Upton Heath Walk

Summer is here and and with temperatures soaring at the time of going to print, we've found a delightful summer walk in Upton that will take you under the canopy of trees and across the sunny heathland. During the walk you may see some ponies or sand lizards enjoying the summer breeze along with blooming plant life alongside the old railway line path. Our walk starts at Beechbank Avenue shown on the map where if you're travelling by car, there's room to park up. It's also easy to cycle to or catch the bus to.

1. Walking through the kissing gate you will find an area surrounded by birch trees up a path, you may be able to spot a few finches and similar birds. Continuing down the path will lead you to a bridlegate and a Dorset Wildlife Trust board leading you into Upton Heath proper, however instead of entering we will be taking another path on the left and continue down the Roman Road Trail south for a while.

2. You’ll eventually come to a sign and information board as the path starts to curve to the right, following it will lead you towards a small stream with a wooden bridge letting you cross over and continue down the main path.

3. As you are walking you will find a kissing gate on the right that will let you enter Upton Heath and bring you to the more open skies and summer sun. Follow this path up north-west and you’ll start to see some boardwalks in areas that seem to transition between wet heath and dry heath as a result of changes in the soil.

4. You don’t need to take any turns, just keep going straight down the path and eventually it will curve naturally to the right as you reach a longer boardwalk across a boggy area. There will be a small post in the path after you cross and further down the way will be a bench on your right side if you feel like taking a break. 5. Continue further down the path as it begins to curve right again, you may find the area can get rather wet so be careful when crossing the boggy ground. A path going through birch trees will be ahead of you to follow, it will take you onto a more well-travelled path and eventually a gate that leads out of the heath itself. Either you can go through the gate that will take you onto the old railway line that will be easier to navigate and travel or continue down the heath path for a while and enjoy the open scenery until you reach the bridle path taking you outwards, either way you will end up next to what used to be the old plate-layer’s hut. 6. Passing the hut, you will find yourself following the old railway north-east across the heathland, the area is a great place to see some of the local wildlife including Exmoor Ponies. After walking a while you will come to the old railway bridge, cross over it and there will be a path leading down on the right hand side. Once you reach the bottom, you will be back on the Roman Road. Turn left and follow the road back to where you started at the bridlegate and information board to finish the walk.