Walking West Dorset

Whitcombe

Park in the lay-by on the A352 opposite the church. First visit the church, which is usually open. Look at the ancient wall paintings and bat droppings. Go back to the road, turn right and walk up the hill for 100 yards then join a footpath on the right leading through a fairly new plantation of several species of trees. Exiting the wood, turn right and head south-east past the farm and tiny village after which the path turns left and heads east for a furlong where it meets an Tarmac-free road which takes you left, northeast for a furlong to the boundary with West Stafford.

Health & Wellbeing

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

parish boundary back into Whitcombe.

Turn right and follow the boundary bridleway which soon enters West Knighton parish at a large field. Continue diagonally across the field to the corner at the bottom. The bridleway then takes you east for a furlong until you join a footpath on your right that takes you south to the road near St Peter’s Church. Keep going south for a few yards and join a path on your right that heads west to a field boundary, then southwest to cross the A352 and

Weymouth & Portland walks

WYKE REGIS CAPTAIN BIRDSEYE: The view from the bell tower and right, the Wordsworth memorial

Wyke Regis is nowadays not a civil parish, having been absorbed by an expanding Waymuff about 90 years ago, however you can still find the parish boundary on old maps. Start at the ancient and historic church, which was built in 1450, probably on the footprint of something much older. If you arrive on a Thursday morning you might be greeted by some friendly and chatty ladies who will invite you to stay for lunch!

The massive tower has 99 steps up and just as many down, with wide views from the top.

When you manage to leave the Church, head south down the hill until you come to a roundabout where you turn left and follow the A354 for about a quarter of a mile north eastwards past some allotments until you reach Rylands Lane. This takes you along the parish boundary south eastwards down to the Coast Path, the popular Trodwell Trail that takes you south west along the old railway line to Portland. There are good views over Portland Harbour.

When you get to a road junction, cross over and follow the Coast Path alongside the Fleet for about a mile. You’ll see the oyster farm in the Fleet. This is when you’ll wish you’d remembered to bring binoculars and bird book with you! One section of the route goes along a beach and may get a bit soggy at high tide. Eventually you reach the Royal Engineers’ Bridging Hard, a massive wired off enclosure with dilapidated wriggly tin buildings inside. Turn right and follow the bridleway, which soon becomes a road, Camp Road which takes you up and down in a fairly straight line back to the church and your car. You’ll have walked a little over three miles.

Go south-west along a bridleway for a quarter of a mile then join another heading north-west around field edges. It takes you across The Gallop, a mile-long soft-surfaced straight track for training racehorses. Continue northeast down to the road where you turn right and head half a mile back to the A352, passing the stables and stud. At the A352 you can either risk the traffic and turn left for a quarter or a mile back to your car or, more safely, cross the road to join the lane that meets the path back to the village that you’ve walked already.