National Character Area 134

Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase - Key Facts & Data

Landscape and nature conservation designations section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Seventy-eight per cent of the NCA lies within a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Forty-three per cent is within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB and 35 per cent of the NCA is within the Dorset AONB. Less than 1 per cent of the NCA is within the New Forest National Park (Natural England, 2011).


Designated nature conservation sites

The NCA includes the following statutory nature conservation designations (Natural England, Special Protection Areas; Special Area of Conservation; Ramsars; National Nature Reserves; Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserves, 2021):

Please note: (i) Designated areas may overlap (ii) all figures are cut to Mean High Water Line, designations that span coastal/marine areas below this line will not be included.

Condition of designated sites
All designated sites within England are covered by Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI) units. The condition to these SSSI units within the NCA are as follows (Natural England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest Units, 2021; 2023):



Landscape and nature conservation designations map for NCA134

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Landform, geology and soils section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Elevation

At its lowest the NCA is only 16m above sea level rising to a maximum height of 275 m. The mean elevation is 112m (Natural England, 2010).

Landform and process

Cranborne Chase lies south of the Ebble valley. Its scarp is intercut by steep, deep coombes, while the dip slope is much gentler and eventually runs under the wooded London Clay of the Dorset Heaths NCA. It is separated from the Dorset Downs by the River Stour. These downs are a series of hogsback ridges and chalk stream valleys with deep stream-cut coombes in the ridge sides. (South Wessex Downs Natural Area Profile, Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description.)

Bedrock geology

The highest parts of the Downs represent the remains of a once-extensive Chalk platform. In the very west of the NCA small areas of Upper Greensand and Gault Clay are exposed along with very small areas of Jurassic sediments. Small areas of Tertiary sediments are also present in the southern half of the Downs (South Wessex Downs Natural Area Profile, Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description, British Geological Survey maps).

Superficial deposits

Over time the uplifted Chalk Now subjected to tropical weathering leading to formation of clay-with-flints on its surface in some areas. Silcretes (sandstones with a hard silica cement) also formed as a result of weathering in sandy soils. During periglacial times these deposits were broken up into what are now known as sarsen stones and many were transported down slope and great distances by solifluction. Rivers crossing the area deposited gravel terraces which now only remain as isolated patches on hill tops and in current river valleys (South Wessex Downs Natural Area Profile, Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description, British Geological Survey maps).

Designated geological sites

The NCA includes the following geological sites (Natural England, Geological and Mixed Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 2021):

wdt_ID NCA_ID NAME NCAAreaHa Interest type Area (ha) 2021 Percent of NCA (2021) Count
2361NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAIN37,669.6Geological6.80.01
2371NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAIN37,669.6Mixed1,029.52.75
2382NORTHUMBERLAND SANDSTONE HILLS72,694.6Geological45.40.14
2393CHEVIOT FRINGE51,591.3Geological17.10.02
2404CHEVIOTS36,487.9Geological165.00.52
2414CHEVIOTS36,487.9Mixed3,488.99.61
2425BORDER MOORS AND FORESTS127,155.9Geological85.70.18
2435BORDER MOORS AND FORESTS127,155.9Mixed35.80.01
2446SOLWAY BASIN98,350.4Geological7.20.02
2456SOLWAY BASIN98,350.4Mixed5,569.25.74

Soils and Agriculture Classification

The soils are predominantly thin, chalky rendzinas although some ridges and hill tops are capped with more acidic drifts, sometimes clay-with-flints. In the valley bottoms alluvial deposits have given rise to neutral soils (Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description).

