Abbey or priory · near Cerne Abbas · Dorset

Cerne Abbey

Cerne Abbey is a historic Benedictine abbey and private estate in Cerne Abbas, Dorset. It counts as a scheduled monument. Nearby, Maiden Castle (13 km) heads a list of 18 within 15 km.

Photo: Cerne Abbey, Raymond Knapman (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Where

100 m

northeast of Cerne Abbas

How well known

Top 19%

#1,601 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 18–21°C

In brief

Abbey or priory near Cerne Abbas

Just outside Cerne Abbas

Cerne Abbey is 100 m northeast of Cerne Abbas. Towns near it ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Cerne Abbas has 69 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

The seasons here

If warmth matters, go June to September: Cerne Abbas reaches 18–21°C.

Jan8° / 2°124 mm

Feb8° / 1°94 mm

Mar10° / 2°82 mm

Apr13° / 3°78 mm

May16° / 6°71 mm

Jun19° / 9°68 mm

Jul21° / 11°65 mm

Aug20° / 11°88 mm

Sep18° / 9°88 mm

Oct14° / 7°132 mm

Nov10° / 4°136 mm

Dec8° / 2°133 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Cerne Abbas, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Cerne Abbas. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Cerne Abbas’ full climate →

About

Cerne Abbey

There are Wikipedia articles on it in 5 languages.

Cerne Abbas’ listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Abbey or priory
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 5 languages
Town: 100 m northeast of Cerne Abbas
Official site: cerneabbey.com

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Cerne Abbey and what surrounds it

On this map, Cerne Abbey is orange and its neighbours are numbered.

Towns near it

Towns that count Cerne Abbey

By population, Charminster leads the 8 with 1,732. Start with its own town; the others follow by distance.

1 · 100 m southwest of it

Cerne Abbas

865 people · 4 places to visit

2 · 3.6 km southwest of it

Sydling St Nicholas

434 people · 3 places to visit

3 · 3.7 km southeast of it

Piddletrenthide

375 people · 3 places to visit

4 · 6.5 km southeast of it

Piddlehinton

448 people · 1 place to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Cerne Abbey is	People	Places to visit
Cerne Abbas	100 m southwest of it	865	4
Sydling St Nicholas	3.6 km southwest of it	434	3
Piddletrenthide	3.7 km southeast of it	375	3
Piddlehinton	6.5 km southeast of it	448	1
Charlton Down	6.7 km south of it	1,487	9
Maiden Newton	7.7 km southwest of it	1,128	0
Leigh	8.5 km northwest of it	482	0
Charminster	8.7 km south of it	1,732	10

Make a day of it

What else is near Cerne Abbey

Around it, within 15 km, lie 18 more, including 4 museums, 2 historic houses and a fort.

Fort · English HeritageMaiden Castle13 km away 2

MuseumDinosaur Museum11 km away 3

MuseumDorset Museum11 km away 4

Historic houseWolfeton House9.4 km away 5

Historic house · National TrustMax Gate12 km away 6

MuseumThe Teddy Bear Museum11 km away 7

MuseumThe Keep Military Museum11 km away 8

CastleWoodsford Castle14 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Before visiting Cerne Abbey

Where is Cerne Abbey?

Cerne Abbey is 100 m northeast of Cerne Abbas, Dorset.

What is Cerne Abbey?

Historic Benedictine abbey and private estate in Cerne Abbas, Dorset.

When is the best time to visit Cerne Abbey?

June to September are the warmest months in Cerne Abbas, with afternoon highs of 18–21°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Cerne Abbey a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Cerne Abbey?

Within 15 km: Maiden Castle (13 km), Dinosaur Museum (11 km), Dorset Museum (11 km) and Wolfeton House (9.4 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (9)

Cerne Abbey: Raymond Knapman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Maiden Castle: Major George Allen (1891–1940), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Dinosaur Museum: Chris Talbot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dorset Museum: Cmyk at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Wolfeton House: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Max Gate: Pierre Terre, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Teddy Bear Museum: Chris Talbot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Keep Military Museum: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Woodsford Castle: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.