Dorset: Country and Coast S01E04 - Episode 4

In this episode, we visit the picturesque county town of Dorchester, steeped in history and renowned as the home of author Thomas Hardy. We explore the cottage where Hardy was born in 1840. Surrounded by ancient woodland, this small cob and thatch cottage was built by his great-grandfather and has been little altered since the family left.

In the centre of Dorchester, we stop at the Old Tea House for a refreshing cream tea. Housed in one of Dorchester's oldest buildings, the Tea House is a favourite with visitors and locals alike. It has a rich history, with a secret tunnel that runs underneath the house - part of a network that stretches throughout the town, it made the perfect hiding place for the Abbot after Cromwell blew up Corfe Castle.

At Sherborne Castle, it's the day of the Country Fair and Rare Breeds Show. We meet some young sheep handlers proudly showing their woolly charges, determined to show their parents and grandparents how it should be done.

We head to the coast and take the ferry to Brownsea Island, a nature reserve with rare wildlife including red squirrels and wading birds. We join visitors on a reptile walk to see how many of the UK's six native species they can find.

Back on the mainland, we meet Master Potter Alan White who has been throwing pots in Poole for over 50 years. Starting his career as an apprentice at Poole Pottery, Alan still makes pots in the town. Poole Pottery is no longer made in Dorset but Alan and a handful of other artists are still producing pottery with the same care and dedication that put Poole Pottery on the map, making sure Poole keeps its name for world class pottery.