From the Smugglers Inn in Osmington Mills, cycle the hills and absorb the sights, to Lulworth Cove. Pass through the village of Osmington to admire the White Horse from the high ridge of Coombe Bottom to then descend and rise again at Ringstead. Enjoy the wide views from St Aldhem’s Head in the East to … Continue reading Osmington Mills to Lulworth Cove – Bike Ride.
From Lulworth Cove, discover Little Bindon, a small monastery founded nearly 1000 years ago. Today it is a fenced off ruin, hidden amongst overgrown trees and in the company of deer. Continue to Pepler’s Point to appreciate the cove from up high. Find the ancient fossil forest and a hidden smugglers cave before climbing the … Continue reading Lulworth and Bindon
Terrain - Sandy and stony tracks. Can get very muddy and boggy if wet. Map – OL 15 Purbeck and South Dorset Start – There are a few car parks along Sugar Hill. Gore Heath also has its own car park. There are also a number of pull-ins scattered around the forest. Refreshments –The Silent … Continue reading Wareham Forest bike ride
Terrain - Track and road. Map - OS Explorer 117 Cerne Abbas and Bere Regis Start – Two official car parks and a few large laybys surround the forest. Refreshments – National Trust Café at Thomas Hardy’s Cottage Puddletown Forest sits in between the country town of Dorchester and the small village of Puddletown. Originally … Continue reading Puddletown Forest Bike ride
Eight villages line the valley, all gaining their name from the river. Once the location of an abbey, a monastery and the existence of a surviving medieval pack horse bridge, it suggests activity and life has been here for centuries. Going back even earlier in time, ancient earthworks sit abreast the hill tops and Roman … Continue reading The Tarrant Valley
This second part of the Wessex Ridgeway bike ride begins high on Okeford Hill with views stretching across both south and north Dorset. Travel along the ridge of Ibberton and Bulbarrow to reach the Iron Age Hillfort of Rawlsbury Camp. Cycle downhill into the first valley to rise again at the ancient junction of Dorsetshire … Continue reading The Wessex Ridgeway, part two. Okeford Hill to Alton Pancras.
Originally part of the Somerset and Dorset Railway line, the trailway stretches from Sturminster Newton to Blandford Forum. It traces the majority of the old railway line, with only a few diversions, due to modern development. The route is a mix of tarmac and gravel so easily accessible to all, cyclists, walkers, riders and wheelchairs. … Continue reading The North Dorset Trailway
Starting the Wessex Ridgeway in Dorset at Ashmore, the highest village in the county, make your way through woodland and down into the Tarrant Valley. Pass an ancient hidden deer park and use historic smuggling routes that linked the coast to town via Cranborne Chase. Climb the mighty Iron Age hillfort of Hambledon Hill, to … Continue reading Bike ride. The Wessex Ridgeway, part one. Ashmore to Okeford Hill.