The main grades of agricultural land in the NCA are broken down as follows (as a proportion of total land area) (Natural England, Provisional Agricultural Land Classification, 2019):


Landform, geology and soils map for NCA134

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Key waterbodies and catchments section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Major rivers/canals

The following major rivers/canals (by length) have been identified in this NCA (Natural England, data informing the 2014 National Character Area Profiles, 2010):

wdt_ID REF_CODE NAME_1 Name Length (km) SumOfShape_Length
11NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINRiver Aln7.67,587.2
21NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINRiver Coquet5.55,516.0
31NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINWhiteadder Water2.92,904.9
410NORTH PENNINESBlack Burn11.911,853.4
510NORTH PENNINESCroglin Water10.010,042.3
610NORTH PENNINESCrowdundle Beck4.34,337.4
710NORTH PENNINESDevil's Water20.520,464.6
810NORTH PENNINESHarwood Beck9.79,740.2
910NORTH PENNINESRiver Allen4.94,889.0
1010NORTH PENNINESRiver Derwent15.315,268.4

Please note: other significant rivers (by volume) may also occur. Tidal stretches of rivers are not included, which may include some major rivers.

The valleys of the Frome, Piddle and Stour are all different in character. The River Frome and its tributaries form a branching network of valleys. These probably have the most deeply eroded and enclosed landforms, especially in the Cerne and Sydling Water valleys, where the distinctive character is emphasised by the Cerne Abbas Giant carved out of the chalk high above the valley floor. In contrast the valleys of the Piddle system typically have V-shaped upper valleys which wind through narrow gaps to open out dramatically. The Stour valley is the least remote with a wide flood plain, large villages and the attractive town of Blandford Forum within its parkland setting.

The major drainage pattern runs south-eastwards forming the upper parts of the Piddle, Frome, Stour and Avon catchments, but the Nadder and Ebble drain eastwards into the Avon.

Water quality

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. These can impact surface water (waterbodies and waterways located above ground) and groundwater (water bodies and waterways located below ground).

Waterbodies such as lakes can also be designated as “eutrophic waters” if the enrichment of the waterbody by nitrate pollution causes accelerated growth of algae, impacting the quality of the water and the balance of organisms within it.

The following NVZs are located within the NCA (Environment Agency, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Designations, 2021):

Water framework directive

River basin management plans cover river basin districts and describe the challenges that threaten the water environment and how these challenges can be managed and funded. The plans include the classification of water quality of surface waters and ground waters.



Click on the Water Framework Directive layers on the below map to view the corresponding river names.

Key waterbodies and catchments map for NCA134

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Trees and woodlands section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Total woodland cover

Ancient woodland is any area that has been wooded continuously since at least 1600 AD. National Forest Inventory (NFI) woodland includes all forests and woodlands (0.5 hectares and over). The total woodland cover within the NCA is as follows (Forestry Commission, National Forest Inventory, 2020; 2023; Natural England, Ancient Woodland, 2021; 2024; this does not consider Natural England’s ‘Ancient Woodland – Revised (England) – Completed Counties’ data as this is being updated in tranches and no full dataset is yet available):

Distribution and size of woodland and trees in the landscape

Cranborne Chase is characterised by woodlands, shelterbelts, clumps and copses containing ancient hazel coppice and by enclosed areas of arable pasture and parkland. The Dorset Downs still have many small coppices and the ridge is dominated by the extensive woodlands of Grovely Wood and Great Ridge. Cranborne Chase and Bentley Wood in particular were developed from hunting forests into huge coppice areas, the former remaining today. (South Wessex Downs Natural Area Profile, Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area Description)

Woodland types

A statistical breakdown of the area and type of woodland found across the NCA is detailed below (Forestry Commission, National Forest Inventory, 2020; 2023):

Area and proportion of ancient woodland and planted ancient woodland sites (PAWS) within the NCA (Natural England, Ancient Woodland, 2021; 2024):


Trees and woodlands map for NCA134

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Boundary features and patterns

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated.

Boundary features

Hedgerows are typically low and sparse. The few hedgerow trees and shelterbelts of beech, ash and sycamore are found mainly near the scattered farmsteads (Dorset Downs & Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description; Countryside Quality Counts, 2003).

Field patterns

To the south and east the fields are large and regular. At the edges of the valleys, fields tend to become smaller (Dorset Downs & Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description; Countryside Quality Counts, 2003).

Agriculture section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

The following tables provide the most recently available statistics from Defra on agriculture within the NCA.

