Sherborne
Picture a perfect English town in perfect English countryside, a river wandering through, trees on the hillside, cows in the fields. That's exactly the picture you'll see if you travel to Sherborne, a small town on the western border between Dorset and Somerset. Sherborne is famous for its abbey, its castles, and its public school and has plenty to offer if you're coming for a day, a week, or even longer!
Photo: A stone archway in Sherborne, Dorset just behind the abbey, leading to the museum.
The location
Sherborne is on the west side of Dorset, which is a much more authentically rural part of the county than the built up area on the east that includes Bournemouth and Poole; the countryside is utterly idyllic. Lots of well-heeled people choose to retire here; the town has what can only be described as a "patina" of gentility and good manners and the charity shops are always full of Lawrence Durrell books and suspiciously high-quality curtains. ("You can't possibly throw those out, Marjorie.")
One of the best things about Sherborne is its extremely convenient location. You are close enough to explore the South Coast without being rammed right in the middle of the bucket-and-spade brigade. Sherborne would suit you very nicely as a touring base if you're the older, quieter, more discerning sort of tourist with an interest in culture and history.
Things to do
Countryside
There are lots of interesting walks in and around Sherborne, including a number setting out from the town centre for which you won't need a car. The area around the old and new castles is well worth exploring (though you will have to pay to go into the new castle grounds). For example, the local tourist information centre in Digby Road stocks a free leaflet called "Walk 3: Sherborne to North Wooton and Sherborne Park" (6.3 miles; 10.1 l km) that takes you right through the deer park, from which you can enjoy a wonderful vista of the castles, countryside, and town. In the same leaflet series, there's "Walk 1: Oborne to Sandford Orcas" (7.4 miles/11.9 km). These and many other walks are described on the "Ordnance Survey Explorer 129 map: Yeovil and Sherborne", which is an essential purchase for all walkers and cyclists.
Attractions
Photo: Two views of Sherborne Abbey, the impressive centerpiece of the town.
Sherborne is quite a small town and you can see most of the centre in a couple of hours—or even less if it's raining! Be sure to explore the historic abbey and try to catch a glimpse of the school (you can't go inside, unfortunately). Just outside the town, there are two castles to explore: Sherborne Castle (home of Lord Digby) and Sherborne Old Castle, looked after by English Heritage (the photo on their website doesn't do it justice, so explore the ones on Flickr). You can easily spend an afternoon on the castles alone.
Further afield, you may want to admire the famously aroused chalk figure at Cerne Abbas (there's a good selection of tea shops in the village), or the abbey and unusual thatched village at Milton Abbas. In summertime, try to visit the wonderful manor house at Sandford Orcas, with an informative personal tour from its owner.
The utterly fantastic gardens sitting in the valley at Minterne Magna must not be missed; in spring, you can see marvellous rhododendrons brought back from the Himalayas in the 19th century and some excellent magnolias. Most of the season, there's something of interest. There's another excellent, subtropical garden in nearby Abbotsbury and stunning Forde Abbey isn't so far away.
Once you feel you've exhausted Sherborne's delights, there are interesting towns to explore in every direction: Salisbury and Shaftesbury, to the west, Dorchester and seaside Swanage to the south-east, Bridport and Lyme Regis to the south-west, and Bath and Wells to the north-west. In short, Sherborne is a perfect location for exploring a large, interesting area of South and South West England.
Photo: Two views of Sherborne Castle from the public footpath that runs through the deer-park and grounds.
Culture
Sherborne is quite a cultured place and there are lots of musical events in and around the abbey, as you'd expect. Sherborne House featured in the BBC's Restoration programme is well worth a visit. Like most of Dorset's libraries, Sherborne Library is small, dull, and uninteresting. There are no cinemas in the town, but you can find that sort of thing in nearby Yeovil (about 10-15 minutes away by car or bus), where there's also an arts centre.
Shopping
Although Sherborne has its Woolworths, Boots, Sainsbury's and Somerfields, plenty of small independent shops (including a butcher's, baker's, greengrocer's, and hardware shop) make this a town well worth exploring. There are several interesting antique shops (including Dodge & Son and the rambling workshops of Piers Pisani next to Sherborne House), several delis, and plenty of places to have a smart tea, coffee, or lunch—though one of the more authentic coffee houses has recently been converted into a curry house. The independent book shop in Hound Street, just off the high street, is small but thoughtfully stocked and won't disappoint even the most discerning reader. And, of course, don't forget Sherborne market on Thursday and Saturday and the once monthly farmer's market.
Photo: Sherborne is the kind of genteel, slow-paced town where shopping always feels a pleasure.
Further afield, there's a bigger range of chain stores in nearby Yeovil. Hop in the other direction and you'll find interesting, authentic village shops in charming Milborne Port.
Places to stay
One or two of Sherborne's bigger hotels have recently been converted into flats, but there's still plenty of accommodation dotted around the town. Hotels include the boutique-ish Eastbury (in the town centre) and The Sherborne Hotel (a relatively cheap and cheerful travel lodge conveniently located on the A30 at the very top of the town). The Old Vicarage at Milborne Port quickly built up an excellent reputation for its accommodation and cuisine, but has sadly now been converted back to a private house.
Getting here
Car
The A30, running from Salisbury down to Exeter, takes you right through the middle of Sherborne, and the town is just a stone's throw from the A303 too. So if you're heading from London to the West Country, you'll be passing nearby. Drop in and explore!
Train
Sherborne sits on the mainline railway from Exeter to Salisbury and London Waterloo. It takes just over a couple of hours to get here from London by South West Trains. If you're travelling from the north, you'll need to get to Bristol first, then go down to Salisbury, and then change again for Sherborne. Alternatively, get a cross-country train to Basingstoke and pick up the Salisbury-Sherborne-Exeter line there.
Bus
Bus transport to and from Sherborne has always been a bit erratic.
You can catch buses
from Sherborne's Digby Road to Yeovil and Dorchester, but the service
was poorly used and various companies have found it difficult to
operate, even with council subsidy. Now, Dorset County Council has
introduced an exciting, flexible new service called Door to
Dorset that's likely to better suit the needs of West Dorset's
rural population. Service D12 goes from Dorchester to Sherborne via
Cerne Abbas; D11 goes from Dorchester to Yeovil. You can make an
advanced telephone booking to divert the bus away from its main route.
Photo: Sherborne is packed with historic stone architecture. Left: A stone window in Sherborne School. Right: A view down Long Street to the Abbey, past a scatter of typically fascinating shops.
Map
Here's a map of Sherborne from Google Images. You can use the "Find businesses" tab and search box to find local businesses, places to stay, and so on.
More information
- West Dorset: The official tourist information guide to the region around Sherborne.
- Sherborne Town: A helpful directory and guide to the town's delights.
- Sherborne: An introduction from Wikipedia.
