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 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
Wander 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
Discover a hidden landscape, untouched for centuries. Climb the peaks of the hills surrounded by hillforts, ancient barrows and stone henges. Follow the ridge with views across the Jurassic coastline and discover a number of ruined farms. Delve down into the valley to find the old Abbotsbury Railway line, now just earthworks slicing through the … Continue reading Friar Waddon
Explore the historically rich, golden-hued village of Abbotsbury by wandering through crumbling ruins, which tower up to the sky, as well as those hidden, knocking at the ankles. Find ancient sculptures of long-gone Abbots and holes from musket balls fired during the Civil War. Discover the medieval pond with the great tithe barn and popular … Continue reading Abbotsbury Railway
Follow the little stream of the River Brit. Discover the ancient manors of Slape and Melplash both sitting on the river banks, their well-designed parks still dominating the surrounding landscape. Explore the remains of old industries which used the power of the water but today have been washed away, the ruins now the river path. … Continue reading Waytown
From the peak of Clubman's Down, wander across the ancient, earthwork littered landscape to the meeting spot of countryside rebels, armed with scythes and pitchforks. Explore Compton Abbas village and the last remains of its old Church tower. Climb Melbury Beacon, one of the highest points in Dorset, providing views across Shaftesbury to the north, … Continue reading Fontmell Downs, Compton Abbas and Melbury Hill
