Maiden Newton Circular or to Dorchester (via Cerne Abbas) walk
Chalk streams, pretty valleys, rounded hills and broad ridges in the Dorset Downs. Cerne Abbas village with Britain's largest hill figure.
Length |
28.3 km (17.6 mi), with 694m ascent/descent. For a longer or shorter walk and an Alternative Ending, see below Walk Options. |
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Toughness |
8 out of 10, with 6 ¾ hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 13 hours. |
Walk Notes |
This is a route entirely in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, leading through three roughly parallel valleys cut into the dip slope of the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs, the most westerly part of the large chalk formation running through southern England, and a couple of steep combes within those valleys. Consequently, there are six ascents spread out through the walk, but the views from the steep slopes of the dry hanging valleys (including two of the three parts of Hog Cliff NNR), the rounded hills and broad ridges are just rewards for the effort. Four chalk streams and rivers are crossed and plenty of picturesque villages, hamlets and historic churches passed. The author Thomas Hardy based many of his locales on this area. Cerne Abbas is the jewel in the crown amongst the villages, with almost every building being historic, special and beautiful. It also has some sizeable remains of the 10th century Cerne Abbey, a holy well, an imposing tithe barn, three pubs, a tea room and a tap room as well as Britain’s largest hill figure, The Cerne Giant. This is likely of early Anglo-Saxon origin and depicting a pagan god, stark naked. Note: The chalk figure is fenced off at a wide margin to prevent erosion and views of The Cerne Giant are only possible during the approach to the village, but not once in the village! |
Walk Options |
A Shortcut right at the start cuts the initial loop through Maiden Newton and down the Frome Valley. Cut 2.6 km and 24m ascent.
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Maps |
OS Landranger: 194 (Dorchester & Weymouth)
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Travel |
Maiden Newton Station, map reference SY 599 979, is 189 km south west of Charing Cross and 106m above sea level. Dorchester South station, map reference SY 692 900 and Dorchester West station, map reference SY 688 902, are 12 km south east of Maiden Newton and 72m above sea level. All are in Dorset. They are stops on the Heart of Wessex line from Bristol to Weymouth. From London, a connection is needed at either Westbury or Castle Cary (served by trains from Paddington) or in Dorchester (5 minute-walk from Dorchester South to West). Dorchester South is a stop on the London Waterloo to Weymouth Main Line. Journey time to Maiden Newton is from 149 minutes. Saturday Walkers’ Club: Maiden Newton Station is outside the Network Southeast Railcard zone. Off-Peak returns can be prohibitively expensive. Advance tickets are usually the better option. Dorchester (South) Station is within the Network Railcard Zone. Take a train no later than 9.00 hours. |
Lunch |
The Greyhound Inn 26 High Street, Sydling St. Nicholas, Dorset, DT2 9PD (01300 341 303). The Greyhound is located a couple of hundred metres off route, after 9.0 km/5.6 mi of the walk. Plus, all located within 80m (!) of each other, after 14.9 km/9.3 mi of the walk:
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Tea |
The Cerne Abbas Brewery Chescombe Barn, Barton Meadows Farm,Cerne Abbas, Dorset, DT2 7JS (01300 341 999). The Brewery is located 15.8 km/9.8 mi into the walk. Maiden Newton Ending
Dorchester Ending
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Profile | |
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Help Us! |
After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks! You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: |
By Train |
Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start DT2 0AE Map Directions |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
Jan-24 Thomas G |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk