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
From Christchurch’s Saxon walls, follow the River Avon beneath railway bridges and past ancient mills. Cross the water using the historic sluice gates at Knapp Mill, entering the vast, open landscape of Winkton Common. Loop around the village of Burton, passing thatched cottages straight out of fairytales, and once home to the author of Goldilocks … Continue reading Burton
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
From one of the most prominent ridges in the county, visible from the Purbecks to Glastonbury Tor, explore a mystical landscape. Weave through the trees that crown the summit before dropping into the Blackmore Vale and the Friary of St Francis. Wander woodland once home to a hermit and follow the River Wriggle to Hilfield, … Continue reading Hilfield
From deep within Dorset’s valleys, brush the border with Devon. Skim past Sadborow Estate, its former owners once painted by Gainsborough, separated then reunited in Dorchester. Weave through woodland, cross gentle streams, and climb up into Marshwood, where views stretch across the vale to the distant sea. Among the hilltops of Pilsdon Pen and Lambert’s … Continue reading Birdsmoorgate
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
