Parking at Stratton, pretty village with a green and pub you negotiate a short stretch of the busy A37 by a thoughtfully provided cycle path. Take great care crossing the road to the bridleway on the opposite side.
The route easy to follow and has several rewarding surprises such as the rough hewn stonecross and bench to be discovered the middle of nowhere. It was erected to celebrate the Millennium and marks the site of a much older cross that stood adjacent to the ancient route from the Abbey of Abbotsbury to Cerne Abbey.
Further along you find another unexpected and poignant memorial, an inscribed stone and cairn of flints raised in memory of Harriet Tory who died at the early age of 37.
Leaving the bridleway and turning left onto a lane you soon pass the Cross and Hand a mysterious standing stone referred to by Hardy in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Its mystery is rather diminished by the needless erection of a wooden fence around it
Further along the road a bridleway takes you downhill to the sleepy unspoilt village of Sydling St Nicholas complete with welcoming pub to rehydrate in. From there a quiet lane returns you to whence you came. Distance 15 miles. Time around 4hrs
Leaving the bridleway and turning left onto a lane you soon pass the Cross and Hand a mysterious standing stone referred to by Hardy in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Its mystery is rather diminished by the needless erection of a wooden fence around it
Further along the road a bridleway takes you downhill to the sleepy unspoilt village of Sydling St Nicholas complete with welcoming pub to rehydrate in. From there a quiet lane returns you to whence you came. Distance 15 miles. Time around 4hrs
I'd like to try this. Which bridleway do you take outside Stratton Dorset (where exactly is it)?
ReplyDeleteHi..the easiest thing is to transfer the route to Ordnance survey map..its pretty clear...I'd use an OS map in the blog but they charge!! It really is a lovely route though a bit longer than I usually do off road as I'm a weed. I'll be putting another really enjoyable one up soon starting from the Natural Trust car park at Ringstead which is also marvellous but not so tiring. A propos of nothing I now use OS getamap digital maps for £19.00 per annum you get access to all their maps for whole of GB 1:50000 and1:25000 and can measure distances,terrain print out etc
DeleteYou're resting your bike on a very odd sundial where the gnomon is a frog holding a twig. This might be the aptly named Turning Point signposted from a mile away, or possibly where five paths meet 100 yds E of here.
ReplyDelete