About 5 miles – 3 hours and varied scenery, mostly on the level. Parts can be muddy in wet weather.
Walk along the trailway for a pleasant mile towards Spetisbury . On your right you get a glimpse of the watercress beds. On your left you will then see Spetisbury School & Church. Before the school, turn left down the slope to the road. Turn right, along the road, and cross straight over the A350, with care. You are on part of the Stour Valley Way.
Through Clapcott’s Farm follow the footpath signs, to the left of the private garage, over the raised narrow footbridge (over the gardens of “Mill House” – quite a sight in any season). Then pass close by the Mill, over the millpond, & through a number of iron gates.
After the iron gates the meadows of the flood plain open out; head straight across to two bridges to cross the River Stour before passing the buildings of Keynston Mill. Opposite the disused farm shop, turn right into a field and follow the right-hand boundary through into a second field. The path bears left to reach a metal gate and road; the Tarrant stream is on your right.
Cross the road into a paved track that brings you to Tarrant Crawford Church (13th C.) with its mediaeval wall paintings; it is well worth the time to walk across the old churchyard and experience a place to meditate, and step back in time! When you come out turn left towards the old buildings of the Abbey Farm and in a few metres go left over a stile into a field to walk uphill and come out again on the road just north of Crawford Farm.
Cross the road, go through a gate keeping straight ahead along the edge of two fields. Cross a concrete track (access to local sewage farm, but don’t let that put you off). Pass under the overhead power lines, and over a stile. Follow the blue arrow sign around the field until you reach a road. Turn right and follow the road to cross the River Stour by the Crawford Bridge.
Walk up to the crossroads, and cross the main A350 with care, and continue up the road opposite (Louse Lane) for about 50 metres to a gravel track on the right. This is the start of the trailway back to Charlton Marshall.
About 4 miles – 1½hours and varied scenery, mostly on the level.
Walk along the trailway towards Blandford. When you get to the T junction at Blandford St Mary (Ward’s Drove) turn left up the drove and go over the hill as far as the cottages on the left in the valley. Beyond the cottages turn left into the bridleway; when you get to the farm, bear right through the yard and continue to the T junction at Littleton Drove, which is tarred. Go left for a few yards until you find a field gate on your right. Go through the field gate and the footpath goes straight across the field to the gap in the hedge on the far side. Continue across the second field heading for the corner of the wall at the rear of Birch Close Farm. Walk out on to Park Hill, cross it and continue down the lane opposite, heading for Lower Cottage, which you will pass on your right just before you reach a T junction. (which can be very muddy after rain). Turn left up the track, go over the hill and come down Church Lane to Charlton Marshall. Happy walking.
Up to 3½miles – 1½hours and varied scenery, some hilly stretches.
Go up Church Lane, over the top of the hill and down towards Manor Farm until you come to a field gate on the left before reaching the farm; go through the gate on the bridleway across the field to the far left corner. Go through the gate in the corner and turn left towards Glebe Farm; go straight across the field towards the farm buildings (can be very muddy here), pass them and the next house and bungalow on your left and continue until the lane bends to the right. Now choose either a or b:
a) continue on the lane to the T junction, turn left and walk towards Spetisbury; go under the railway arch and turn immediately right up the slope to the trailway and return to Charlton Marshall.
b) Go through the field gate on the left and head for the tree in the centre, turn left at the tree and when you get to the corner of the field go over the stile, then across to the next stile, then diagonally up the hill to the stile in the far hedge; head for the farm buildings; go through the gate into the yard and out at the far left corner into The Close, and home.