Explore the high valley of the Bere Stream as the springs emerge from the slopes of Bulbarrow. Discover the church built from the remains of lost Milton Abbey, where treasures still decorate the walls. Follow the valley shaped by Capability Brown, watching the surviving church and manor appear beneath the woodland. Climb up to the ridge, dotted with Bronze Age burial mounds that sing in the wind, to then return to Hilton via the ancient holloways that once connected the spiritual landscapes to the steams below.
Distance: 3.5miles/5.5km
Time: 1-2 hours
Ability: Easy.
Max height: 739ft
Min height: 409ft
Total climb: 411ft
Terrain: Tracks, paths, fields, and roads.
Start Point: Hillside, Hilton. (Postcode: DT11 0DD, Grid Reference: ST779031, What Three Words: regularly.cornfield.reversed).
Map: OS Explorer 117 Cerne Abbas and Bere Regis
How to get there: From Blandford, travel south on the A354 towards Dorchester. Take the second right at Winterborne Whitechurch then turn left down through the village of Milton Abbas. At the lake, turn right, around the Abbey and into Hilton. Please park carefully in the village, the largest space to be found at Hillside.
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 is The Hambro Arms in Milton Abbas and The Fox in Ansty.
Neighbouring Walks: Ansty, Rawlsbury, The Wessex Ridgeway, Bulbarrow, Winterborne Stickland, St Catherine’s Chapel, and Gallows Corner.
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