Weave between ancient woodland and deep clay pits in a landscape once shaped by industry. Follow the Dorset border with Hampshire, circling the little hamlet of Crendell beneath towering oaks that have given places their names. Trace old drove roads past early estates that once dominated the divide between the medieval hunting grounds of the New Forest and Cranborne Chase. Cross small streams as paths link isolated farms that have quietly outlived the old clay workings.
Distance: 3.5miles/5.5km
Time: 1-2 hours
Ability: Easy.
Max height: 295ft
Min height: 182ft
Total climb: 301ft
Terrain: Tracks, paths, fields, and roads.
Start Point: Higher Daggons Wood, Crendell. (Postcode: SP6 3DX, Grid Reference: SU093127, What Three Words: letter.ignites.polar).
Map: OS Explorer OL22 New Forest
How to get there: Leave Verwood, travelling west, on Station Road and turn right onto Champtoceaux Ave. Follow it north to merge onto Edmondsham Road and Batterley Drove to meet the B3078. Turn right then left onto The Moor. Take the next right hand turning to shortly find a large layby on the left at the entrance to Hither Daggons Wood.
Dogs: On leads where livestock is present and in accordance with any notices on the walk and The Countryside Code.
Refreshments None on route but nearby are the Sheaf of Arrows and The Fleur de Lys, both in Cranborne.
Neighbouring Walks: Cranborne, Cranborne Castle, Verwood, and Alderholt.
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