Christchurch

Smugglers worked the rivers Avon and Stour through much of the 18th and 19th centuries in this Dorset coast town, founded in the 7th century at the confluence of those two rivers and named Christchurch after its priory, built in 1094. The harbour, beaches, and a walkable centre thick with listed buildings and historic churches make it a well-documented stop on the south coast, with the New Forest close to the east.

• Population31,372
• Nearest water0.3 km
• Nearest mountain2.7 km
• UNESCO within 50 km3