From a landscape carved by the river, follow lakes and lanes into a spiritual environment. Weave around modern housing, the pylons that mark the edge of Bournemouth’s urban sprawl, and between hidden Bronze Age burial mounds. Skim the ghost of a faded country manor, once home to a single family, now an estate of hundreds. … Continue reading Dudsbury
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
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
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 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
From Stourhead to Hengistbury Head, the river flows for over 61 miles through the heart of Dorset. The names derives from the Old English meaning 'Strong One', providing Dorset with the lifeblood that led to its development in the form of food, water, transportation, communication and defence. Explore the landscape, all along its course, crossing … Continue reading River Stour
Dorset's second largest river travels through Thomas Hardy country. From the high valleys in the heart of Dorset to the Vale of the Great Dairies, it merges with the sea in Poole Harbour. Discover a number of places to explore on its path, with tales of punished maidens to fierce Viking raids. Dorset Rivers Click … Continue reading River Frome
Starting in Holdenhurst, a village both locked and lost behind urban development, follow the River Stour towards Throop. Weave between cottages, gas lamps and modern day flats for the peace to be disturbed by Bournemouth’s busy trunk road. Return to the Stour to follow its flow to the medieval bridge of Iford. Cross over the … Continue reading Iford
