A panorama showing the small village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset. This village is typical of the area, though very popular because of the Cerne Abbas Giant on a hillside nearby. The picture was taken outside the village church.

Cerne Abbas - Cerne Abbas visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cerne Abbas' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Dorset.

Cerne Abbas is a small village in the middle of the rolling hills of Dorset in the valley of the River Cerne. The famous Cerne Abbas Giant is on a hillside just to the north of the village.

Cerne Abbas grew up around a large Benedictine abbey that was established here in 987 AD. The presence of the abbey secured the position of the village in the life of southern England for about 500 years. It was then taken over by Henry VIII in 1539 with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and largely destroyed. The village still continued to thrive as a market town well known for local brewing industry.

In the late 19C, the fortunes of Cerne Abbaas went into decline as the railway passed it by. By 1909 half the population had left and many of the buildings had fallen into disrepair. The main income for the village now is from tourism, and there are a number of well known cafes and restaurants on the high street. Many visitors come to look at the Cerne Abbas Giant, and explore the village afterwards. Of not within Cerne Abbas is the 14C St. Mary's Church which can be seen within this panoramic image. The church has several unique features which are worth exploring. Just beyond it are the remains of the Cerne Abbas Monastery, and the begining of the path through the graveyard to the Cerne Abbas Giant.

Take the A37 north from Dorchester and then the A352 through Charminster. This road continues Goldmanstone and other small villages to Cerne Abbas.