From the River Stour, enter the landscape of its tributaries. Climb to Sturminster Castle, a ruin that evolved from an Iron Age hillfort into a medieval manor house. Follow old drove roads with wide views across the Blackmore Vale to Duncliffe, before descending to the River Divelish, passing areas of modern development. Trace the Divelish … Continue reading Rolls Mill
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 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
From Thomas Hardy’s village of Marlott, wander the old tracks once trodden by Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Pass her childhood cottage and drift into open fields, past a weathered stone quarry and an avenue of trees near the site of a Roman temple. Follow the sunken path of Leigh Lane as it drops into the … Continue reading King’s Mill
Explore the forgotten lands of the Blackmore Vale. Begin high in the valley of the River Lydden, in the small hamlet of Duntish, and follow its winding streams through fields, farms, and pockets of ancient woodland. Pass through the little village of Buckland Newton, crossing its old ford, before climbing towards the edge of a … Continue reading Duntish
Wonder along the old drove roads of hidden Dorset. Cross the single track railway as it travels from Yeovil to Weymouth under the shadow of the haunting Bubb Hill. Visit the little St Mary’s Church, with a broken gravestone of a murder victim, before following the country lanes between the oak lined fields. Skim the … Continue reading Redford
From the little village of Iwerne Minster, climb up the chalk hills to views over the Blackmore Vale. Head between anciently farmed fields of the Iron Age and medieval periods, passing earthworks of a lost medieval farmstead and a Bulls Pit, to reach the causeway of Boyne’s Lane. Cross the historic route, used by King … Continue reading Stubhampton Bottom
From the thatched cottages of Milton Abbas, discover the site of the lost village of Middleton. Take advantage of open access areas and venture deep into woodland to find hidden holloways, earthworks and ruins. Climb out of the valley to explore the medieval drove roads as they criss-cross the chalk slopes of central Dorset, following … Continue reading Milton Abbas to Gallows Corner
