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Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Werburgh, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541, it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.

The cathedral is a Grade I listed building, and part of a heritage site that also includes the former monastic buildings to the north, which are also listed Grade I. The cathedral’s construction dates from between the 10th century and the early 16th century, having been modified a number of times throughout history, a typical characteristic of English cathedrals; however, the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular, are represented in the present building.

The cathedral and former monastic buildings were extensively restored during the 19th century (amidst some controversy), and a free standing bell tower was added in the 20th century. In addition to holding services for Christian worship, the buildings are a major tourist attraction in Chester and the cathedral is used as a venue for concerts and exhibitions.

A few options for TOAL but the best views are from the two locations I've pinned on the map. It's in the centre of the town, or near as damn it so plenty of other things to visit, eat and drink!

Free parking is an issue, but if you park in the TESCO superstore, you can park for 3 hours for free as long as you purchase something from the store before you go. I think a minimum of £15 spend applies, but just get the stuff you would normally shop for and it'll be worth it!

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Co-ordinates: 53.19186, -2.890319 • what3words: ///joined.slice.tanks

St Catherine's Chapel is a small chapel situated on a hill above the village of Abbotsbury, Dorset. It is now in the guardianship of English Heritage and became a Grade I listed building in 1956. The chapel is also scheduled together with the field systems and quarries on the hill.

It was built as a place of pilgrimage and retreat by the monks of the nearby Benedictine monastery in the 14th century. Its position on the top of a hill about 80 m high, overlooking the coast from Portland Bill to Bridport, meant that it was a prominent feature for seafarers and now a great vantage point for drone flying.

In the 16th century the main abbey buildings were destroyed in the dissolution of the monasteries, but the chapel survived, most likely due to its usefulness as a coastal beacon and seamark. In later times a navigation light used to be lit at the top of the stair turret.

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Co-ordinates: 50.66158, -2.606142 • what3words: ///storming.flies.island

St Nicholas' Church is a Church of England church in Abbotsbury, Dorset. The earliest parts of the church date to the 14th century, with later alterations and extensions over the following centuries, including the construction of the west tower and north chapel in the 15th century.

St Nicholas' has been Grade I listed since 1956. In 2015, the World War I memorial in the churchyard, dating to around 1920, became Grade II listed.

The church is worth a visit in its own right, but as a recommendation to fly a drone over it, I would combine this with an overview of the village itself (many 16th century thatched houses) and the tithe barn from the same period 50 meters away.

Biggest draw in the area for me is St Catherine’s chapel up on the hill in front of the church with Chesil beach as a beautiful backdrop (see separate location flag) so I would combine the church, village, and chapel in a single visit.

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Co-ordinates: 50.66498, -2.59891 • what3words: ///grab.daisy.implanted

Chalbury Hillfort is an Iron Age hillfort about 1 mile south-east of the village of Bincombe, in Dorset. It is a scheduled monument.

The site is in a strategic position, 380 feet above sea level; Weymouth Bay is about 1.5 miles (to the south. The hill is an outcrop of the Dorset Ridgeway.

The hillfort defences were started sometime during the 5th century BC. Over 70 hut circles and numerous storage pits have been traced in the interior The fort was very-likely the scene of bitter resistance to the Roman advance through the area when it is assumed occupation of the fort ended after a heavy defeat.

There are many barrows and tumuli in the neighbourhood, including 2 Bronze Age round barrows at the centre of the fort itself, one of which contained a cremation burial.

There are medieval strip lynchets surrounding the fort, and running into the rampart on the north side.

A good location to explore from the air and on foot. Parking was a small lay-by by a disused barn directly opposite a footpath leading off up to the fort.

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Co-ordinates: 50.65311, -2.433386 • what3words: ///listed.damage.existence

The Hardy Monument (sometimes referred to as Hardy's Monument) is a 72-foot-high monument on the summit of Black Down near Portesham in Dorset. It was erected in 1844 by public subscription in memory of Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, flag captain of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The site for the monument, a hill overlooking the English Channel, was chosen because the Hardy family wanted a monument which could be used as a landmark for shipping. The monument has been shown on navigational charts since 1846 and is visible from a distance of 60 miles

From the top of the monument at a height of 850 feet above sea level it is possible on a clear day to see the coast from Start Point, Devon to St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight, both of which are 56 miles distant – it’s a good location to fly a drone then as you can imagine as the views on a clear day are fantastic

It has been owned by National Trust since 1938 and was designated as a grade II listed building in 1956.

There’s a car park on site, with TOAL from a public footpath alongside the monument

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Co-ordinates: 50.68653, -2.549214 • what3words: ///angry.faces.managers

Sherborne old castle was originally a 12th-century bishop’s palace constructed as the fortified palace of Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England.
In the early 1140s, the castle was captured by Robert Earl of Gloucester . It became the home of Sir Walter Raleigh (the English explorer and great favourite of Queen Elizabeth I).

The castle was later a powerful Royalist base and saw fierce fighting during the Civil War. Oliver Cromwell set out to capture the castle, which he described as 'malicious and mischievous'. It fell in 1645 after a fierce eleven-day siege

Its now managed by English Heritage

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Co-ordinates: 50.94944, -2.501857 • what3words: ///submitted.refer.chats

Sherborne New Castle is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne in Dorset.

Originally built by Sir Walter Raleigh as Sherborne Lodge, and extended in the 1620s, it stands in a 1,200-acre park which formed a small part of the 15,000-acre Digby estate.

Back in the 17th century, during Raleigh's imprisonment in the Tower of London, King James leased the estate to Robert Carr and then sold it to Sir John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol in 1617. In the 1620s, the Digby family added four wings to the original lodge Raleigh has built forming the mansion now known as Sherborne New Castle.

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Co-ordinates: 50.94583, -2.500591 • what3words: ///dialects.tadpoles.dilute

Sherborne has been described as the most attractive town in Dorset, with some of the buildings dating back to the 15th century.

It’s abbey, otherwise known as the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church.

It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) and a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), before becoming a Church of England parish church in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries.

It is a Grade 1 listed building.

Parking was in a row of parking spaces outside the local police station - no restrictions before 0930 and one hour time limit thereafter

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Co-ordinates: 50.94661, -2.516534 • what3words: ///sizes.estuaries.welcome

A surprisingly interesting Sussex village that claims 59 listed buildings. Well worth a stroll with the famous Ouse Valley Viaduct just a few minutes away.

Not a lot of parking space but lots of room to fly.

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Co-ordinates: 51.05765, -0.132966 • what3words: ///processes.boots.brew

This particular tree covered round barrow is at the bottom of the photo and lies between the road and the east side of Came Wood. The trees on and around it were planted in 1740

This hilltop site is one of the more impressive of a number of tombs hereby, with its nearest other neighbour being 70 yards southeast of here. This was one of Dorset’s early tribal meeting places

In 1858 four internments were discovered in the mound after excavation one of which had a necklace of amber beads, two of which had gold casings.

Look East and you face towards a line of 5 round barrows, with the bank barrow just beyond.

In May 2025, this was the location of the first recorded crop circle of the season

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Co-ordinates: 50.66807, -2.427131 • what3words: ///indicated.pill.commoners