Explore the lush hills and wild woodland on the border of Dorset and Devon. Start at the small village of Monkton Wyld which has grown from the love of a mother for her daughter. Dip down and climb up the narrow valleys, crossing streams and stiles at the end of isolated holloways that once led … Continue reading Monkton Wyld
Delve deep into the thick woodland of Ferndown Forest. Trace the old driveway down to the ghost of a country manor replaced by newer builds of the modern age. The old country estate, once spanning the surroundings, leaves little in its wake but an old cottage lodge now swallowed by growing urbanisation. Wander the routes … Continue reading Ferndown Forest
Circle the magical woodland, forest and heathland of Gore Heath and Morden Bog. The spiritual landscape of the Bronze Age became heavily farmed. The underlying clay was quarried and supplied bricks, tiles, pots and drainpipes for local buildings while the peat and heather provided heating and bedding. But the destruction of the soil, caused by … Continue reading Gore Heath and Morden Bog
From the golden stone town of Beaminster, follow the little river Brit to the skeletal remains of Parnham House. Walk through the Deer park, once cordoned off as a crime scene, up the hill and into the woods. Discover a deeply carved Holloway, its route cut into the landscape by generations of both hooves and … Continue reading Parnham
Garden design, development and embellishment became the fashion amongst the landowning gentry of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, splashing their cash on elements that had no purpose other to be admired. ‘Sanctuaries’, ‘observatories’, ‘thinking towers’, 'memorials' and 'commemorations' popped up on hilltops and in hidden valleys, usually viewable through the manors windows. A selection … Continue reading Dorset’s Follies and Obelisks
Dip down to the stone outcrops and curving coves of Durdle Door and Man o War. Hear the roar of the shingle pulled back by waves which claimed the lives of the maidens of Lulworth Castle. Climb up the cliff of Swyre Head to meet the chalk arch embedded into Bat's Head. Continue to wander … Continue reading Durdle Door
From the Royal village of Tollard, sitting on the boundary of Dorset and Wiltshire, circle the famous Victorian gardens of the Larmer Tree. Start at the village pond, opposite a grumpy cart shed, to climb up to the church. Pass the terracotta coloured old manor of King John’s House, which began life as the Kings … Continue reading Larmer Tree
The Farm of Knights sits on the slopes of Knighton Hill looking over the valley of the little River Wriggle. Isolated, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, the settlement has shrunk slowly back into the hillside. Wander through the landscape using the medieval routes which connected the once powerful castles of Sherborne and Leigh. … Continue reading Knighton
