Christmas has its fair share of traditions but one festive favourite remains the Boxing Day walk and, with Dorset’s natural beauty, where better to stretch those legs after the chaos of Christmas Day?

Here are some of the best that Dorset has to offer -

  • Rodwell Trail, Weymouth to Portland

The Rodwell Trail is perfect for everyone and has been made as accessible as possible. The Trail is a fully surfaced 2 mile (3.4km) one-way route suitable for walkers, scooters, bicycles and mobility scooters.

Following a disused passenger railway line, the trek now forms a ‘wildlife corridor’ from Weymouth to Portland.

On the route you’ll go past old station platforms and Sandsfoot Castle whilst enjoying views out across Portland Harbour.

  • Chesil Beach, West Bay to Portland

Yes, Chesil Beach does cover 18miles of coastline but we’re not suggesting you go the whole hog - especially so soon after Christmas dinner.

There are some interesting stretches of the coast path to walk along Chesil Beach, including a short walk from Fleet to Chickerell, or why not join the coast path in Wyke Regis and stroll along to Portland?

The beach is one of three major natural shingle structures in the country and stretches from West Bay to Portland.

According to Visit Dorset, the pebbles on Chesil Beach are graded in size from potato-sized near Portland to pea-sized at Bridport and are made up of mainly flint and chert from the Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks.

  • Tout Quarry, Portland

Both a nature reserve and sculpture park, Tout Quarry is an abandoned stone quarry featuring over 60 hidden sculptures. The sculpture park started out in 1983 and has become one of Portland’s most popular destinations.

Visit Dorset says: “In addition to being a sculpture park, the area is also a designated nature reserve. The bare surfaces of mined stone have been left to regenerate naturally with a host of uncommon plants, such as rock stonecrop and Portland spurge, as well as many rare lichens.”

It’s spread over 40 acres as well so you shouldn’t have to worry about bumping into too many people!

  • Bowleaze Cove to Osmington Mills

Bowleaze Cove has long been heralded for its spectacular geology and the relatively short (2.5miles) walk to Osmington Mills takes in an undulating coastal path.

Whilst the weather might not be perfect, and you do run the risk of getting quite muddy, the array of rich fossils and geology and pub the Smugglers Inn the other end at Osmington Mills makes it worthy of being on any list.