Explore the landscape of the Melcombes. Several villages with similar names, but all with a different history. Discover the deserted village, the manor and the farm surrounded by footprints of the past. Climb the medieval trackways to reach the Dorsetshire Gap, an ancient junction of five routes, linking the northern and wild Blackmore Vale to … Continue reading Melcombe Horsey
A celebration of cheese! Saturday 10th September - Sunday 11th September 2022 Set in Sturminster Newton in the heart of the Blackmore Vale, the Cheese Festival was introduced to reflect the market town and the surrounding landscape’s heritage, showcasing award winning local produce. The Blackmore Vale is split from the south by the Iron Age … Continue reading The Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival
Start at the little hamlet of Stour Row, deep in the valley of the meandering River Stour and the landscape of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Discover earthworks of a Romano-British settlement that grew into the medieval period but then became nothing but a scattering of farms. Pass an artistic creation that is a feast for … Continue reading Stour Row
All Dorset parishes are listed alphabetically. They then reference any adventures that start or finish within the parish, pass through the parish or skim past the parish.
The Big Map of Dorset is a hand drawn, to scale map of the whole county. It is drawn using pen and pencil onto four separate canvases, adding up to a total size of approximately 2 metres by 2 metres. The map records only a simple selection of earthworks, woodland, water, roads, tracks and settlement. … Continue reading The Big Map of Dorset
A selection of tales and mysteries about tragedy and despair. The lives of people that have left their everlasting mark on the landscape, now hidden amongst brambles, whispered in the wind or sparkling in the shadows. From country houses to isolated beaches, lonely roads to hidden earthworks, the county of Dorset is full of ruins … Continue reading Dorset’s top 12 spooky places
Starting in the smallest town in Dorset, buried in the Blackmore Vale, Stalbridge has a selection of historical aspects that have influenced the rest of the country. Explore the landscape to discover the ancient Stalbridge Park wall. The imposing manor of Stalbridge Park (fifth largest building in Dorset at the time) was the home of … Continue reading Stalbridge
From the depths of Thorncombe Wood discover the poet and author Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. Travel through the little village of Higher Bockhampton to Stinsford, following the footsteps of Roman soldiers. Pass numerous stately homes including Kingston Maurward, Birkin and Stinsford to meet the River Frome. Visit the memorial to Hardy at Stinsford church containing his … Continue reading Puddletown Forest, Stinsford and the River Frome
