Hill forts · South West England
Dorset Cursus
In or near Pentridge.
Dorset Cursus — Neolithic monument in South West England.
Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Dorset Cursus is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Neolithic monument in South West England". Coordinates: 50.9434°, -1.9752°.
Photo gallery
See it from the streetimagery from 2025
Imagery © Mapillary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Avon System SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Pentridge Down SSSI
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Dorset Cursus is a Neolithic cursus monument that spans across 10 km (6¼ miles) of the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase in east Dorset, United Kingdom. Its extreme length makes it a notable example of this class of linear earthwork; it is better interpreted as a pair of same-length cursus constructed end to end, with the more southerly cursus (the Gussage Cursus) pre-dating the northerly one (the Pentridge Cursus).
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
- Coordinates
- 50.9434, -1.9752
- District
- Dorset
- Parish
- Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge
- Postcode
- SP5 5QP
- Parliamentary constituency
- North Dorset
Sources
- wikidata: Q5298848 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Dorset Cursus (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery
Burial mounds & barrows · 1.2 km
Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery
Archaeological sites · 1.2 km
Wor Barrow
Burial mounds & barrows · 1.4 km
Wor Barrow
Archaeological sites · 1.4 km
Sixpenny Handley
Villages · 1.9 km
Down Farm
Farms (open to visitors) · 2.2 km
Blackbush Down
Mountains & hills · 2.2 km
Pentridge
Towns & cities · 2.3 km
Penbury Knoll camp on Pentridge Hill
Vineyards · 2.4 km
Pentridge Hill
Mountains & hills · 2.4 km
Pentridge Hill - Penbury Knoll
Mountains & hills · 2.5 km
Church Farm Campsite
Caravan parks · 2.6 km
Nearby
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Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery
Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery — a burial mound in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
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Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery
Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery — archaeological in england south east.
📷 5Burial mounds & barrows · South West England
Wor Barrow
Wor Barrow — a burial mound in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
📷 5Archaeological sites · South West England
Wor Barrow
Wor Barrow — archaeological in england south east.
📷 5📷 5Farms (open to visitors) · South West England
Down Farm
Down Farm — a other in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
Where to eat & stay near Dorset Cursus
Places to stay
📷 5Caravan parks · South West England
Church Farm Campsite
Church Farm Campsite — a caravan park in england south east.
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Lower Farm Caravan Site
Lower Farm Caravan Site — a caravan park in england south east.
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Cherwell Leys Farm
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Verwood Camping & Caravan Club site
Verwood Camping & Caravan Club site — a campsite in england south east.
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Hillside Camping and Caravan Site
Hillside Camping and Caravan Site — a campsite in england south east.
📷 5Places to eat & drink
📷 5
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The Cart Wheel Public House in England South West, United Kingdom.
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The Old Beams Inn in England South West, United Kingdom.
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The Vine, Pamphill
The Vine, Pamphill in England South West, United Kingdom.
📷 7Historic pubs · South West England
The Man in the Wall
The Man in the Wall in England South West, United Kingdom.
More places in this region
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Maiden Castle
Maiden Castle — Iron Age hill fort in Dorset, England, UK.
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All Cannings Cross
All Cannings Cross — archaeological site in All Cannings, Wiltshire, England, UK.
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Aquae Sulis
Aquae Sulis — town in Roman Britain on the site of Bath, England.
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Aston Valley Barrow Cemetery
Aston Valley Barrow Cemetery — group of Bronze Age burial mounds in England.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Dorset Cursus?
- Dorset Cursus is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode SP5 5QP), in the parish of Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge.
- What is Dorset Cursus?
- Dorset Cursus — Neolithic monument in South West England.
- How do I get to Dorset Cursus?
- Drivers can use postcode SP5 5QP.
- Is Dorset Cursus a listed building?
- Dorset Cursus is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Dorset Cursus a protected site?
- Yes — Dorset Cursus is part of the River Avon System SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Pentridge Down SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is Dorset Cursus free to visit?
- Yes, Dorset Cursus is free to enter.
- How do I get to Dorset Cursus?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode SP5 5QP. It sits within the North Dorset parliamentary constituency.