Blandford Forum's chief attraction is the town itself. The fire of 1731 and the Bastard brothers' subsequent rebuilding left an unusually coherent Georgian streetscape — red brick, round-headed windows, stone dressings — that rewards slow walking. The market place is the heart of it, ringed by handsome public buildings and townhouses. Beyond the town, the surrounding Dorset countryside opens up for walking along the Stour Valley and into the chalk downlands.