An abbey or priory just outside Cerne Abbas: Cerne Abbey
None of our places to visit is inside Cerne Abbas’ built-up area; 4 are within 5 km of its edge. Look for an abbey or priory, a historic house and a historic site. Walking distance covers 2 of them, all within 1 km of the middle. Further afield, Maiden Castle is 13 km from the centre.
The first to see around Cerne Abbas
Close behind Cerne Abbey are a historic house, a historic site and an attraction.
Abbey or prioryCerne Abbey100 m outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseMinterne House2.3 km outside town, to the northHistoric siteHistoric siteCerne Abbas Giant200 m outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionHenley Hillbillies & Badger Watch4.1 km outside town, to the northeastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Places on the map
Head to the northeast for most of the 4 on the list.
The dashed line is Cerne Abbas’ built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What is on offer
Most common are castles or historic places: 3 of 4.
Green: inside Cerne Abbas. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Full list of places
Everything here is within 5 km of its edge, 4 places in all.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
69 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Cerne Abbas’ History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Cerne Abbas →
Big names nearby
Of the 12 day trips, Maiden Castle (13 km) is the best known.
Fort · English HeritageMaiden Castle13 km south
MuseumThe Tank Museum21 km southeast
Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle35 km southeast · 190K visitors a year (2010)
Historic house · National TrustMontacute House23 km northwest · 120K visitors a year (2011)
Castle · English HeritageSherborne Castle15 km north
Garden · National TrustStourhead Park35 km north
Historic house · National TrustClouds Hill19 km southeast
Historic house · National TrustKingston Lacy Estate32 km east
Castle · English HeritagePortland Castle27 km south
Attraction · National TrustKing Alfred's Tower35 km north
Castle · English HeritageLulworth Castle27 km southeast
FortCadbury Castle24 km northPlaces well known beyond Cerne Abbas (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Practical questions about Cerne Abbas
What is there to see near Cerne Abbas?
No attraction is mapped inside Cerne Abbas itself. Within 5 km of it are Cerne Abbey, Minterne House, Cerne Abbas Giant and Henley Hillbillies & Badger Watch.
Does Cerne Abbas have a museum?
No museum or gallery is mapped in or within 5 km of Cerne Abbas.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Cerne Abbas?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Maiden Castle (English Heritage), 13 km south.
What are the best-known days out near Cerne Abbas?
Within 40 km: Maiden Castle (13 km), The Tank Museum (21 km), Corfe Castle (35 km), Montacute House (23 km).
Where are Cerne Abbas’ historic buildings listed?
Cerne Abbas has 69 listed buildings, 9 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Cerne Abbas when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
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 (14)
- Cerne Abbey: Raymond Knapman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Minterne House: Chris Downer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maiden Castle: Major George Allen (1891–1940), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- The Tank Museum: Hohum, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Corfe Castle: Albany E. Howarth, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Montacute House: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sherborne Castle: JackPeasePhotography, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stourhead Park: Jon Wornham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clouds Hill: LordHarris at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Kingston Lacy Estate: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Portland Castle: Mark.murphy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- King Alfred's Tower: Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lulworth Castle: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cadbury Castle: Joe D, modified by JimChampion, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
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