The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. At 30 miles (48 km) long it is the major chalkstream in southwest England. It is navigable upstream from Poole Harbour as far as the town of Wareham.
The Blackmore Vale is a vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.
Hilton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is sited at an elevation of 135 metres in a small valley which drains chalk hills in the eastern part of the Dorset Downs, approximately 8 miles west-southwest of the town of Blandford Forum. The summit of Bulbarrow Hill is 1+1⁄2 miles north of the village. In the 2011 census the parish—which includes the settlement of Ansty to the west—had 231 dwellings, 206 households and a population of 477.
Iwerne Courtney, also known as Shroton, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It lies approximately 4 miles northwest of Blandford Forum. It is sited by the small River Iwerne between Hambledon Hill to the south-west and the hills of Cranborne Chase to the east. In 2001 the parish had 187 households and a population of 400. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 410.
Maiden Newton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in south-west England. It lies within the Dorset Council administrative area, about 9 miles (14 km) north-west of the county town, Dorchester.
Puddletown is a village and civil parish 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 the word "piddle". The name Puddletown was officially sanctioned in the late 1950s. Puddletown's civil parish covers 2,908 hectares and extends to the River Frome to the south. In 2013 the estimated population of the civil parish was 1450.
Alton Pancras is a small village and civil parish in Dorset, England. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 175.
Chalbury is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies on the southern edge of Cranborne Chase within the East Dorset administrative district of the county, four miles north of Wimborne Minster and four miles west of Verwood. The village is sited on Chalbury Hill, the view from which has been described as "one of the most fascinating in the county". The Dorset broadcaster Ralph Wightman wrote of the hill and its view:
Compton Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies 3 miles south of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on greensand strata on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, below the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase. On top of these hills is Compton Abbas Airfield. The A350 road between Wiltshire and the south coast passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 216. The name Compton Abbas derives from the Saxon "cumb-ton", meaning 'village in a narrow valley', plus "abbas" which refers to Shaftesbury Abbey. The church, St. Mary's, was built in 1866 to replace the older structure which was more remote from the village.
Frome St Quintin is a village in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 11 miles (18 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited on an outcrop of greensand near the head of the Frome valley, among chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 150. There are naturally occurring springs in the area and the first habitation is likely to have been during the Roman era. The parish church dates from the 13th century. Just over 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west of the village and in Cattistock parish is Chantmarle, a 15th-century manor house with later additions.
Godmanstone is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the county town Dorchester. Its name means Godman's Farm and it is sited by the River Cerne amongst chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 130. In the 2011 census the population of Godmanstone parish combined with the small adjoining parish of Nether Cerne was 156.
Melbury Bubb is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in South West England, situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the town of Sherborne. It is sited on Cornbrash limestone beneath the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The A37 trunk road between Dorchester and Bristol passes about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west, on the other side of Bubb Down Hill. This hill used to be the site of a beacon. The first half of the village name derives from maele and burh—Old English for "multi-coloured" and "fortified place"—and the second half is a manorial name which derives either from a Saxon resident named 'Bubba' or from medieval lords of the manor. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 40.
Melcombe Horsey is a civil parish in the county of Dorset in South West England. It contains the small settlements of Melcombe Bingham, Bingham's Melcombe and Higher Melcombe, the last being the site of the deserted village of Melcombe Horsey. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 141.
Piddletrenthide is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is sited by the small River Piddle in a valley on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs, 8 miles (13 km) north of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish—which includes the small village of Plush to the northeast—had 323 dwellings, 290 households and a population of 647.
Rampisham is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 11 miles (18 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. The village is sited on greensand in a valley surrounded by the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish includes the hamlet of Uphall northwest of the main village.
Sydling St Nicholas is a village and civil parish in Dorset within southwest England. The parish is 5 to 9 miles northwest of the county town Dorchester and covers most of the valley of the small Sydling Water in the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish has an area of 2,075 hectares and includes the hamlet of Up Sydling in the north.
Witchampton is a village and civil parish in East Dorset, England, situated on the River Allen 5 miles (8 km) north of Wimborne Minster. The 2011 census recorded a population of 398.
Frampton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in the Frome valley among chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The village's name is a derivation from "Frome Town".
Cruxton is a hamlet in the English county of Dorset. It lies eight miles north-west of the county town of Dorchester, and one mile south-east of the village of Maiden Newton. It is sited on the west bank of the River Frome, amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. According to the Dorset author and broadcaster Ralph Wightman, the old house in the hamlet "was certainly a manor. William Crox gave thirty marks to have seizin of the vill in 1205."
Dorset is a county located in the middle of the south coast of England. It lies between the latitudes 50.512°N and 51.081°N and the longitudes 1.682°W and 2.958°W, and occupies an area of 2,653 km2. It spans 90 kilometres (56 mi) from east to west and 63 kilometres (39 mi) from north to south.