Farm type

The following farm types are located within this NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm size

The following table outlines the sizes of farms within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm ownership

The following table outlines the ownership of farms within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Land use

The following table outlines the types of agricultural land use within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Livestock numbers

The following livestock are farmed within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm labour

The following table outlines the types of farm labour within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Please note: (i) Some of the Census data are estimated by Defra so may not present a precise assessment of agriculture within this area (ii) Data refers to commercial holdings only (iii) Data includes land outside of the NCA where it belongs to holdings whose centre point is recorded as being within the NCA.



Note that the below map only shows agri-environment scheme coverage, and not other schemes.

Agriculture map for NCA134

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Key habitats and species section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Habitat distribution/coverage

There are large areas of chalk downland, often occupying the steep, difficult to cultivate scarp slopes, for example at Hog Cliff and Cerne Abbas. Woodland similarly hangs on slopes and in some of the deeper combes, though in other areas is found on areas of heavier clay-with-flints soils. Valley bottoms support areas of grazing marsh, some of it remnants of now defunct water meadow systems. All other habitats are of much less extent and significance and in some respects represent both the dominance of the chalk substrate and the long tradition of agricultural management in this NCA. The NCA also contains important arable habitats. These support nationally important assemblages of arable birds (South Wessex Downs Natural Area Profile).

Key Habitats

The NCA contains the following areas of key main habitats, as mapped by the national Priority Habitat Inventory (Natural England, Priority Habitats Inventory, 2021; 2024; Natural England, Wood Pasture and Parkland, 2020). Note: lakes and ponds were not included in 2021 data:






Key habitats and species map for NCA134

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Settlement and development patterns section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Settlement patterns

Apart from the attractive town of Blandford Forum in the Stour Valley and Dorchester at the southern edge, the main settlements within the NCA are the villages strung out along the narrow valleys or in more compact form in the wider valleys. They are linked by narrow roads following the valley bottoms, with more sinuous tracks extending to the farmsteads on the valley sides. On the higher ground there are only a few farmsteads and the road pattern is dominated by straight enclosure and turnpike roads (Countryside Character Area description; Countryside Quality Counts, 2003).

Main settlements

The main settlements within the NCA are Dorchester and Blandford Forum. The total estimated population for this NCA (derived from ONS 2001 census data) is: 79,821 (Dorset Downs & Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description; Countryside Quality Counts, 2003, Natural England, 2012).

Local vernacular and building materials

The farmsteads on the higher ground are mostly of modern construction but in the valleys and in the villages that cluster at the foot of the scarps a wide variety of building materials have been used. Timber framing, often disguised by more recent additions, is a particular feature. Flint with brick dressing and banding is common, and clunch (chalk) is sometimes used with brick to give chequered patterns. Low, rendered buildings are common and there are many pre-18th and 19th century brick buildings. Although thatch is the traditional roofing material there are many tiled roofs and some use of slate. This mixture of materials reflects the lack of a consistent supply of building stone and dressed stone is largely confined to the churches and manor houses (Dorset Downs & Cranborne Chase Countryside Character Area description; Countryside Quality Counts, 2003).

Settlement and development patterns map for NCA134

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Key historic sites and features section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Origin of historic features

There Now certainly Mesolithic activity in the area of the Downs but the first major imprint on the landscape is that of the Neolithic and there is a notable concentration of Neolithic ritual and ceremonial monuments around Dorchester. The causewayed camps of Maiden Castle, Maumbury Rings and Hambledon Hill are examples of important monuments of this period. Other concentrations of Neolithic and bronze-age sites are found in Cranborne Chase, including the Dorset Cursus which seems to have been used for excarnation or exposure of the dead. It is likely that the clearance of woodland on the downs and the steady downNowhing of downland soils had begun early in prehistory although there may well have been early valley settlement obscured by later settlement and cultivation. During the Bronze Age the Downs seem to have been quite densely settled and groups of round barrows are still common features. Large areas were divided up by early field systems which, together with boundary dykes like Grimm’s Ditch and Bokerley Dyke, are evidence of highly organised societies. Defended hilltop sites for which the Downs are rightly famous, were developed during the Iron Age although the most celebrated, Maiden Castle, has its origins in the Neolithic.

