Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>Well there&#8217;s the huge naked man carved into the hillside for starters. But apart from him – fancy a tiny village in the Dorset National Landscape (formerly known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) on the Dorset Downs? Cerne Abbas has a main street lined with gorgeous historic buildings, three pubs and a brewery (hic), a shop with a post office, a good state primary school, a church and (important) a duck pond. It&#8217;s eight miles from Dorchester for culture and half an hour from the beautiful Jurassic Coast. Any surprise Cerne Abbas has made it on to our list of top places to live in Dorset? </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n.jpg" alt="the new inn cerne abbas dorset" class="wp-image-110380" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/new-inn-cerne-abbas-514588496_18392464954143496_3075018634405332648_n-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The New Inn</figcaption></figure>



<p>You&#8217;re sorted for boozers here. Cerne Abbas was once famed for its brewing, sending beer to London and New York, and there used to be 15 pubs in the village. There are still three, which is a lot for a village this size – the <a href="https://www.thenewinncerneabbas.co.uk/index" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New Inn</a>, with a pretty courtyard and gardens, <a href="https://www.thegiantcerneabbas.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Giant Inn</a> and <a href="https://www.theroyaloakcerneabbas.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Royal Oak</a>. The <a href="https://www.cerneabbasbrewery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Abbas Brewery</a> has live music and food as well as beer – glass of Legless Jester anyone?  Just down the road in Dorchester, check out the boutique dining pub <a href="https://thekingsarmsdorchester.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The King&#8217;s Arms</a>. There&#8217;s super local fine dining in Lower Bockhampton at the thatched <a aria-label="Yalbury Cottage. (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.yalburycottage.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yalbury Cottage.</a>  Great country pubs nearby include the <a aria-label="Brace of Pheasants  (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.braceofpheasants.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brace of Pheasants </a>in Plush and <a href="https://www.thimbleinn.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Thimble Inn</a> in Piddlehinton&nbsp;– both former winners of Best Destination Pub in the Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol Muddy Awards. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n.jpg" alt="The Yard poundbury dorset" class="wp-image-110703" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/07/The-Yard-poundbury-496422971_18500857657038049_1578988224362204656_n-1100x1100.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Yard</figcaption></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CerneAbbasStores/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Abbas Stores</a>, the village shop and post office, will sort you out with the basics and more, including fresh fish, West Country cheeses, booze, and freshly baked bread from the Evershot Bakery. You&#8217;ll need to pop into Dorchester for supermarkets including Waitrose and assorted indies, and into Poundbury for cool shops including <a aria-label="Brace of Butchers, (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.braceofbutchers.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brace of Butchers,</a> <a aria-label="Magpie (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.magpiepoundbury.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Magpie</a> homeware and gifts, <a href="https://www.boostoys.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Boos Toy Shop</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theyardshop/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yard</a> women&#8217;s fashion and <a href="https://cherryade.store/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cherryade</a> lifestyle store.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<p>Assume the plank position with yoga or tai chi in the village hall and church. There&#8217;s cricket and badminton in the village and the Cerne Abbas Medical Centre has an in-house pharmacy. Slope over to the luxe <a aria-label="Monart Spa  (opens in a new tab)" href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/spa/monart-day-spa-poundbury-dorchester/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monart Day Spa </a>in Poundbury when you need a treat. There are wonderful walks all around; the Wessex Ridgeway, a 136-mile footpath from Marlborough to Lyme Regis, passes through the village.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://cernegiantfestival.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Giant festival</a> takes place in the Cerne Valley from mid April to mid May, with a May Day procession through the village and the Wessex Morris Men dancing at sunrise. There&#8217;s a village fete in July, a Society for Agriculture annual show in August and a Christmas Street Fayre. Scouts and a youth club meet in the village hall.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1124" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor.jpg" alt="minterne house light trail dorset" class="wp-image-101893" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor-800x599.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor-1000x749.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/11/AJP_CREATIVE_MINTERNE_070423_013_2024-min-scaled_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Minterne House</figcaption></figure>



