SHAFTESBURY

 Shaftesbury's biggest claim to fame is Gold Hill, which once purported to be somewhere 'oop North' in a famous Hovis TV advert!

So steep! The entrance is a narrow, sloping passage to the side of the town hall

The front of the town hall.....

.....and the rear, facing down Gold Hill

Outside the front of the town hall, is a replica of the famous Hovis loaf, which brought Shaftesbury such fame. It's actually a giant charity collection box

On a sunny day, the view over Blackmoor Vale from the top of Gold Hill is stupendous!

As you face the front of the town hall, walk right, past the coffee shop, and explore the gardens and the museum of Shaftesbury Abbey. Again, there are amazing views over Dorset from the clifftop walk. The abbey was founded in 888 AD by Alfred the Great, and it grew in fame in 979 when it held the body of St. Edward the Martyr (see the section on Corfe), and pilgrims came in their hundreds and miracles were reported.