Discover Shillingstone

If you are considering Shillingstone as a travel destination, you can plan your stay around railway history, nature and garden culture. The North Dorset Railway is based at Shillingstone Station. Other varied travel interests include the North Dorset Trailway, nature activities at Bere Marsh Farm and Shillingstone Gardens. These themes represent different ways to spend your time: from a historic railway setting to outdoor activities, plants and wildlife. When planning, it is worth considering the conditions of each activity as well as your main interest.

Railway history at Shillingstone Station

The North Dorset Railway is a standard-gauge heritage railway based at Shillingstone Station. Shillingstone Station is also the only surviving station with a DCR design. So, as well as the heritage railway, the station’s special preservation status is a focus. For travellers interested in railway history, these are two related but distinct perspectives: a heritage railway and a station with a special place among surviving stations.

The station also has a small children’s play area and a miniature railway. These facilities complement the railway focus with specific activities for children. If this part of your trip planning is important, check the North Dorset Railway’s latest visitor information in advance.

North Dorset Trailway: on foot or by bike

The North Dorset Trailway is a more than nine-mile-long, traffic-free route along the former trackbed of the Somerset and Dorset Railway. It is used for walking and cycling, offering a different travel focus from the railway heritage at the station. The Trailway features scenery along the River Stour and views across the railway tracks towards Hambledon and Hod Hills, two ancient hillforts. Alongside active use of the route, visitors can therefore enjoy both landscapes and a historical connection to the hills.

Nature activities at Bere Marsh Farm

At Bere Marsh Farm, the 700-metre-long wildlife corridor on former railway land can be visited by prior appointment. The corridor is therefore a planned activity rather than a spontaneous visit: arrange your appointment in advance and confirm it before your visit.

The farm also regularly hosts guided wildlife walks and creative workshops from spring through autumn. The activities have different focuses: a walk centres on a guided nature experience, while a workshop has a creative focus. As activities may be seasonal, check the specific dates if one of these experiences is important to your trip.

A nature reserve at Bere Marsh Farm was named in honour of local farmer and conservationist Angela Hughes. This adds a local figure to the nature themes found there.

Garden culture at Shillingstone Gardens

Shillingstone Gardens includes an old-fashioned, walled kitchen garden with vegetables, fruit and flowers. Crops and flowers together shape the character of the garden. Shillingstone Gardens also aims to be a sustainable haven for native fauna and wildlife. Thus, alongside the designed kitchen garden, the garden also has an expressly intended contribution to local wildlife.

Travel interests have different focuses: railway history at the station, exercise on the Trailway, seasonal activities at Bere Marsh Farm, or plants and wildlife at Shillingstone Gardens. You can choose based on which themes interest you most during your stay.

Practical planning

There is free parking for the Trailway at the A357 crossing at Bere Marsh; height restrictions apply there. Parking rules and restrictions can change, so check them before you travel. These are different considerations from those for activities at Bere Marsh Farm, where you need to arrange an appointment in advance for the wildlife corridor and check the seasonal dates for walks and workshops.

Discover more destinations: Hamworthy, North Wootton, Winterborne Stickland, Swanage, Gillingham, Verwood, Pilsdon, Hooke

For the broader travel overview: Dorset.