<p>The 180ft <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cerne-giant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Giant</a>, a world-famous naked man with a club (and something else), is carved out of a steep chalk hillside on the edge of the village. Now owned by the National Trust, no one knows for sure who created him, when or why. There are remains of a once large <a href="https://cerneabbey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benedictine abbey</a> here. <a href="https://minterne.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Minterne House</a>, a country house with gorgeous Himalayan gardens open to the public, with trails in the summer and illuminated at Christmas, is two miles up the road. Other attractions include the neolithic Maumbury Rings (8 miles), Thomas Hardy&#8217;s Cottage (10 miles) and TE Lawrence&#8217;s cottage (14 miles). Weymouth and the Jurassic Coast are 16 miles away. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture">CULTURE</h2>



<p><a href="http://www.artsreach.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artsreach</a>, Dorset’s rural touring arts organisation and winner of Best Arts, Theatre &amp; Culture in the Dorset, Somerset, &amp; Bristol Muddy Awards 2025, brings live theatre, comedy, music, dance and more to the village. International chamber music musicians come every year for the <a href="https://cerneabbasmusicfestival.org.uk/Home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Abbas Music Festival</a>. Nearby Minterne House has an <a href="https://minterne.co.uk/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annual programme</a> of ballet and classical music. </p>



<p>There&#8217;s lots of stuff going on in Dorchester, with the brilliant Art Deco <a aria-label="Plaza  (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.plazadorchester.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plaza</a> and Odeon cinemas, <a aria-label="Dorchester Arts (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.dorchesterarts.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorchester Arts</a> at the Corn Exchange, 10  museums (10!), including the <a href="https://shirehalldorset.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum</a> where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were tried, and the <a href="https://www.dorsetmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorset Museum</a>. Plus in the autumn there is the Dorchester Literary Festival and a cider festival.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES</h2>



<p>Houses here (gorgeous) are made from brick, flint and stone and many are listed. Over the past year, properties in Cerne Abbas sold for an overall average of £486,538, with semis selling for an average of £399,286, terraced for £326,667, and detached pads fetching £1,150,000.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1080" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas-.png" alt="house for sale Cerne Abbas Dorset" class="wp-image-112612" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas-.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas--800x576.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas--1000x720.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas--400x288.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/09/cerne-abbas--768x553.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chocolate box, Grade II listed 4 bedder, <a href="https://www.gth.net/properties/20442018/sales/DOR250035/4-bedroom-detached-house-for-sale-in-cerne-abbas#/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">£825,000</a></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nurseries">NURSERIES</h2>



<p>The village school has a nursery, <a href="https://www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk/ducklings-pre-school-provision-3-4-year-olds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ducklings Pre-School</a>. For private school options Sunninghill Prep &amp; Nursery is in Dorchester and <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/leweston-prep-nursery-sherborne/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leweston Prep &amp; Nursery</a> is a 20-min drive.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schoo-ls">SCHOO<strong>LS</strong></h2>



<p><a href="https://www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerne Abbas CE VC First School</a>, in the cutely named Duck Street, is rated Good by Ofsted. State secondary <a href="https://www.ths.wessex.ac/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas Hardye Schoo</a>l (Ofsted Good) and the independent Sunninghill Prep &amp; Nursery are both in Dorchester. <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/leweston-school-sherborne/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leweston Schoo</a>l and <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/leweston-prep-nursery-sherborne/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leweston Prep &amp; Nursery</a> are about 10 miles away, and Sherborne School (all boys), Sherborne Girls and Sherborne Prep (mixed) are around 12 miles. <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/castle-court-prep-wimborne-dorset/">Castle Court Prep</a>, <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/canford-school-wimborne/">Canford School</a>, <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/bryanston-school/">Bryanston School</a> and <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/bryanston-prep-dorset/">Bryanston Prep</a>, <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/clayesmore-senior-school/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clayesmore School</a> and <a href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/clayesmore-prep-school/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clayesmore Prep</a> are all within an hour’s drive.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>BBC&#8217;s <em>Time Team </em>came to the village to unearth its lost Benedictine Abbey (only a tower remains). Cerne Abbas was Abbot&#8217;s Cernel in Thomas Hardy&#8217;s novels. Keep an eye out for local resident Kate Adie.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>Jump on a train in Dorchester West to reach London Paddington in 2 hrs 32 mins. Or drive to Sherborne for London Waterloo in around 2 hrs 14 mins.</p>



<p><em>View the full <a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live">Top 260 Best Places to Live</a></em>.</p>


Cerne Abbas

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