060 road
The A3060 road begins at the
Redhill Roundabout, travelling a short length of Wimborne Road. The route goes east along Castle Lane West, through the suburbs of
Throop and
Muscliff
Muscliff is a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset.
Education
* Muscliff Primary School
Politics
Muscliff is part of the Muscliff and Strouden Park ward for elections to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council which elect three councillors ...
. The road crosses the Broadway Roundabout and Yeomans Way Roundabout entering
Strouden Park
Strouden Park is an area of Bournemouth, Dorset, England.
History
On 17 April 2021, the local post office and convenience store was destroyed in a fire.
Geography
Strouden Park is north of Queen's Park, west of Townsend and east of Redh ...
past the
Castlepoint Shopping Centre. The A3060 continues east past
Townsend and crosses the Cooper Dean Roundabout onto Castle Lane East past the
Royal Bournemouth Hospital
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is an acute general hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It is managed by the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital was managed by The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS ...
and
Littledown
Littledown is a suburb of Bournemouth, in Dorset, England. Originally it was a small settlement to the south of the much more important Holdenhurst Village, and for centuries it existed as a huddle of farm buildings on the edge of heathland. As ...
. After the Riverside Avenue junction on the east side of the hospital, the A3060 road ends at the
Iford Roundabout, where the
A35 road
The A35 is a major road in southern England, connecting Honiton in Devon and Southampton in Hampshire. It is a trunk road for some of its length. Most of its route passes through Dorset and the New Forest. It originally connected Exeter and Sou ...
crosses the
River Stour.
International
The only passenger
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
in the county is
Bournemouth International Airport
Bournemouth Airport (previously known as Hurn Airport and Bournemouth International Airport) is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. The site opened as RAF Hurn in 1941, but was transferred to civil contr ...
, and there are two passenger
sea ports,
Weymouth Harbour and the
Port of Poole
The Port of Poole is a cross channel port on Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, South West England. Along with Weymouth Harbour, Poole has the other major Channel Port in Dorset.
History
In World War II, the port was used in the Normandy landi ...
.
References
{{Dorset
Transport in South West England