The town of Shaftesbury, in Dorset, is one of the oldest and highest settlements in Britain. It has held a market charter since 1260 and Shaftesbury's history can be traced back to at least 888AD, when Shaftesbury Abbey was founded, and may extend even further back. The Abbey grew to become a wealthy and important part of the town and for many years it was one of the most important in England.

Today, Shaftesbury is popular with visitors, who visit the ruins of the abbey, nearby Wardour Castle, and of course Gold Hill, a steeply sloping cobbled street with amazing views over Blackmore Vale that was made famous in Hovis adverts of the 1980s.

Shaftesbury is located about 10 miles to the south of the main A303 road that leads west to Somerset and Devon and is around 18 miles to the west of Salisbury, the largest settlement in the area. Van hire is available locally in Shaftesbury and most popular types of rental van are on offer:

• Medium / short wheelbase vans - e.g. Ford Transit, Vauxhall Vivaro, Renault Trafic, Volkswagen Transporter
• Small vans - e.g. Vauxhall Combo, Ford Transit Connect, VW Caddy
• Large / long wheelbase vans - e.g. Mercedes Sprinter XLWB, Ford Transit LWB, Renault Master, LDV Maxus
• Luton vans & box vans (3.5 tonne / 3.5t).