One of England’s lesser known Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Cranborne Chase is an area of chalk downland that straddles the counties of Dorset, Hamphsire and Wiltshire. It was once a hunting estate owned by King John, but its history goes back far into prehistoric times and there are many important archaeological sites here dating from the bronze and iron ages as well as the Roman period. This deeply rural area centres on the small village of Cranborne, which featured in the novels of Thomas Hardy. Also worth a visit is the picture postcard village of Farnham and Cashmoor, which is known for the abundance of butterflies to be found there. And don’t forget to try the local Cranborne Chase cheese, a speciality of the region.