landmark
Stourhead
One of the world's finest landscape gardens with a magnificent lake, classical temples and a stunning Palladian mansion in Wiltshire.
14 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Shaftesbury
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury works well as a base: 15 minutes from Gillingham, 29km from Old Sarum.
Shaftesbury is in England, United Kingdom, with about 7,300 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Gillingham, about 7 km away.
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Salisbury and 23 miles (37 kilometres) north-northeast of Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about 215 metres (705 feet)Read more
above sea level on a greensand hill on the edge of Cranborne Chase.
The town looks over the Blackmore Vale, part of the River Stour basin.
Shaftesbury is the site of the former Shaftesbury Abbey, which was founded in 888 by King Alfred and became one of the richest religious establishments in the country, before being destroyed in the dissolution in 1539. Adjacent to the abbey site is Gold Hill, a steep cobbled street used in the 1970s as the setting for Ridley Scott's television advertisement for Hovis bread.
In the 2021 census the town's civil parish had a population of 9,160.
Where to Stay in Shaftesbury
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Shaftesbury?
Within an hour or so of Shaftesbury: Stourhead (14 km), Stourhead (Pride and Prejudice proposal) (14 km), Gurston Down Motorsport Hillclimb (16 km), Haynes International Motor Museum (26 km).
Are there any good drives near Shaftesbury?
The nearest famous roads are Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135) and Military Road, Isle of Wight.
Where is Shaftesbury?
Shaftesbury is in England, United Kingdom, about 7 km from Gillingham.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 7,314
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 51.0053, -2.1933
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 Shaftesbury
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
film location
Stourhead (Pride and Prejudice proposal)
The Palladian bridge and Temple of Apollo in Stourhead's landscape garden host Darcy's rain-soaked first proposal in the 2005 film.
14 km · about 25 min drive
racetrack
Gurston Down Motorsport Hillclimb
A 1,000-yard chalk downland hillclimb in Wiltshire with a fearsome uphill Karousel corner, run by enthusiasts since 1967 and one of the best places in Britain to watch sprint cars up close.
16 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Haynes International Motor Museum
The UK's largest collection of classic and vintage cars and motorcycles, with over 400 vehicles on display.
26 km · about 30 min drive
cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Masterpiece of Early English Gothic architecture boasting Britain's tallest spire at 123 metres and housing the finest surviving Magna Carta.
28 km · about 35 min 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.
29 km · about 35 min drive
ancient ruins
Old Sarum
The vast earthwork ramparts of the original Salisbury, an Iron Age hillfort later holding a Norman castle and first cathedral.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Westbury White Horse
The oldest of Wiltshire's chalk horses, cut into the escarpment below the Iron Age hillfort of Bratton Camp.
29 km · about 35 min drive
Driving roads near Shaftesbury
- 44 kmRhinefield Ornamental DriveA New Forest road lined with giant redwoods and Douglas firs planted in 1859, running between Brockenhurst and the A35.
- 45 kmBallard DownThe chalk ridge above Swanage running out to Old Harry Rocks, with views over Poole Harbour and Studland Bay.
- 50 kmCheddar Gorge Road (B3135)The B3135 threads the floor of England's largest gorge beneath 137m limestone cliffs, tight and dramatic but often busy with visitors and goats.
- 51 kmCheddar Gorge ViewpointEngland's largest gorge with 450-foot limestone cliffs, offering jaw-dropping views from several pull-off points along the winding road.
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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