The civitas capital (or regional administrative centre) of Dorchester Now the main settlement of the Roman period. The roads radiating from it are still prominent features in the present day landscape but the main Roman influence Now a long period of peace in which settlements multiplied and in which there Now increasing exploitation of the valleys around the high downland. The gradual Saxon takeover of the area seems to have maintained a continuity of settlement. The numerous tons and bournes are evidence of Saxon farmsteads and waterside settlements and the Saxon charters show that much of the landscape Now divided up into small estates which embraced valley bottoms, valley sides and access to the open downland.

Domesday Book shows that much of the present pattern of settlement had been established, and in the Middle Ages it Now more common than it is today. The loose ribbons of farmsteads and cottages that make up many of the valley villages were originally laid out in probably much denser planned form, and the landscape is littered with deserted settlements. Open field systems developed along the valleys, sometimes lapping up to the edge of the open downland crests but, from the mid 14th century onwards there Now piecemeal enclosure and expansion of sheep grazing.

In the east Cranborne Chase Now a royal hunting ground from at least the time of William the Conqueror until the 17th century. Its conservative landlords kept it substantially in its medieval character until it Now disenfranchised in 1829. The medieval religious houses in and around the Chase formed the basis of the later parks and mansions like Tarrant Crawford and Iwerne. During the 17th century an elaborate system of flood meadows Now developed in the valleys and the economy of the downs Now dominated by sheep rearing. This continued in the succeeding centuries with the downlands being enclosed within strongly rectilinear fields in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the 20th century there has been large-scale conversion of the downlands to arable.

Today many perceptions of the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase have been coloured by the writing of Thomas Hardy; Cranborne Chase Now the ‘venerable tract of forestland’ in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Maiden Castle featured in Far from the Madding Crowd (Draft Historic Profile, Countryside Quality Counts, Countryside Character Area description).

Designated historic assets

The NCA includes the following designated historic assets (Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 2021; 2024):

Listed buildings

The NCA includes the following listed buildings (Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 2021; 2024):

Heritage at Risk Register

The NCA includes the following designated historic assets listed within the Heritage at Risk Register (Historic England, Heritage at Risk Register, 2021; 2023):



Key historic sites and features map for NCA134

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Recreation and access section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Public access

The following areas of public access for recreation are located within this NCA (Natural England, 2021; National Trust, 2021):


Please note: Public access areas may overlap.
The following linear routes or public access for recreation are located within this NCA (Natural England, 2021; Sustrans; 2021):

Recreation and access map for NCA134

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Experiential qualities

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated.

Tranquillity

Based on the CPRE map of tranquillity (2006) the NCA is most tranquil in the Cranborne Chase away from the A340 and to the north-west of the A340 between Dorchester and Blandford Forum. It is least tranquil around Dorchester and Blandford Forum.

A breakdown of tranquillity values for this NCA are detailed in the table below (CPRE, Tranquillity Map, 2006):

Dark skies

Light pollution is a generic term referring to artificial light that shines where it is neither wanted nor needed, and can impact on people’s experience of the countryside within the NCAs. CPRE host an interactive map, depicting the light pollution and dark skies within the NCA.

Intrusion

The 2007 Intrusion Map (CPRE) shows the extent to which rural landscapes are ‘intruded on’ from urban development, noise (primarily traffic noise), and other sources of visual and auditory intrusion. This shows there is some intrusion around Dorchester, Blandford Forum and Salisbury and the A340 that links the three towns but particularly around the Cranborne Chase area and to the north-west of the A340 there are areas that are relatively undisturbed A breakdown of intrusion values for this NCA is detailed in the table

A breakdown of intrusion values for this NCA is detailed in the table below (CPRE, Intrusion Map, 2007):

Notable trends from the 1960s to 2007 are the large increase in intrusion.