Dorset is a beautiful county in South West England, located on the English Channel coast bordering Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.

Hire a car in Dorset and you could drive the length of the Jurassic Coast, visit the wealth of seaside resorts including Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth, shop in the county town of Dorchester and explore the character town of Lyme Regis and stroll along The Cobb or take the kids to Dinosaurland.

Dorset has a large rural area and has been the inspirational home of many authors and poets such as Thomas Hardy, whose cottage near Dorchester is owned by the National Trust. With your rental car tour the picturesque countryside, and drive to and explore the picture box rural Dorset villages such as Piddlehinton, Wimborne St Giles and Sixpenny Handley.

The UNESCO Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site covers almost the whole of the Dorset coastline and walks along the South West Coast Path are enjoyed by many although walking the whole 630 miles from Cornwall to Poole Harbour in Dorset could take some time!

Bournemouth boasts some seven miles of sandy beaches and is very popular with water sports enthusiasts.  The newly developed artificial reef, Weights Reef, was opened to the public on the 3rd November 2009, built to ensure great body boarding and surfing facilities or a calm lagoon for swimming when the weather calms. There is an excellent choice of shops in Bournemouth as well as superb facilities for the whole family to enjoy and a great nightlife.

One of the locations for the embarkation for troops on D-Day, Poole Harbour is rich in maritime history.  Poole’s Sandbanks beach is one of Britain’s best family friendly beaches and has held the EU Blue Flag for over 20 years and location is the for the British Beach Polo Championships in July. Take a stroll through the woods of Blue Pool, visit the National Motor Museum or during the summer, take

Sparkling on the south coast of England is the vibrant Dorset seaside town of Bournemouth, situated between the New Forest and Poole. During the summer, the town just doesn’t stop with fantastic beaches and activities to enjoy during the day, and an endless choice of restaurants, pubs and clubs available through the night!

Bournemouth is popular with the surfing crowd, and as part of a regeneration project £11 million is being spent in Boscombe (10 minutes drive from Bournemouth or 25 minutes walk) to build a reef so that better and more surfing days are ensured. During July and August when the waves are mellower, the reef will cause a lagoon effect in the area making it perfect for families enjoying beach life in Bournemouth.

Whilst you couldn’t have your holiday to Bournemouth without taking in the seven miles of golden beach, enjoying the sand, the sea and many other water sports, there are also many fabulous parks and gardens, as well as fantastic shops and plenty of cultural visits to keep the most discerning visitor happy; the Bournemouth Tourist Information Centre arranges guided walks for visitors to get the most of the town!

Visit the Russell Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, an interesting looking Victorian villa where you may view a collection of important paintings and sculptures, ceramics and furniture. There are child facilities and a cafe, as well as the house to explore.  In Bournemouth you will discover many other museums, castles, churches and stately homes, and of course the town is surrounded by stunning countryside and is just east of England’s only UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There are many hotels in Bournemouth, as well as self catering apartments, bed and breakfast lodges and guesthouses, and with over 250 restaurants, there certainly is an excellent choice of eateries, from fish and chips to gourmet delights.

The town also has its own airport which is situated inland to the north east, with schedule, low cost and charter flights flying from Bournemouth International Airport to many destinations within Eastern and Western Europe. You can take holidays from Bournemouth to Spain, the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, Egypt, Bulgaria, Greece, to name but a few! Hire car may be arranged from either the airport or downtown with easyCar.com or there are two stations in Bournemouth if travelling by train.

If you are lucky enough to be in Bournemouth at the end of August the Bournemouth Air Festival runs for four days and includes a show by the Red Arrows. In 2009 it was held from the 20th to 23rd August. Bourne Free a Gay Pride festival is held in Bournemouth in the summer too.