Kay Frances takes a staycation in Wiltshire - a walking tour to explore the south west of England

First I toyed with Spain, then France and finally, like so many this year, found myself choosing a staycation for my long awaited holiday fix.  

The plan was to hike 60 miles in six days from Wiltshire into Dorset, assisted by a set of ordnance survey maps and detailed walking itineraries, provided by Alison Howell’s Foot Trails.  

Specialising in the South West of England, Foot Trails arranges accommodation and transports your luggage from one boutique inn to the next, supplying you with everything you need to navigate your way.

Driving through time-warp villages and along hedge-bound country lanes, I arrived at my first overnight stay, The Compasses, west of Salisbury. 

A thatched 14th century inn, there was a time when a stream ran right through the middle of this pub and animals would drink water while locals supped their ale.

On a balmy summer’s evening tonight’s clientele were all dining al fresco and I joined them with a refreshing ale direct from one of the nearby micro breweries. 

I must confess, I wouldn’t have previously considered Wiltshire as a holiday destination (I can hear their tourist board sighing in disbelief). In more ‘normal’ times Americans, Australians and Canadians love to visit the county. So what do they know that I don’t?  I was curious to find out.

After a full English, resplendent with Wiltshire sausages, I packed my lunch, laced up my boots and met my super friendly driver Andy. We headed off to the pretty market town of Tisbury, where my trail began. 

Walking through undulating countryside and along woodland paths lined with coppiced hazel, families of buzzards circled overhead, their plaintive cries carried on the breeze.  Quiet country lanes teamed with wildflowers and brambles were laden with fat juicy blackberries, ripe for the picking.

On arrival, the holiday welcome pack, wrapped like a gift, had come complete with a guidebook to hedgerows; an excellent companion, given I don’t know my Field Bindweed from my Greater Stitchwort but I was soon to find out.  

Old Wardour Castle, run by English Heritage and England’s first and only hexagonal castle, came into view across the valley, where I stopped for a morning latte.

At one time, this region of Wiltshire had a large home-based weaving industry. “You’ll find many teasels growing in the hedgerows. Before the industrial revolution these were used for combing and raising a nap on woollen cloth, part of the fulling process.”  Alison’s informative notes explained.

Next day’s temperatures were set to soar to 30 degrees, so, without wishing to bite off more than I could chew, I opted for the eight mile hike rather than the 11. The options to vary the length of your hike are a welcome added bonus.  Gentle chalk downs, with wide open views led to a steepish climb to the summit of Cranborne Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where I was treated to a fleeting glimpse of a green woodpecker.

From here views extended some 40 miles and I could just about pick out the Isle of Wight’s Needles glinting in the sun. A National Trust marker helped orientate me as I continued through wooded valleys and on to the lime tree-lined avenue of Ashcombe House, film producer Guy Ritchie’s pad and pre-divorce, once Madonna’s country home. In her words in the summertime “it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”

For someone who doesn’t know their North from North by North West, I was relieved to find Alison’s walking notes reassuringly simple:  “Forward = Twelve O’Clock, head One O’Clock”.  Extra tips such as “Look for the old chimney on your right”, provided reassurance that I wasn’t straying from the designated route.

I came to a clearing and the entrance to Larmer Tree Gardens. Created in 1880 by General Augustus Pitt Rivers, said to be the founder of modern archaeology, the gardens are home to a collection of ornate buildings, ranging from a spectacular Singing Theatre to a magical Roman Temple. 

My next rest place awaited me at the Museum Inn, Farnham. The inn itself was created by the General for travellers to the area.  It has eight beautifully appointed rooms, with dark wood antiques, low ceilings and flag stone floors.  It’s all very Farrow and Ball.

Unbeknown to me I had already stepped across the border into Dorset. Blood red roses adorned white washed, thatched cottages and hollyhocks lined my path to the inn. It felt even more Hansel and Gretel than Wiltshire.

Staying two nights in each inn means you can take your time to enjoy each village, detoxing from the stress of everyday life as you go, and resisting the feeling that you’re on some kind of marathon challenge. 

I dined in the beer garden watching local children playing on the green and listening to cooing wood pigeons, perched on the telegraph wires.  A healthy appetite was rewarded by roasted cauliflower with Persian spiced lentils, spinach chick peas and flat bread, followed by sticky toffee pudding with a good dollop of Dorset ice cream.  

Terrain on my next two days was gentler, through the chalk downs and along tracks by flint covered fields.  Not surprisingly given the aesthetics, England’s rich and famous have lived (and still do) in many of the grand estates dotted around the county. “Members of the famous family of potters, the Wedgwoods, lived at Eastbury house in the 18th century”, I read, whilst catching sight of the mansion through the trees.

My base for the last two days was a charming 17th century coaching inn, the Fleur de Lys, at Cranborne.  This luxurious inn has played host to travellers from all walks of life for centuries. Thomas Hardy, whose Chaseborough, in Tess of the D’Urbervilles, was based on Cranborne, visited in the late nineteenth century.  Today it’s the flame grilled Dorset lobster and dry aged côte de boeuf that attracts a hungry crowd.  Though tiny, the village is a relatively lively spot with a bookshop, mini market, two pubs and La Fosse, an enticing looking French restaurant.

Swallows, swifts and house martins, as well as hovering kestrels, accompanied me, as I set out to discover more of Dorset’s picture postcard villages. At Wimborne St Giles a slight detour from the route found me cooling off in a clear trout filled river, edged with wild watercress.

The finale of my hikes was a gentle climb through beech and Scots pine to Pentridge Hill, with majestic views over the downs. Harvesting was in full swing and the farm vehicles, looking like miniature Meccano, gathered hay in the distance. 

Back in my room, I opened the bedside drawer to find one of the previous guests had generously donated their copy of Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.  Its title summing what makes this little corner of England so appealing.  

I opened it and began to read.

How to book:

Alison Howell's Foot Trails

Custom made & crafted English walking

www.FootTrails.co.uk

Tel 01747 820 626

* If travel is not possible due to Covid-19 Foot Trails will reschedule alternative dates free of charge, or refund you in full.