ancient ruins
Maiden Castle
One of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Europe, its multiple ramparts enclosing an area the size of 50 football pitches.
10 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Puddletown
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Puddletown
Puddletown works well as a base: 10 minutes from Milborne St Andrew, 15km from Durdle Door.
Puddletown is in England, United Kingdom, with about 1,200 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Milborne St Andrew, about 6 km away.
Puddletown is a village in the civil parish of Athelhampton and Puddletown, in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the county town Dorchester. Its earlier name Piddletown fell out of favour, probably because of connotations of theRead more
word "piddle". The name Puddletown was officially sanctioned in the late 1950s. Puddletown's civil parish covered 2,908 hectares (7,185 acres) and extended to the River Frome to the south. In 2013, the estimated population of the civil parish was 1450.
Puddletown's parish church has significant architectural interest, particularly its furnishings and monuments. It has a 12th-century font and well-preserved woodwork, including 17th-century box pews. Thomas Hardy took an interest in the church, and the village provided the inspiration for the fictional settlement of Weatherbury in his novel Far from the Madding Crowd; Weatherbury Farm, the home of principal character Bathsheba Everdene, is based on a manor house within the parish.
Where to Stay in Puddletown
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Puddletown?
Within an hour or so of Puddletown: Maiden Castle (10 km), Cerne Abbas Giant (11 km), Durdle Door (15 km), Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove (15 km).
Are there any good drives near Puddletown?
The nearest famous roads are Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135) and Military Road, Isle of Wight.
Where is Puddletown?
Puddletown is in England, United Kingdom, about 6 km from Milborne St Andrew.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,158
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 50.7500, -2.3500
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Puddletown
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Cerne Abbas Giant
A 55 m chalk hill figure of a club-wielding naked man above a Dorset village, now dated to the late Saxon period.
11 km · about 20 min drive
natural wonder
Durdle Door
Iconic natural limestone arch jutting into the sea on Dorset's Jurassic Coast, one of the most photographed landmarks in Britain.
15 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove
A natural limestone arch and a near-perfect circular cove on the Jurassic Coast, linked by a clifftop path.
15 km · about 30 min drive
beach
Man O’War Bay
A sheltered crescent of shingle immediately east of Durdle Door, enclosed by an offshore reef of eroded rock.
15 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Lulworth Cove
Almost perfectly circular cove formed by the sea eroding through Portland limestone, creating one of the world's finest examples of coastal geology.
16 km · about 20 min drive
natural wonder
Stair Hole
A small collapsing cove beside Lulworth, showing the tightly folded Lulworth Crumple in its cliff face.
16 km · about 20 min drive
beach
Chesil Beach
An 18-mile shingle barrier beach enclosing the Fleet lagoon, its pebbles graded by size along its entire length.
20 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Puddletown
- 27 kmPortland BillThe southern tip of the Isle of Portland, marked by a red-and-white lighthouse above a fierce tidal race.
- 30 kmBallard DownThe chalk ridge above Swanage running out to Old Harry Rocks, with views over Poole Harbour and Studland Bay.
- 35 kmGolden CapThe highest point on England's south coast at 191 m, its sandstone summit glowing gold above Charmouth and Lyme Bay.
- 52 kmRhinefield Ornamental DriveA New Forest road lined with giant redwoods and Douglas firs planted in 1859, running between Brockenhurst and the A35.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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