SOUTH Dorset's most striking landmark could soon be offering MP3 trails, archaeological digs and a festival of folklore.

The Ridgeway, dividing Weymouth and Dorchester, is an 'unsung asset', say historians and nature experts who want to tempt locals to discover its stone circles and chambered tombs.

Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership is now planning a programme of events and activities to get people up to the Ridgeway.

Tom Munro of the partnership said: "The Ridgeway is not very well known, but we really want to change that. It's so important to our national history because it has one of the greatest concentrations of Bronze Age, Stone Age and Iron Age monuments in Britain."

The Ridgeway's ancient sites include a series of burial mounds and a stone circle.

Mr Munro said: "So many people pass by a lot of the monuments thinking they just look like lumps on the landscape, but these are 4,000-year-old burial grounds - part of an amazing culture in this area long ago.

"There is a lot of folklore associated with the Ridgeway."

Working with archaeologists, Dorset County Council and Bournemouth University, the AONB says experts believe the area is as significant to the nation as Stonehenge.

Now the partnership is running half-term activities as a taster of things to come, including a Ridgeway Festival.

Mr Munro said: "The Ridgeway has inspired a lot of artists so we would hold exhibitions, plays, re-enactments and lectures.

"Another idea for the future is a series of numbered posts across the landscape instead of traditional information boards.

"Each post would refer to a point on a leaflet or an MP3 track downloaded from our website.

"Or you could call a number on your phone to hear the information."

He added: "The Ridgeway is such a great part of Dorset's and Britain's history that we ought to be making a real fuss about it and we'd like the public to guide us."

On February 22 local storyteller David James is leading a family adventure around some of the monuments, followed by an afternoon creative session.

On February 23 Jane Burden is leading a Ridgeway walk for keen artists, followed by an afternoon session in her Frampton studio to create something on paper or clay.

For further information or to book, call Mr Munro on 01305 756785.