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
Venture through the historic village of Monkton Combe, uncovering layers of its industrial past. From the school, mill, lock-up and church, follow the route of the lost canal towards Tucking Mill. Climb up to the top of the viaduct, once part of the Somerset and Dorset railway, and step into one of the longest tunnelled … Continue reading Monkton Combe
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 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
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
Explore the historically rich landscape split by two rivers and conquered by Iron Age tribes, the Romans, and Wessex Kings. From the River Stour’s shoreline at Eye Bridge, follow the water downstream to the shallow ford that was topped by Julian’s Bridge. Wander through the medieval town of Wimborne to its Saxon Minster, complete with … Continue reading Wimborne
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
