An eight-mile Dorset Life walk from Kingcombe Meadows, following the Wessex Ridgeway and Jubilee Trail through quiet countryside, glorious views and ancient meadows.
One of our absolute favourite walks in Dorset is a 13-miler which starts at Kingcombe Meadows (see it here) and winds out to Powerstock. Sadly, a dodgy knee has put a 13-mile route temporarily out of bounds. Refusing to lose it altogether, though, we made a few adjustments and ended up with a nearly-as-good eight-mile route which is an absolute joy. And we didn’t see a single other human on the whole route: always a marker of a good walk for us!
Parking is easy at Kingcombe. Even if the café is closed when you return, there is an outside tap which was a blessing in this summer’s heat, knowing we could refill our water when we got back.
We chose to start the route by immediately leaving the DWT property and circling back round to it, simply because we know the path back across the ancient meadows is a joy at every time of year, and the perfect way to end the walk.
There were the usual nettle- and bramble-filled stiles. It’s always a good idea when walking in Dorset in summer to collect a stout beating stick en route. Dorset is filled with beautiful, tall, thick hedges … but that means lots of stiles to cross them, and the brambles are usually out of control.
Otherwise, the route was simple to follow and we strolled the entire eight miles with smiles on our faces – the uphills weren’t too taking, and the pay-off with the views was always worth it, even in the heat. The walk combines two of Dorset’s long-distance paths, setting out along the Wessex Ridgeway towards Hooke before cutting across to pick up the Jubilee Trail for the return.
And for us, lunch was at the top of Rampisham Down (pronounced ‘Ransom’), where a very conveniently placed fallen tree trunk came with glorious views. Strongly recommended.
