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
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
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
From deep within the Marshwood Vale, wander through fields, farms and forgotten droves to Stoke Mill. Cross the River Char, flowing down from the slopes of Pilsdon Pen, and follow the old road through its quiet valley. As the river slowly reclaims the track, climb the hill to Purcombe Farm. Join the nature trails to … Continue reading Broadoak and Denhay
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
