The village, which appears to have been drawn from fairy tale pages, is frequently named among the best in the UK.
Koff Castle is a village in Dorset on the grounds of a ruined castle with the same name. It lies above the Purbeck Hills gap on the route between Wareham and Swanage.
The village is located in the gap below the castle, four miles southeast of Wareham and four miles north-northwest of Swanage.
It extends across Purbeck Island, with the coast facing both the English Channel and the Pool Port. It includes both sections of the lowland sandy Heathland to the north of the castle and the Jurassic coast to the south.
The castle is located above the village and dates back to the 10th century. It was the site of the murder of Martist Edward in 978, and was a royal base during the British civil war, and was besieged twice.
It is currently owned by a national trust and open to the public. National Trust also runs a store and tea room in the village. Both are listed in Grade II buildings.
Many of the village homes are built from the same stone, making them one of Dorset's most scenic and photographed villages. When the castle was partially destroyed in 1646, many stones were used to build the surrounding villages.
The Kouf model village in the village square is a 1⁄20 scale model that shows how the castle and village looked in 1646 before the castle was neglected.
Over the years, renowned children's author Enid Briton spent a holiday in the area, with some of the local places and people appearing in her book. Corfe Castle was the inspiration for the five famous Kirrin Castles. Briton visited the abandoned in 1941 and arrived by steam locomotive from Swanage.
The village and coastline near Kimmeridge are definitely worth a visit. Kim Meridge Bay is one of the best places to do a rock pool in Dorset, and there are snorkeling trails in the summer.
The village is easily accessible by public transport and has Swan Station. You can then take the train to the village. Or, it's a 20-minute walk. Bicycles can also be hired from cycleexperience at Purbeck Park.
