| Are you thinking about backpacking England? Are you interested in the history of the Second World War? Consider the Dorset coast.
Recognized internationally as a World Heritage Site, the Dorset coast is rich in wildlife living among remnants of World War II, medieval monasteries, Iron Age hill forts and prehistoric fossils.
Along the coast of Dorset and beginning at Bournemouth is a long-distance trail that connects 20 towns and villages. This is the online version of the printed trail guide published by PICKATRAIL — the guide includes more than 500 gps waypoints to help you find your way.
Use this guide to hike the trail and see all of its beauty, or use public transportation to visit particular places.
Explore Fort Henry at Studland, where Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower watched military rehearsals for the D-Day invasion. The threat of German invasion during the Second World War resulted in the construction of gun emplacements and pillboxes that still stand today, and are accessible throughout the length of this trail. Discover why the village of Tyneham was deserted and taken over by the army in 1943. Visit Weymouth, where nearly 31,000 American troops and more than 3,000 vehicles embarked for the D-Day invasion on 208 vessels. See the "Dragon's Teeth", two massive rows of concrete cubes that remain as Dorset's most substantial wartime relic. Admire the Abbotsbury fleet, where in 1942, the prototype of the "Bouncing Bomb" was developed and ultimately used in the famous Dam Buster's raid over the Ruhr in 1943.
Surrounding these reminders of our history is a land rich in wildlife and unique geology. The trail passes through the Durlston Country park at Swanage, past numerous numerous nature reserves, the fossil forest at Lulworth Cove, the Swannery at Abbotsbury, and ammonites on the coast at Charmouth and Lyme Regis.
Dedicated to the men and women who fought against Nazi Germany during the Second World War
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