On Foot

On Foot PILGRIMS, FUGITIVES AND MONARCHS

Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

Distance: 4 1/2 miles Time: Approx. 2 1/2 hours Park: Car park at Shave Cross Inn Walk Features: A walk with few gradients, which loops through the farmland in this corner of the Marshwood Vale, nestling under the shoulders of Pilsdon Pen and Lewesdon Hill. There are views across the vale and south towards Copper Hill and Denhay Hill. Although a relatively easy walk, there are some challenging segments where footpaths cross crop fields or fields with stock and electric fences. In summer there are some overgrown areas which may make following the footpaths and finding wayside markers difficult. Some of the stiles and footbridges are in poor repair so please take care. Refreshments: Shave Cross Inn >

Each month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members) pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual and sometimes the unfamiliar.

For June we follow the routes of pilgrims, fugitives and monarchs. Folklore says that Shave Cross Inn was a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Wite in the church at Whitchurch Canonicorum. The Monarch’s Way is based on the route taken by King Charles II during his escape from Cromwell in the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It is now the longest inland trail in England. The Jubilee Trail is a 90-mile trail stretching between Dorset’s east and west borders which was created by the Dorset Area Rambler’s Association in 1995 to celebrate 60 years of the founding of the Association.

Directions Start: SY 415 980 1 Out of the car park entrance, head straight across the road to the junction, then turn left and continue up the road in front of the red brick cottage on your right. Walk up this road for 200 yards and then just past Gillins Head cottage, turn right, over a stile with a footpath sign, into a field.

Walk across the field, keeping the hedge on your left, with views of Lewesdon Hill now straight ahead. Keep along the hedge until you reach a metal gate at the far end of the field. Go through this into a paddock, again keep the hedge on your left and follow this to the far left-hand corner of the field and another metal gate. Pass through this into another field and aim diagonally across this field towards a metal gate to the right hand side of Black Cross coppice (there is a small area of scrub in the middle of this field- keep to the right of it). Cross a small brook on a track/bridge to reach the gate to the right of the coppice and into another field, now walking along the right hand edge of Black Cross coppice, keeping this on your left. There are views to the right and behind of

Colmer’s Hill, Denhay Hill and Copper Hill. At the top left hand corner of this field, head down into a small dip and through the remains of a stile, then up into the next field. Again, keep to the left of the field along the edge of the coppice. To your right, across the field, is Gerrard’s Farm but keep towards the left corner of the field. Pass over a wooden stile marked the Monarch’s Way and into the coppice. Cross over a small footbridge, go to the right then fork left over another wooden footbridge. Make your way steeply up out of the coppice and cross a stile into a large open field. 2 Head diagonally across the field towards the summit of Pilsdon Pen and the right-hand corner of the field. Here, you meet a dirt farm track. Turn right onto this, through a metal gate to leave the field. Stay on the track (don’t bear right) and keep following it round. You soon meet a drive coming from a farm, with a barn conversion and cottages on your right. Follow the drive until you meet the road.

Here, turn left by a postbox and pass St Mary’s church on your right. Keep straight ahead on the

road until you come to a junction. Turn right here, by a cottage and walk for another 200 yards until you see a sign on your right for Pilsdon Dairy. 3 Turn right down this track, marked with a bridleway sign, and after a few yards turn left into a field (leaving the track as it bends round to the right). Head straight across the field – on the far side you will reach a metal gate and a Jubilee Trail sign. Through this, keep straight ahead with a hedge on your right. There are views of Lewesdon

Hill now ahead of you and Pilsdon Hill on your left. Keep going until you descend to a small wooden gate and a footbridge over a stream.

The footpath then goes around to the right and through another small wooden gate. You emerge into another field. Follow the right-hand edge of this field keeping the hedge and tree line on your right. In the far right hand corner of this field you will come to a large metal gate. Go through this and cross Yard Lane onto an inviting path that starts to descend between trees. Head along this pleasant little path for 150 yards until you reach a large metal gate. Pass through this, by a beautiful large ash tree, to enter a field which forms part of the Laverstock Estate, by a four-point signpost.

Head right, following the bridleway sign for

Venn Farm ½ mile, keeping the hedge and trees on your right. 4 You soon reach a large wooden gate leading onto the drive coming from Laverstock House.

Through this, you then turn immediately right through another large wooden gate, with the sign

‘Langhams’ on it. Go into this field and head straight across (there are two paths leading from here so you need to go straight ahead from the gate rather than to your left). On reaching the far side of the field you will find a footbridge, in summer quite overgrown. Cross the footbridge into the corner of a field, which you then head across aiming to the left of Venn Farm. After going through a gate in the middle of this field, pass Venn Farm on your right to then exit the field through a large metal gate, onto a road. 5 Turn right and follow the road for 400 yards until you reach a sharp bend to the right. Turn left through a large metal gate and head diagonally across the field towards the left hand corner. At the corner, go through an opening into the next field, now following a hedge and brook on your left. Keeping the hedge on your left, head for the left-hand corner of this field and then leave via a stile (at the time of writing this had a metal hurdle in front of it). This takes you into a thicket. Turn immediately left and then up to your right to leave the thicket into another field, via a stile. Turn left into this field and follow the hedge on your left.

After 200 yards, keep straight on through a metal gate and after another 200 yards, go through a metal gate onto the road, near a small brick building, just before Monkwood Farm. 6 Turn sharp right onto the road and in half a mile you will reach the road coming from Broadoak and

Atrim. Turn right onto this road to take you back to Shave Cross.