Dorset is rich in history and beautiful scenery with plenty of hidden gems to visit.

Many of these ‘hidden gems’ are looked after by the National Trust, a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation.

We have compiled a list of six nearby National Trust sites to visit this weekend:

Hardy Monument

The Hardy MonumentThe Hardy Monument

Black Down, Portesham, Dorset, DT2 9HY

The Hardy Monument was built in 1844 in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Flag Captain of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The National Trust became owners  of the site in 1938 and have maintained it ever since.

Hardy's House, Max Gate

Hardy's HouseHardy's House (Image: National Trust, Arnhel de Serra)

Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2FN

Hardy's House, Max Gate, was the home of Dorset's most famous author and poet Thomas Hardy.

Thomas Hardy designed the house in 1885 as he wanted to show that he was part of the wealthy middle classes of the area, to reflect his position as a successful writer, and to enable him to enter polite society.

The house was named after a nearby tollgate keeper called Henry Mack. The tollgate was known locally as ‘Mack’s Gate’, which Hardy then used with a different spelling when he named his house, ‘Max Gate’.

Hardy's Cottage

The Thomas Hardy Cottage in Thorncombe WoodsThe Thomas Hardy Cottage in Thorncombe Woods

Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, DT2 8QJ

This cottage, where Thomas Hardy was born in 1840, was built of cob and thatch by his great-grandfather.

Despite training as an architect, writing was Hardy's first love, and it was from here that he wrote several of his early short stories, poetry and novels including 'Under the Greenwood Tree' and 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.

The cottage sits next to Thorncombe Wood, an ancient woodland and nature reserve that opens out onto heathland and the beginning of Hardy's Egdon Heath

Ringstead Bay

Ringstead BayRingstead Bay

Ringstead, Dorset, DT2 8NQ

Visitors can take a walk across the cliff tops above Ringstead, bring a kite, or even pack a picnic and follow one of the steep ancient tracks down to the shingle beach.

On a sunny day there are great views across Weymouth Bay and across to Portland – It is a particularly beautiful spot to watch the sun set.

Clouds Hill

Clouds Hill, DorsetClouds Hill, Dorset (Image: Tony Gill)

King George V Road, Bovington, near Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7NQ

Clouds Hill is an isolated cottage and the former home of T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia.

He furnished the rooms of his rural retreat to his own personal taste and they are much as he left them, giving an insight into the complex personality of the writer, warrior and friend of Thomas Hardy.

Kingston Lacy

Kingston LacyKingston Lacy

Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 4EA

Kingston Lacy is a beautiful family home, built to resemble that of a Venetian palace.

The venue is complete with impressive artworks, beautiful landscapes and a spectacular Japanese Garden.