Berbla one

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The walk offers some fine views of the Dorset countryside with its farmland, hamlets and villages dotted around. The paths are well defined and generally good underfoot. Some parts can get muddy, but on the day I walked this route, I encountered no restrictions.

I commenced from the village car park near the historic St. John the Baptist Church - well worth a visit with its Thomas Hardy connection, the magnificent carved and painted oak roof and strolling around the churchyard.

On West Street cross the road, turn left and continue up the street passing the Drax Arms pub and local shop until you reach a road on your right signposted Butts Lane. Walk up the hill, pass the Congregational Chapel on your right and carry on until you come to a hedge lined bridle path as you continue down the hill passing a gate on your right.

When you get to the bottom of the hill you’ll have to cross the very busy A35 - so be careful. Once safely across the road continue uphill on the hedge lined grass track, through a gap at the top and continue on a wide farm track until you reach a crossroads with a finger post to your left. On this section, as you are walking across the hill, I’d recommend you take the time to stop every now and then to look around and immerse yourself in the expanse of Bere Down and observe the horizons unfolding as far as the Purbeck Ridge.

Here you leave the Jubilee Trail by turning right at the finger post and adopt your best Roman modi operandi as you’re now on a Roman road. Continue along the top of the hill and walk past the side of a metal barrier (ignore the track which turns to the right) go straight ahead and walk downhill between the hedge and tree lined track.



Keep on this path until you pass a few houses on your left, then some more on your right, until you reach the main road at Winterborne Kingston. Now turn left and after a few metres cross the road with care and take the road on your right. You will pass the Old Chapel and St. Nicholas Church on your left.
Carry on walking around the cemetery until you see the sign “East Street” on your right and go up the street until you’ve passed some farm buildings on your left (Abbot’s Court Farm). Immediately after the farm track, leading away to your right from the farm buildings, you will see a footpath which continues ahead on the right-hand side of the road leading to Abbot’s Court House. Follow this path, pass the big house on your left and walk beside a field until you reach a farm track. Keep going straight ahead and when the track turns left ignore this by continuing to go straight ahead into the field. Keep on these wide grass rides until you come to a gravel track at a crossroads at which point you turn right to go uphill.

You can now put your Roman Legionnaire manner behind you as you’re no longer on the Roman road. Continue uphill on the gravel track, pass some farm buildings on your left (Goshen) and you’ve reached the end of the track. Keep going straight ahead on the grass ride and enter the wood in front of you through a narrow entrance. This soon widens out and you’ll continue straight ahead until you reach the opposite end of the wood.

The vista that opens up before you is quite expansive, but nowadays is dominated by solar farms. Turn right and proceed to go downhill along a fence track until you reach a crossroads with a signpost on your left. Take the bridle path on your left (it curves round) and through a gate into a field.

Keep the mature hedge on your right, follow it downhill and then uphill between a hedge lined path next to the solar farm on your right. At the top of the hill there is a tarmac road. Take a right and continue downhill with the Gorcombe Farm buildings on your right. This is an outdoor sports venue (think quod bikes, paintballing etc) and gets very busy. At the bottom of the hill you’ll see the bridle path goes uphill but is not marked. Carry on this upward path, pass a gate at the top and then walk over the hill down towards Birch Close. Now take a left and continue on a farm track until you reach a tarmacked road.

Cross the road and walk in between the buildings by following the footpath until you come to a farm track (Littleton Drove). Keep left on the track and then on your right between a house and some farm buildings take the footpath that will lead you around the farm buildings and up to a junction joining the another farm track (Wards Drove)with a style and a house on your right. Turn right, pass Littleton Solar Farm on your left and continue downhill until you reach the A350 main road.

Turn left on the tarmac pavement until you reach the roundabout. Walk over the zebra crossing and go straight ahead. Just before you reach the next roundabout cross the road and walk towards the Tesco’s petrol station and supermarket; passing Homebase and Hall & Woodhouse’s brewery on your left. Keep walking towards the height restriction barrier and enter the Stour Meadows Park. There is a skateboard park on your left and a car park straight ahead. Follow this path until you reach a footbridge over the River Stour, next to a weir, cross the bridge and you’re now in Blandford Forum.

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