Dorset offers families an unusual range of choices for a loved one's ashes, helped by having both open countryside and a stretch of coastline. Natural burial grounds near Dorchester, Wimborne and Shillingstone allow ashes to be interred in woodland or downland settings, with a tree or wildflower plot in place of a headstone. Several sit within the Dorset AONB, which is part of why families travel here from outside the county. From Christchurch, there are operators offering scattering of ashes from the air as well as at sea, which is one of the few places in the south where both are available locally. Aerial scattering suits families who want somewhere with a wide view rather than a fixed spot to return to. For something you can keep, there are glass artists in Weymouth who work a small amount of ashes into hand-blown pieces, and a jeweller in Shaftesbury making memorial rings and pendants.
