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 busy town of Yeovil, weave through the waterfalls, pools, grottos and stone arches to climb up to the Roman road once linking the ancient towns of Durnovaria and Lindinis. Discover the follies of Barwick estate, dotted on the hilltops to mark the four points of the compass. Dip down to the fine country … Continue reading Ninesprings
The Farm of Knights sits on the slopes of Knighton Hill looking over the valley of the little River Wriggle. Isolated, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, the settlement has shrunk slowly back into the hillside. Wander through the landscape using the medieval routes which connected the once powerful castles of Sherborne and Leigh. … Continue reading Knighton
Start in the little settlement of Thornford, named after a river crossing and bordered by two growing streams. Wander the back lanes to the site of a Roman villa amongst a collection of lime kilns scattered across the valley. Discover the musically rich Mill Farm, once a grist mill now a bustling smallholding full of … Continue reading Thornford to Bradford Abbas
Explore the mythical village of Trent, complete with King Arthur's Sword of Excalibur. Savour the golden medieval buildings scattered around a Manor House, the roads lined with original flagstones. Discover the church and its rare spire, topped with a copper cockerel weathervane, while internally it is host to a number of treasures. Pass Trent Manor, … Continue reading Trent
Explore one of the top 50 villages in the country, according to the Sunday Times. High up in the valley of the tributaries of the river Yeo and built from golden ham stone, it is home to a school paid for by the scientist Robert Boyle. It is also the birthplace of an accidental biologist … Continue reading Yetminster, Thornford and Beer Hackett
From a new castle to a ruined one. A hidden village to a demolished church, over a railway and through mysterious woodland, circling the old castles of Sherborne. The landscape was loved by Sir Walter Raleigh, who made himself a stone seat in his castle gardens to sit, smoke, watch the deer run wild and … Continue reading Sherborne Castles, circling old and new.
