13 July 2021
Moors Valley
Moors Valley Country Park is a beautiful spot for a long walk. A really popular choice among residents and tourists alike, Moors Valley is home to acres of beautiful countryside, a golf course, play area, high ropes and orienteering course. With its wide range of walking routes and other activities, this is a great spot to enjoy a lovely day with all the family.
As well as regularly scheduled guided walks, there is also a 3.5km mindfulness audio trail that helps visitors to interact with the natural world and experience the fundamental principles of mindfulness.
Upton Country Park
Upton Country Park sits on the north-western shoreline of Holes Bay in Poole. It offers several beautiful walks, both within its extensive grounds and along the coastal paths. With 160 acres of gardens, woodland and parkland, visitors will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a walking route.
For more information, you can download a free map from the Upton Country Park website.
Kingston Lacy
Kingston Lacy is a country house and estate set in stunning formal gardens and extensive parkland. Located near Wimborne Minster, this beautiful National Trust property and its sprawling grounds make for a perfect day out with the whole family. With 8,500 acres of unspoilt countryside to explore, visitors have the chance to really immerse themselves in nature.
There are several different marked walking trails, which you can view here to plan your day.
Badbury Rings, Blandford
Badbury Rings is one of Dorset's 32 Iron Age hillforts, located near Kingston Lacy. Simply turn left out of Kingston Lacy's Blandford Drive and pass through an avenue of beech trees. In just under a mile, you'll reach Badbury Rings.
The rings sit 100 metres above sea level and offer incredible views across Dorset. You'll also get the chance to discover the area's rich history and array of flora and fauna. A guide to Badbury Rings and walks in the surrounding area can be found here.
The Purbeck Way
This is a spectacular walk that sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). After leaving the River Frome and its water meadows, the Purbeck Way continues through heathland, woodland and grassland before reaching the Jurassic Coast.
Visitors then have the option to continue along the South West Coast Path from Ballard Down to Chapman's Pool. North of Wareham, there are links with the Wareham Forest Way and beyond to Blandford and Christchurch (via the Stour Valley Way).
Highlights in the area include the lovely town of Wareham and its surrounding Saxon walls. While the Purbeck Way is a fairly easy walk, it can be quite rugged in the winter, so it's worth planning your route carefully and making sure you wear suitable clothing and footwear.
More information, including maps to help you plan your route, can be found here.
Maiden Castle walk
The Maiden Castle walk is a circular, five-mile route that starts in the heart of Poundbury. Along the way, you'll see acres of beautiful farmland, Bronze Age cemeteries, and Maiden Castle, a huge Iron Age hillfort that's made up of vast multiple ramparts which enclose an area that's roughly the size of 50 football pitches. You can read more about Maiden Castle's fascinating history here.
Seaton to Lyme Regis
This spectacular walk offers some of the finest views the Jurassic Coast has to offer. A much more challenging route (with uneven and often slippery terrain), but certainly worth putting in the work. Starting out at Seaton Seafront, your destination will be Undercliff National Nature Reserve. Once you reach the Undercliff, there are no paths leading inland or seaward. It generally takes about 3.5-4 hours to reach Lyme Regis.
This seven-mile walk passes through Axmouth and showcases unique, wild areas of landslides, tumbled coastline and lush vegetation. It's particularly lovely in the spring, when the woodland is carpeted with bluebells, wild garlic and daffodils as far as the eye can see.
Tyneham Village
Tyneham is known as Dorset's ‘lost' village and makes a great starting point for a lovely four-mile walk. The village was evacuated in 1943 during WWII and has remained deserted ever since. Exploring the village and all its original architecture before you set out on your walk is definitely worth allowing some time for.
The Iron Age Flower's Barrow hillfort makes an ideal spot for looking out over the coastline and nearby heathland. The area has been preserved as military land, meaning that almost no agricultural development has taken place there. As a result, it is home to a vast expanse of gorgeous wildflowers.
Walk a little further and you'll come to dog-friendly Worbarrow Bay. Both Worbarrow and Tyneham are part of the Ministry of Defence Lulworth Ranges, so it's important to check access on the day you plan to walk. You should also keep to the paths marked with yellow posts.
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If you're not yet lucky enough to live in this beautiful part of the world, why not explore our developments in Poundbury and Lytchett Matravers? Our new build communities offer easy access to some of the finest scenery Dorset has to offer.
