Dorset Heritage Trail walking itinerary

Distance:
51 miles (81 km)
Airports:
Southampton/Bournemouth

Plan your route: VisitBritain Journey Planner

This tailor-made trail winds its way through the best of rural Dorset  , through mature woodland, over Celtic and Roman hill forts and into a succession of quiet, rural English villages. Wildlife is abundant on the trail, which is also ideal for tree-lovers. This trail also includes parts of the Wessex Ridgeway and the Jubilee trail.

Day 1: Win Green & Larmer Tree Gardens - Chettle & Tarrant Gunville

Win Green & Larmer Tree Gardens - Chettle & Tarrant Gunville: 4 miles (6 km)
Totals for Day: 4 miles (6 km)

Win Green & Larmer Tree Gardens

The Dorset Inland Heritage Trail starts at Win Green, a hill overlooking the former royal hunting grounds and poacher's paradise of Cranbourne Chase. A short walk from here is Larmer Tree Gardens, created in 1880 by General Pitt Rivers. The gardens are home to a wonderful collection of ornate buildings, majestic glades, and intimate arbours waiting to be explored.

Must see & do:

Salisbury Cathedral | Old Sarum | Malmesbury Abbey

Chettle & Tarrant Gunville

The small village of Chettle is the next stop on the trail. Just 2 miles from Farnham, the village has a beautiful manor house - Chettle House. 2 miles west of Chettle is Tarrant Gunville, situated at the head of the Tarrant Valley. The small village is surrounded by Roman, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Stone Age sites that are well worth visiting.

Must see & do:

Blandford Town Museum | Royal Signals Museum

Day 2: Chettle & Tarrant Gunville - Hambledon Hill & Hod Hill - Stourpaine

Chettle & Tarrant Gunville - Hambledon Hill & Hod Hill: 10 miles (16 km)
Hambledon Hill & Hod Hill - Stourpaine: 4 miles (6 km)
Totals for Day: 14 miles (22 km)

Hambledon Hill & Hod Hill

Continuing west on the trail, you'll come across the stunning iron-age forts of Hambledon Hill and Hod Hill, areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The forts give spectacular views of the Blackmoor Vale, and in the interior of Hambledon Hill fort, you can see the locations of Iron Age huts and an earlier Neolithic long barrow.

Must see & do:

Blandford Town Museum | Royal Signals Museum

Stourpaine

The village of Stourpaine is just north of the buzzing market town of Blandford, on the River Stour. Explore the village's pretty thatched cottages and the 15th century church, and visit Hod Cottage, with its ancient upstairs window dating back nearly 400 years. Then onto Blandford, where you'll find a good range of shops and several museums.

Must see & do:

Chettle House | Blandford Town Museum | Royal Signals Museum

Day 3: Stourpaine - Milton Abbey & Milton Abbas - Cerne Abbas

Stourpaine - Milton Abbey & Milton Abbas: 11 miles (18 km)
Milton Abbey & Milton Abbas - Cerne Abbas: 10 miles (16 km)
Totals for Day: 21 miles (34 km) 

Milton Abbey & Milton Abbas

The next highlight on the trail is the village of Milton Abbas, the first planned settlement in England. In 1780, Lord Milton decided that the village ruined the view from his mansion and ordered the village to be moved. Visit the extravagantly decorated Milton Abbey, where Lord Milton's house was.

Must see & do:

Ivy Cottage Garden | Athelhampton House and Gardens | Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum | St Andrew's Church

Cerne Abbas

End the day at the village of Cerne Abbas, a small village on the River Cerne. The village is famous for its Giant, an 180ft (55m) chalk figure carved into a hillside to the north of the village. Take a town trail of Cerne Abbas and discover the remains of the great Benedictine Abbey and St Augustine's Well, which was reportedly blessed by the saint.

Must see & do:

Minterne Gardens | The Nine Stones

Day 4: Cerne Abbas - Stratton - Dorchester

Cerne Abbas - Stratton: 8 miles (33 km)
Stratton - Dorchester: 4 miles (6 km)
Totals for Day: 12 miles (19 km) 

Stratton

Start the final day of the trail with a visit to the village of Stratton, situated between Dorchester and Yeovil. People have been living in Stratton for nearly 5,000 years, and some of the ancient features of the village include Bronze Age mounds and the Roman Road from Dorchester to Ilchester. Visit St Mary's Church, where the tower dates back to the Tudor period.

Must see & do:

The Keep Military Museum | Winterbourne Poor Lot Barrows

Dorchester

The Dorset Inland Heritage Trail finishes in the historic town of Dorchester. Visit the Iron Age dwellings at Maiden Castle and Poundbury Camp, and the Roman amphitheatre at Maumbury Rings. On the outskirts of Dorchester you'll find Thomas Hardy's birthplace at Max Gate. The town is the perfect mix of old and new, and you won't be short of shops to pick up souvenirs of your journey.

Must see & do:

The Dinosaur Museum | The Tutankhamun Exhibition | Dorset County Museum | The Teddy Bear Museum

This information was kindly provided by footscape who offer a selection of short and long walking holidays in Southwest England.