Tisbury Circular via Alvediston walk

This walk heads south from the Vale of Wardour through the southerly parts of the West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is spectacular walking country with some breathtaking views. The walk reaches the hilltop boundary with the Cranborne Chase AONB (with views all the way to the coast, around Bournemouth and Poole). You’ll find picturesque villages and atmospheric pubs in the beautiful undulating countryside, as well as a wooded Iron Age hill fort site and plenty of dry chalky U-shaped downland valleys.
The middle part of the walk especially leads through – or around the rim of – several very pretty coombes. The walk starts ascending pretty much straight from the platform and features a few short and sharp ascents as well as three more prominent ascents, spread out through the day, followed by a gentle descent across fields back into Tisbury, a remarkably unspoilt village.

As the former recommended lunch pub, The Crown Inn in Alvediston, is now shut, on the full walk your pub lunch options are: the very early Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, an earlier train (or doing the walk in reverse) to reach The Horseshoe Inn in Ebbesbourne Wake in time for food service.
The reverse walk in a clockwise direction is available in a separate pdf.

A Shortcut around lunch reduces the walk by 5.0 km (3.1 mi) and the ascent/descent by 146m. This reduces the effort to 8/10.
The number 29 bus (Shaftesbury to Salisbury) stops outside the lunch pub in Ebbesbourne Wake and in Alvediston (Mon-Sat only, approx. every 90 mins), it gets you to Salisbury Bus Station (a 10 minutes’ walk from the train station) in just short of an hour.

Tisbury Station is on the London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids West of England Main Line. Journey times are 106 minutes Monday to Saturday (hourly) and 114 minutes on Sunday (hourly).

The Royal Oak Swallowcliffe, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 5PA (01747 870 211). The Royal Oak is located 4.5 km (2.8 mi) into the walk. Opening Times: 11.00-23.00 every day. Food Service Hours: 12.00-14.00 and 19.00-21.00 every day, Bar Menu until 17.00. The Royal Oak was closed from late 2007 until 5th September 2015, a village consortium had finally purchased the building from the bank and completed a full restoration. Read more about the campaign to save it here: http://www.swallowcliffe.com/royaloak-campaign.htm
The Horseshoe Inn The Cross, Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire, SP5 5JF (01722 780 474). The Horseshoe Inn is located 16.3 km (10.1 mi) into the full walk and 11.1 km (6.9 mi) into the short walk. Open Mon 18.30-23.00, Tue-Sat 12.00-15.00 and 18.30-23.00, Sun 12.00-16.00. Food served 12.00-14.00 Tue-Sun (last orders 13.45!) and 18.30-21.00 Tue-Sat. An unspoilt 17th century country pub in a pretty village with well-kept real ales tapped straight from the cask, real farm cider and good, freshly prepared, traditional food. Pre-Booking is recommended, if you want a table inside.

Tisbury Fish & Chips The Square, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6JP (01747 870 273).
Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop The Square, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6JP (01747 871 819). Open 8.45-17.00 Mon-Fri, 8.30-17.00 Sat and 9.00-16.30 Sun.
Tisbury Delicatessen High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6DP (01747 871 771).
The Beckford Bottle Shop High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6LD (01747 870 947). Open 10.00-18.30 Tue-Thu, 10.00-19.30+ Fri, 09.00-19.30+ Sat and 10.00-13.30 Sun. Drinks are sold by the glass.
The Benett High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6HD (01747 870 428). Open 12.00-late daily. Run by the local Keystone Brewery. Selected bar food is available upon request.
The Boot Inn High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6PS (01747 870 363). Open 12.00-14.30 Wed-Sun and 19.00-23.00 Mon-Sat (17.00-23.00 Fri). Food served until 21.30 evenings. Atmospheric local pub with authentic meals freshly prepared.
The South Western Station Road, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6JT (01747 228 010). Open 12.00-22.00 Mon-Thu, 12.00-23.00 Fri-Sat and 12.00-21.00 Sun. Food served Tue-Fri 17.00-21.00, 12.00-21.00 Sat and 12.00-15.00 Sun. The South Western is a pub with rooms originally built in 1884 as one of two railway hotels in Tisbury.