This is an absolute cracker of a walk – amazing views and constantly changing scenery the whole way round. Easy to navigate, well signposted and just a little road walking, but nothing busy or unsafe. The variety of the walk is wonderful, and the pure quiet solitude is stunning … this is one we’ll return to again and again.
This was a random route spontaneously drawn on a map – and it turned out to be one of the best walks we’ve done in a long time. We finished with satisfied legs and very large smiles.
We started from an easy roadside parking spot (you could just as easily begin at the car park in the centre of Minterne Magna), then took a short stretch along the road before descending the ancient track through the trees of Penn Wood.
From there on in it was a constant rotation of varied and undulating countryside – we crossed open fields, climbed hills for long views, enjoyed the vista of MInterne House in its valley, admired the tucked-away houses in a village dozing in Sunday silence. We paused beside enormous old oaks, and finally followed the wooded ridgeline with its welcome cool breeze as we watched the black clouds roll across the valley behind us, racing us back to the car before the first raindrops fell.
It really is a perfect walk.
All images © Laura Hitchcock.
This walk is part of Dorset Life’s Take a Hike collection. We personally create and walk every route we feature, choosing circular walks that explore Dorset’s coast and countryside while avoiding road walking wherever possible.
Browse all our previously published Dorset walks → dorsetlife.co.uk/dorset-walks/
You can also explore more of our routes on OutdoorActive (just zoom out on the map), including walks not yet published in Dorset Life. Each includes a route map and downloadable GPX file.
