National Trust North and West Dorset

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National Trust North and West Dorset Caring for three literary houses, coast and countryside in North and West Dorset. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative.

Welcome to the page for the National Trust in the West and North Dorset houses, coast and countryside. If you're interested in finding out about Studland, Purbeck or Kingston Lacy, follow our friends at and .

*House rules*
We want our page to be a place where people can share how they feel about the National Trust and talk about their experiences in a fun environment. It helps us to learn and grow. These house rules aim to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves while they’re here:

We ask you to be nice and polite to one another – you almost always are! - and respect each other’s views and comments. We ask all users to ensure your contributions are civil, polite, tasteful and suitable for all ages. We won't tolerate disruptive, offensive or abusive behaviour, unlawful or objectionable content. This includes any material which might be defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, blasphemous, indecent or otherwise unlawful or objectionable. It also includes any material which is aggressive, argumentative or likely to be construed as bullying, and it includes spamming or repetition - in particular the posting of off-topic material in subject-specific threads or areas.

*Moderation policy*
In general, we don’t moderate posts, except on the rare occasions - for example where someone has posted offensive, threatening or libellous content about named or identifiable individuals on our page. We have a duty to protect our staff and volunteers, so while deleting comments is totally out of character for us, our position is that any post containing a libellous accusations, should be removed. We’ll also remove any posts that in any way target individual teams or members of staff. We will not comment on our staff and volunteers in this way in public forums. If any correspondent has feedback to share about any individual members of staff or teams in the organisation, please get in touch with us directly. If an individual continues to post offensive, threatening or libellous content then we’ll be forced to block that person from the page. Similarly, if any individual repeatedly posts contributions of the nature noted above in the 'material' list, we'll again be forced to block that individual from the page (in this scenario, we will have previously warned the individual about their content). We won’t tolerate postings, content, or links that are racist, sexist or homophobic. We also don’t permit linking to or posting any content which endorses illegal activity, or any activities against the values of the National Trust. If you’re concerned that a posting or user content has broken any of our house rules or you’re worried about any comment or content then please send us an email to [email protected] and let us know. Finally, please note that the views on our page are created by our community and don’t necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Trust.

Hardy's Cottage, Max Gate and Clouds Hill are now closed for 2026 while we carry out essential building maintenance and ...
01/11/2026

Hardy's Cottage, Max Gate and Clouds Hill are now closed for 2026 while we carry out essential building maintenance and collections care.

A huge thank you to everyone who’s visited us this year. We couldn't look after these special places without your support.

We look forward to welcoming you back in Spring 2027.

This little robin is a regular in the garden at Hardy's Cottage and knew exactly where to perch for his autumn portrait....
27/10/2026

This little robin is a regular in the garden at Hardy's Cottage and knew exactly where to perch for his autumn portrait.

Image: Swantja Glindemann

Hands up if you love a hot bath on a chilly autumn day 🙋‍♀️T. E. Lawrence certainly did.Clouds Hill was his stripped-bac...
25/10/2026

Hands up if you love a hot bath on a chilly autumn day 🙋‍♀️

T. E. Lawrence certainly did.

Clouds Hill was his stripped-back countryside retreat, but a hot bath was one comfort he wasn’t going to go without.

He started planning a bathroom at Clouds Hill in 1923, although it took until 1933 for it to be fitted out. There was quite a bit to sort out first, including a water supply and a boiler.

He even had a bath before he had an indoor toilet.

Lawrence said: “Give me the luxuries and I will do without the essentials”

Come and explore Clouds Hill and discover more >> https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/clouds-hill

24/10/2026

Due to forecast bad weather and high winds, we need to close Clouds Hill, Hardy's Cottage & Hardy's House Max Gate on 24 October for your safety. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

We’re giving the Wood White butterfly some extra room to flutter 💚Although they have been historically recorded on the l...
20/10/2026

We’re giving the Wood White butterfly some extra room to flutter 💚

Although they have been historically recorded on the landslip at the Spittles near Lyme Regis, our ecology group has been spotting Wood Whites more frequently in the fields crossed by the coast path. Here, the wildflower bird’s-foot trefoil provides an important food source.

But spreading brambles are crowding out these wildflowers.

This month, our rangers have been cutting back brambles and clearing away the cuttings to help the wildflowers thrive and give this locally rare butterfly a better chance to flourish.

We'd like to say a big thanks to EuCAN, a Dorset-based Community Interest Company (CIC), who joined us this week to help to cut back brambles and Dorset Butterfly Conservation who funded their work.

Images: Myles Pinkney and Andy Foster

20/10/2026

Due to forecast bad weather and high winds, we need to close Hardy's Cottage & Hardy's House Max Gate on 21 October for your safety. Clouds Hill will remain open due to fewer trees and lower risk of falling branches. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Have you ever watched a place change over time?Thomas Hardy did.In At Day-Close in November, he looks back at the trees ...
18/10/2026

Have you ever watched a place change over time?

Thomas Hardy did.

In At Day-Close in November, he looks back at the trees he planted when he was young. Now they tower above him, and the children playing beneath them have no idea what the landscape once looked like.

It’s a lovely reflection on the passing of time, the changing seasons and the world we leave behind.

Once a month, our Ecology volunteers head out to check for Hazel Dormice on the Golden Cap Estate and last month we had ...
14/10/2026

Once a month, our Ecology volunteers head out to check for Hazel Dormice on the Golden Cap Estate and last month we had good news.

💚 Four of our 20 survey tubes had a dormouse nest or dormouse inside... including one with a mum and SIX babies 💚

Dormice are tiny (no bigger than an avocado stone) with golden brown fur and big black eyes. Sadly, numbers have declined over the last century as woodland and hedgerow habitats have been lost.

Here on the Golden Cap Estate, we have some fantastic hedgerows that provides a great habitat for wildlife, and our rangers and volunteers work hard to help protect them.

Discoveries like these are a lovely reminder of why this work is so important.

Three weekends left to visit before we close our doors for the season. Enjoy the beautiful autumn colours and discover t...
13/10/2026

Three weekends left to visit before we close our doors for the season.

Enjoy the beautiful autumn colours and discover the stories of Hardy’s Cottage, Hardy’s House Max Gate and Clouds Hill before all three properties close on Sunday 1 November.

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