GET set for a wild weekend be it with motorbike racing or with wildlife.

Here's what you can do in the local area.

*THE golden sands of Weymouth will become a racetrack on Sunday when beach motocross returns to the town.

The day will see more than 300 riders battling it out in a series of races.

Practice starts at 12pm and the first race is at 1pm.

Thousands of spectators are expected and they will be treated to the exciting thrills and occasional spills as the riders, graded into experts, seniors and juniors, race their formidable machines across the beach at speed, and then manoeuvre them over the obstacles.

This free event is held in association with the Weymouth and Portland Lions Club members, who will be selling programmes and merchandise and collecting donations on the prom.

*ENJOY a Blast from the Past in Dorchester tonight when The Canterbury Tales come to the Corn Exchange at 7.30pm.

The company presents six of the best-loved tales, told in a variety of styles and taking visual inspiration from medieval mystery plays.

These tales are fast, furious, occasionally filthy and invariably funny!

The show is suitable for those aged 12 and above. Contact Dorchester Arts for tickets.

*EARLY birds won't catch the worm, but certainly the deer tomorrow with a Deer at Dawn walk at the Kingcombe Centre in Toller Porcorum near Dorchester.

Witness the autumn deer rutting at Powerstock, before a full breakfast back at the centre. It begins at 7.15am.

Pre-booking is essential on kingcombe.org or call 01300 320684.

*TRY out traditional practices of cider making by helping chop, crush and squeeze local apples with the Weymouth Transition Town Group.

Apple Day takes place tomorrow at Lorton Meadows Conservation Centre from 10.30am to 3pm.

The event is free but donations will be welcomed.

*LEARN about whales, sharks, dolphins and jellyfish at the Chesil Beach Centre between Weymouth and Portland on Sunday from 1.30pm to 3pm.

Join in to hunt for shark and ray eggcases along Chesil Beach.

It costs £3 for adults and £2 for children.

Call 01305 206191 for more information.

*DAME Maggie Smith will be making a special appearance at the Purbeck Film Festival this weekend.

She will be in conversation during two very special events, the first of which has sold out.

Films will be shown in village halls around Purbeck and at the Rex in Wareham as part of the festival. See purbeckfilm.com for more information.

*ENTER a world of beauty, loss, longing and timeless truth at Broadoak Village Hall tonight, Evershot Village Hall tomorrow and Milborne St Andrew Village Hall on Sunday.

Shearwater will be performed at 7.30pm in Broadoak and Milborne St Andrew and at 8pm at Evershot.

It tells the story of how, in 1969, storyteller Malcolm Green spent three months on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Iceland studying huge colonies of seabirds.

See artsreach.co.uk for more information and booking numbers for tickets.