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
Before they were roads, they were only paths. Across Dorset, routes emerged slowly, worn into the land by centuries of passage, shifting with weather and season, never entirely fixed. Some followed high ground, others slipped into holloways or vanished altogether, leaving travellers to trust instinct as much as direction. Then came the Turnpikes. Order was imposed … Continue reading Dorset Turnpikes
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
Wander beneath the thick canopy of Wareham Forest, following the Sika Trail toward Wareham itself. Cross the railway tracks to reach the River Piddle, where a 15th-century bridge carries you over its quiet waters. Climb the hill to discover one of the most remarkable Saxon churches in the country, then descend along the ancient Saxon … Continue reading Coldharbour
Circle the natural wonder of Upton Heath. From its urban edge, weave between towering silver birch, aromatic heather, and the clumpy, sharp gorse. Pass the site of an old brickworks with views over the heathland to Poole Harbour. Its harsh environment often played the backdrop in Thomas Hardy novels, when it was only inhabited by … Continue reading Upton Heath
Claimed to be one of the oldest settlements in Dorset, the River Frome has shaped Stoborough’s growth as an ancient causeway provided access over the water. After surviving many Viking attacks, the Civil War led to its downfall when the village sacrificed itself to save the town of Wareham. It never returned to its earlier … Continue reading Ridge
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
A mini adventure into a secret spot on the banks of the River Frome. The long gone Priory of Holme has disappeared, its site faded into history. The Priory church, which sat on the site of a Roman church, the land dedicated over 2000 years ago, has also gone. Instead the Victorian Architect John Hicks … Continue reading East Holme
