Dorset Adventures

Explore the deepest, darkest corners of Dorset by foot, wheel or hoof. Discover hidden ruins, beautiful views and ancient monuments. Visit places where mystery exists but only traces remain. Follow the footsteps of our ancestors and escape into this wonderful landscape.

Go where the people don’t go, make the world your own.

Search for a place, theme, activity or era to find a self-guided adventure for you.

For a quick guide see Dorset Inspiration

Check out the Ultimate Jurassic Coast Drive

Or discover The Stourton Caundle Stile Trail

October’s Walk of the Month

💦🌳🗡️🌤️ Wimborne – A landscape carved by Romans, rivers, religion and railways 🌤️🗡️🌳💦

‘The most comprehensive site on walking in Dorset’ – Folde Bookshop

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Hand drawn maps are provided for every area mentioned. Prints are also available. See Map page for the full selection.

Articles by Tess of the Vale also feature in Dorset Magazine

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tessofthevale@gmail.com

Top 5 most popular walks of August

See Top 5 walks for more!

Walking Tour Operator of the Year 2025/6

Dorset Adventure Enterprise of the Year 2024

Dorset Adventure Enterprise of the Year 2023

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Recent Posts

Creech Barrow

by Tess of the Vale, posted in Walking

Climb to the peak of one of the Isle of Purbeck’s hidden gems. Wander through woodland before emerging onto sandy heath and gorse, climbing over the earthworks that scar the hillside on the way. From the summit, enjoy panoramic views across the blue waters of Poole Harbour and the forests of northern Dorset, stretching as … Continue reading Creech Barrow

Zig Zag Hill

by Tess of the Vale, posted in Walking

Wander along the great natural divide between Dorset and Wiltshire, with wide views over the Nadder valley from Shaftesbury to Win Green. Follow the ancient Ox Drove, once travelled by herders moving livestock from Salisbury across the earthworks of Cranborne Chase to the lowlands of the Blackmore Vale. Twist with the bendiest road in Britain … Continue reading Zig Zag Hill

West Parley

by Tess of the Vale, posted in Walking

Circle the ancient burial landscape of Parley Common. Explore its liminal edges, steeped in heathland folklore, where echoes of execution sites, smugglers, and river‑magic still haunt the air. From affluent estates to the roar of the airport boundary, discover a mythic landscape, filled with prehistoric barrows, and edged with an Iron Age hillfort. Distance: 4miles/6.5km … Continue reading West Parley

Whitchurch Canonicorum

by Tess of the Vale, posted in Walking

From the capital of the vast lowlands of the Marshwood Vale, venture deep into the wild landscape of West Dorset. Pass through Abbotts Wootton, a tiny hamlet once centred on an impressive manor house owned by Abbotsbury Abbey, its ruins now a window. Climb into the woodlands that formed the heart of Cricklade Park, the … Continue reading Whitchurch Canonicorum

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