Although long (unless you chop it in half), this is a really easy-going circular walk from Moreton Walled Gardens, mostly on broad well-marked trails. There are small sections on open heathland, but for most of the time you will be in the forests – probably mucky underfoot in winter, but cool and shady on a hot day, with a lovely ford to splash hot feet in when you’re done! Do stop at the Walled Gardens for tea and cake, too.
(The pinch point in the middle is an easy point to split the route in two – if you don’t want a 12 mile day hike, then there’s an obvious option to cut across from the Southover Heath Plantation to Pallington Clump via the Hardy Way, and you’ll end up with a nice 6ish miles instead.)
There is plenty of free parking at Moreton – but if you’re starting late, be aware that the overflow parking for the walled gardens closes at 8pm in summer months. The area does get busy in the holidays – the first couple of miles were busy with young families.
The terrain is relatively flat for Dorset. Footpaths through the forests have been subverted by the forestry tracks (our route was created from our footsteps on the actual paths available, not the public footpaths on the OS map)
Oh the ancient giants. This beauty was at least fifteen feet in diameter – I always ponder about the people who have walked beneath them over the centuries.
The ford over the river Frome at Moreton – this was taken early evening on our return leg. On the way out the water was busy with children playing and splashing.
Spending most of the day in deep forest means the odd breaks onto open heathland are welcoming windows.
Much of the day is on the wide easy-going paths which criss-cross this area of native Dorset heathland.
