A view northeast from Gussage Down towards Bottlebush Down - the approximate course of the Cursus banks are superimposed in white. The round barrows on Wyke Down can be seen in the centre of the photo. The cursus has a slight change of direction as it climbs Bottlebush Down and it is thought that the original terminal of the cursus was at this point (and was later extended another 4.5 km north-east to Martin Down).
The Dorset Cursus is a Neolithiccursus monument that spans across 10 km (6¼ miles) of the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase in east Dorset, United Kingdom. Its extreme length makes it a notable example of this class of linear earthwork; it is better interpreted as a pair of same-length cursus constructed end to end, with the more southerly cursus (the Gussage Cursus) pre-dating the northerly one (the Pentridge Cursus).
Most of the cursus earthworks have long since been destroyed and its course is only visible as soilmarks when conditions are favourable. Looking southwest from the edge of Salisbury Plantation, the course of the northern bank and ditch is visible as a dark stripe gently meandering down the hillslope (towards the right of this photo). The southern bank is just inside the field boundary (towards the left of the photo).
