TRAVEL publishers Rough Guides recently published its list of Britain's 25 must-do experiences.

From surviving Glastonbury to supping Guinness in Dublin, or watching a match at Old Trafford to strolling from St Paul's to Tate Modern, the full list appears in its new guide 25s: Britain and Ireland.

Strangely enough Dorset doesn't feature in the list at all, so we thought we'd come up with a list of 25 Things To Do In Dorset Before You Die

  • Wander Seven Barrow Down Dorset boasts some truly ancient landscapes, and this one comes with its own woodland and wonderful views of Corfe Castle.
  • Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival Every July, the TUC celebrates the six Dorset farm labourers who were transported to Australia in 1834 for administering illegal oaths in forming a trade union. The annual festival is topped by the parade of union banners and a full programme of speakers (Tony Benn always visits) and music, including a regular set from Billy Bragg.
  • Tyneham Now actively managed, with many of its crumbing buildings carefully shored up, the ghost village of Tyneham reminds us what Purbeck village life would have been like before the 1940s. While you're there it's worth taking a walk up to Creech Folly just to feel the magical atmosphere.
  • Eat a Dorset Knob These hard, dry biscuits taste even better with Dorset blue vinny cheese and a pint of Royal Oak from the now-closed Eldridge Pope brewery at Dorchester.
  • Dolphin-watching The Durlston Dolphin Watch Team organises a range of events to raise awareness of the bottlenose dolphins that regularly visit the waters off Swanage.
  • Visit Agglestone Rock Legend has it the Devil threw this anvil-shaped block of rock at the Isle of Wight - and missed. It landed on heathland about a mile outside Studland village. While you're there take a walk out to Old Harry Rocks as well.
  • Drinking on Poole Quay Not quite the take-your-life-in-your-hands experience it was in days of yore, but Poole Quay still boasts bags of atmosphere and more than its share of great pubs and good eateries.
  • Clubbing in Bournemouth A decade ago Bournemouth was feted in the national media as the country's clubbing capital. The musical cutting edge may have been blunted somewhat, but Bournemouth still offers clubs and bars to rival most metropolitan areas.
  • Walk Chesil Beach But don't take any of it with you! Essentially a mound of pebbles connecting Portland Bill to the mainland, it offers great views, superb fishing spots and plenty of wind.
  • See the Sand Sculptures on Weymouth Beach Fred Darrington started sculpting and colouring sand on Weymouth beach in the early 1920s and did so until 1996, when he handed the art on to his grandson Mark.
  • Visit Hardy's Cottage Tucked away on the edge of the village of Bockhampton, near Dorchester, Thomas Hardy's birthplace groans with atmosphere and is a great leaping-off point to go and get a bit lost in nearby Puddletown Forest.
  • Ponder the Cerne Giant The largest hill figure in Britain, there's no doubting his gender! Carved in solid lines from the chalk bedrock he dominates the landscape and is said to provide a helping hand to childless maidens.
  • Bovington Tank Museum Combined with a visit to nearby Cloud's Hill, the somewhat disconcerting home of Lawrence of Arabia, Bovington Tank Museum houses the world's largest collection of armoured fighting vehicles and will exorcise the Boy's Own fantasies that dwell in many of us.
  • Walk Dorset's Jurassic Coast The Dorset and East Devon coastline is England's first natural World Heritage Site, offering a fascinating glimpse into the Earth's ancient past. The Purbeck section takes in landmarks such as Durdle Door, Chapman's Pool, Kimmeridge and St Alban's Head. Unmissable.
  • Go shopping at Castlepoint in Bournemouth Well, everyone else does or so it seems!
  • Sherborne Castle Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594 on the site of an old hunting lodge, it's notable for the gardens landscaped by Capability Brown in the mid-1750s.
  • Walk Down (and Back Up Again) Gold Hill, Shaftesbury The location for director Ridley Scott's famous Hovis TV ad, Gold Hill is beautifully picturesque, very steep and the site of an annual fair and free music festival in June.
  • Visit Monkey World The world-famous 65-acre ape rescue centre near Wool, set up in 1987 by the late Jim Cronin, whose wife Alison is now carrying on their work. Originally intended as a home for abused chimps, it now houses orang-utans, marmosets, woolly monkeys, lemurs and several types of gibbon.
  • Naturist Bathing at Shell Bay Not for everyone - and there has long been a dark side associated with the National Trust-run nudist beach - but if you're feeling confident there's a certain liberation about going back to nature by the seaside. In truth, though, Dorset is blessed with more than its fair share of great sand and stone beaches - see also Bournemouth, Hengistbury Head, Sandbanks, Studland, Swanage, Weymouth, Lulworth Cove and Lyme Regis.
  • Lose a Weekend to Home-Made Cider For this to really work you need to find a private farm with its own centuries-old cider press. It needs to be well off the beaten track and you must join in the pressing process and return to drink the fruits of your labours. About as organic and additive-free as you can get.
  • Watch Swans Hatch at Abbotsbury These days it's played up for the tourists, but there's something special about seeing the cygnets hatch at the famed 11th century Abbotsbury Swannery - up to 1,000 arrive towards the end of May and into June.
  • Surf in Kimmeridge Bay Those who know best about these things say it's not for beginners, but surfing there as the sun rises or sets is particularly fine as the light plays across the sea and cliffs.
  • Fossil Hunting at Lyme Regis People have dug fossils out of the cliffs between Lyme Regis and Charmouth since the 16th century, but local woman Mary Anning's discovery of two Ichthyosaur skeletons in May, 1821, sparked a fossil frenzy. Two years later she found a new fossilised species, the Plesiosaurus, and booked her place in history.
  • Spend the Night at Knowlton Rings A great way to spook yourself silly is to huddle round a camp fire in the remains of the church that was built in the centre of Knowlton Rings henge, near Wimborne. Those inclined towards all things mystical claim special powers for the site.
  • Bulbarrow Hill The highest point in Dorset, five miles from Blandford and a great way to see the county. Hardy came here to think, and with views over Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon, it's not hard to see why. On a clear day you can just about see Glastonbury Tor.
  • What do you think? Have we missed something? Let us know what you'd like to see included and tell us about your favourite Dorset experience below.