Set in a landscape once dominated by a Neolithic stone circle, explore the village of Broadmayne. Head out to West Knighton, where the fields were once filled with troops preparing for the Second World War. Follow ancient trackways down to Little Mayne, where the stone circle once stood, its stones now scattered and hidden within … Continue reading Broadmayne
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 … Continue reading Crendell
From the expanding settlement of Sturminster Marshall, explore its church, timber-framed cottages, pub, and lost village remains, all set along the banks of the River Stour. Follow the route of the medieval road towards Blandford, crossing the old packhorse bridge before joining the route of the former Somerset and Dorset Railway. Cross the old turnpike … Continue reading Sturminster Marshall
From the River Stour, enter the landscape of its tributaries. Climb to Sturminster Castle, a ruin that evolved from an Iron Age hillfort into a medieval manor house. Follow old drove roads with wide views across the Blackmore Vale to Duncliffe, before descending to the River Divelish, passing areas of modern development. Trace the Divelish … Continue reading Rolls Mill
Enter the thick woodland of Puddletown Forest to find the raised agger of an important Roman road cutting through the county. Follow in the footsteps of Roman soldiers across open heathland, with wide views over the Frome Valley and Thomas Hardy’s Vale of the Great Dairies. Discover the Rainbarrows, once gleaming white with chalk and … Continue reading Puddletown Forest Roman Road
Starting high above Ringstead Bay, with wide views out to sea and along the Jurassic Coast, leave the waves behind and begin the descent down Gallows Hill. Discover the remains of Holworth’s lost village, its story echoed along this coastline where plague once devastated communities. Climb up to the Ridgeway, a landscape scattered with evidence … Continue reading Poxwell
From the little town of Verwood, on the edge of the mighty forest of Ringwood, circle the isolated patch of Horton Common. Cut under the lost dismantled Railway to enter the heathland, skimming ancient earthworks alongside the railway embankments. Wander through spindly woodland, edged by gorse and heather, to Monmouth’s Ash, where a potential King … Continue reading Horton Common
From the little valley of the River Piddle, escape into a landscape once ruled by Iron Age tribes. Climb up between the folds of the hills to Incombe Wood, the trees hiding earthworks of the long-gone farmers. Wander through the wide-open fields, where the ploughed soils or growing crops can silently reveal traces of their … Continue reading Piddletrenthide
