Fire has swept through Dorset’s towns and villages, transformed heathland, destroyed historic houses and sometimes been deliberately used as a weapon or a tool. Its effects remain written across the county, in Georgian streets, roofless rooms, scorched stone and the stories passed between generations. What happened in the aftermath reveals just as much about Dorset. … Continue reading Dorset on Fire
Follow the valley of the River Stour through the heart of the Blackmore Vale. Circle the edge of the meadows beneath Sturminster Newton before crossing the Victorian Colber Bridge. Climb out of the Stour valley before dropping into the valley of the River Divelish, its name deriving from its dark waters rather than anything devilish. … Continue reading Colber
From deep within the explosive landscape of the old Cordite Factory, where heathland meets the edge of Wareham Forest, discover the scattered ruins of both defence and industry. Cross the faint lines of forgotten tramways and follow paths named after colourful local characters, from witches to wayward clergy. Skim the thick woodland edge to the … Continue reading Holton Heath
Wander through the wilder lands of Cranborne Chase. From the little whitewashed church at Chalbury, cross the old turnpike road into the Crichel estate. Follow the River Allen upstream past lost villages and the remnants of forgotten mills. Continue through the valley to the estate’s most crucial mill before reaching Stanbridge, an infamous river crossing … Continue reading Stanbridge
Explore the medieval landscape of Sherborne. Climb down from the terraces to the River Yeo to discover the ruins of West Mill, crumbling into the water that once gave it its power. Rise out of the valley to circle the woods and drop back down to the railway where a Roman villa once stood. Cross … Continue reading Lenthay
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 … Continue reading Hilton
From a landscape carved by the river, follow lakes and lanes into a spiritual environment. Weave around modern housing, the pylons that mark the edge of Bournemouth’s urban sprawl, and between hidden Bronze Age burial mounds. Skim the ghost of a faded country manor, once home to a single family, now an estate of hundreds. … Continue reading Dudsbury
Explore the ancient hunting grounds of The White Hart and discover the isolated church of Holnest, once overshadowed by a vast mausoleum. Enter the softly tamed landscape, following old drove roads and skimming lakes and farms, bordered by towering oak trees. Cross the River Cam, where the legend of a doomed horse and cart still … Continue reading Holnest
