The Cerne Abbas Giant is a huge figure cut into a Dorset hillside depicting what the National Trust refer to as a “naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant”.
The exact purpose or even origin of this figure is rather a mystery. Some have claimed it was carved in the Middle Ages as a Pagan fertility symbol whereas others suggest it might simply have been a practical joke (albeit on a grand scale). Whatever the real reason, the figure is very much part of the Dorset tourist trail attracting 1000’s visitors every year to this remote hillside.
Today the figure is looked after by the National Trust which includes regular mowing around the edges and re-chalking every 25 years to make sure he always looks his best.
Being so famous the giant has appeared in a number of publicity campaigns ranging from advertising Durex to bicycles and even accompanied by Homer Simpson for the Simpsons Movie.
More Dorchester links:
Other attractions around Dorchester (near Cerne Abbas)
Self-catering in Dorchester
Camping & Caravanning in Dorchester
National Trust page about Cerne Abbas
