Wareham

For details of places to stay and things to do in Wareham, please try the links on the left.

WAREHAM'S visitors have not always been by invitation! After regular raids by the Vikings, and Canute's capture of the town in 1016, earthen walls were raised around three sides of Wareham for protection.

Now those grassy banks enclose a thriving market town with a Saxon street plan and more than 200 buildings of architectural and historic interest and today's visitors are made to feel more than welcome.

The signposted Walls Walk offer fine views over the meandering River Piddle, whilst a boat trip reveals the scenery along the lovely River Frome. Wareham Sports Centre has a 25m pool and the town is also home to Britain's only gas-lit cinema.

Wareham's parish church of Lady St Mary has magnificent stained glass windows and in St Martin's in North Street (Dorset's oldest church) there's a life-sized stone effigy of Lawrence of Arabia. The local history museum, although small, has a wealth of historic information.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink, from a variety of pubs offering traditional fare to tearooms and English and continental restaurants.
With a weekly market, a lively auction house and regular farmers' markets Wareham is a thriving and traditional Dorset market town.

Nearby Villages
Bere Regis - A quiet village close to an Iron Age settlement.

Kimmeridge - Stunning bay with abundance of marine life. Has excellent dive sites.

Tyneham - Ruins of village requisitioned for Army training during World War ll.

Wool - Pretty stream running through older part of village. 13th century church. Close to Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre.