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
In March, Women's History Month invites us to rediscover the hidden stories of women in Dorset, from Iron Age matrilineal societies to modern-day leaders. Their legacies shape our world, urging us to lead the change. Women’s History Month For much of living memory, women’s lives in England were shaped by laws and customs that rendered … Continue reading Women in Dorset
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 deep within the roots of the ancient Selwood Forest, wander a landscape that shaped Iron Age tribes, settling Saxons, and the counties of Wessex. Drop down into the valley of the River Stour, joining its short course through Wiltshire to the possible site of Egbert’s Stone, marking the point where three counties meet. Follow … Continue reading Bourton
The Saints of Dorset’s Landscape - Mapping the saints who once guarded land, sea, and life Without science to explain disaster, people searched for meaning wherever they could. Along Dorset’s exposed coastline, sailors were battered by storms. Inland, families feared hunger, disease, and the fragile gamble of childbirth. When crops failed or the plague arrived, … Continue reading Dorset Saints
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
Climb to the summit of what many believe to be King Arthur’s Camelot. From Cadbury Castle's peak, gaze across the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury Tor and King Alfred’s Tower, a landscape once transformed by the sea or cloaked in wild woodland, where medieval royalty hunted between the trees. Wander among the mighty ramparts to uncover … Continue reading Cadbury Castle
