Fort · near Dorchester · Dorset

Maiden Castle

Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort. It is 1.4 km southwest of Dorchester. On the official register, it is a scheduled monument.

Photo: Maiden Castle, Major George Allen (1891–1940) (Public domain)

Where

1.4 km

southwest of Dorchester

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 2%

#134 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

May–Sep

highs of 17–22°C

In brief

Fort near Dorchester

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#134 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (23 Wikipedias). About ↓

Just outside Dorchester

Maiden Castle is 1.4 km southwest of Dorchester. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Dorchester has 278 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

In Dorchester the warm season is May to September, with highs of 17–22°C.

Jan8° / 2°124 mm

Feb9° / 2°89 mm

Mar11° / 3°75 mm

Apr14° / 5°72 mm

May17° / 8°61 mm

Jun20° / 10°61 mm

Jul22° / 12°57 mm

Aug21° / 12°81 mm

Sep19° / 10°80 mm

Oct15° / 8°126 mm

Nov11° / 5°134 mm

Dec9° / 3°129 mm

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

About

Maiden Castle

The site is kept up by English Heritage. Readers can find it on Wikipedia in 23 languages. Look also at Dinosaur Museum, 3.4 km away, first of 38 more within 15 km.

Dorchester’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Fort
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 23 languages
Town: 1.4 km southwest of Dorchester
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/maiden-castle

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

The map

The area around Maiden Castle

Orange marks Maiden Castle, and the numbered points match the list of places below.

Towns near it

Towns within reach of Maiden Castle

Of these 8 towns, the largest is Weymouth (55,540 people). Every town below has its own grades, prices and places to visit.

1 · 1.4 km northeast of it

Dorchester

21,358 people · 11 places to visit

2 · 1.5 km west of it

Winterborne St Martin

484 people · 9 places to visit

3 · 3.3 km south of it

Weymouth

55,540 people · 26 places to visit

4 · 4 km north of it

Charminster

1,732 people · 10 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Maiden Castle is	People	Places to visit
Dorchester	1.4 km northeast of it	21,358	11
Winterborne St Martin	1.5 km west of it	484	9
Weymouth	3.3 km south of it	55,540	26
Charminster	4 km north of it	1,732	10
Stinsford, Lower Bockhampton and Kingston Maurward	4.8 km northeast of it	315	11
Broadmayne	6.4 km east of it	607	9
Charlton Down	6.5 km north of it	1,487	9
West Knighton	6.5 km east of it	719	10

Make a day of it

Also near Maiden Castle

Within 15 km you can add 3 museums, 2 castles and 2 historic houses.

MuseumDinosaur Museum3.4 km away 2

MuseumDorset Museum3.3 km away 3

Castle · English HeritagePortland Castle14 km away 4

Historic house · National TrustMax Gate3.9 km away 5

MuseumThe Teddy Bear Museum3.5 km away 6

Historic houseWolfeton House3.8 km away 7

CastleSandsfoot Castle11 km away 8

Abbey or priory · English HeritageAbbotsbury Abbey9.6 km away

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

Before visiting Maiden Castle

Where is Maiden Castle?

Maiden Castle is 1.4 km southwest of Dorchester, Dorset.

What is Maiden Castle?

Iron Age hill fort in Dorset, England, UK.

Who runs Maiden Castle?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Maiden Castle?

May to September are the warmest months in Dorchester, with afternoon highs of 17–22°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Maiden Castle a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Maiden Castle?

Within 15 km: Dinosaur Museum (3.4 km), Dorset Museum (3.3 km), Portland Castle (14 km) and Max Gate (3.9 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)

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
Portland Castle: Mark.murphy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
Wolfeton House: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sandsfoot Castle: Ajsmith141, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Abbotsbury Abbey: JohnArmagh, Public domain, 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.