Cranborne Chase is an area on a mission. That mission? To ensure the proper conservation of rare chalk grasslands and resident wildlife. This mission is, of course, easier said than done. However, for those walking in this area, you will see how much progress is being made. This nature conservation includes preserving its beautiful farmland and heritage – much of which you can see on a number of Cranborne Chase walks.
Supporting growth in wildlife numbers is also a part of Cranborne Chase’s mission. The benefit being, rain or shine, wildlife sightings are getting more and more reliable. Cranborne Chase is a wonderful little ecosystem, and it’s no wonder that it is a designated Area of Natural Beauty. It is best experienced by hiking, so grab your boots, camera, and binoculars. These 10 walks in Cranborne Chase will provide opportunities for spotting wildlife and sightseeing beautiful farmland.
1. Bishopstone and Meadows Walk
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Length: 3 miles
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Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
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Level of ability: Easy
This first walk begins just a few miles outside Salisbury, outside the White Hart pub. From here, you take a nice leisurely walk along the nearby River Ebble. At the halfway point of the hike, walkers should stop and rest outside the St John the Baptist Church – a beautiful example of an English countryside church and perfect picnic spot.
This Cranborne Chase walk includes minor country lanes; quiet and flat, and massively family-friendly. Once you get back to the White Hart, there is the chance to savour a refreshing pint outdoors if you take this walk in the summer.
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2. Burcombe and the Punch Bowl
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Length: 3 miles
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Time: 2 hours
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Level of ability: Easy
Burcombe and the Punch Bowl is one of the best Cranborne Chase walks if you want a scenic mid-length hike. The walk starts in Burcombe outside The Ship Inn and continues past thatched cottages and onto a restricted byway. Here, a steady climb begins before you emerge to some fantastic views. At the summit, hikers can relax admiring the panoramas of Salisbury and its landmark cathedral.
Heading downhill, you join a main road before turning onto another minor side road to return to Burcombe. This walk along the minor road is no more than a mile long. Burcombe and the Punch Bowl is a fantastic mid-length walk – not too demanding, yet still providing amazing views.
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3. Coombe Bissett Down Nature Reserve
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Length: 2.8 miles
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Time: 3 hours
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Level of ability: Easy
This walk, albeit slightly longer, is another easy route, this time looping through Coombe Bissett Down’s Nature Reserve. It is the best walk in Cranborne Chase AONB if you want to appreciate and be surrounded by plant life. Coming here any time of the year will guarantee peaceful surroundings thanks to the abundant protected nature and conservation efforts. And spring is an absolute explosion of flowers and bright colours. This is the finest nature experience that southwest Salisbury provides – and it is at no cost whatsoever.
Starting from Pennings Drove Car Park, a clockwise loop will reveal the chalk downland that is any florist’s paradise. There are many flowers on this walk, with the background noise of bees and butterflies gently pollenating away, hard at work. The human work going into its restoration can be seen, too, with carefully maintained flora to be encountered at every turn.
The walk then proceeds to Coombe Bissett Village, where St Michael & All Angels Church can be found. End your experience in nature with some classic English architecture – a perfect way to finish this great hike through one of Cranbourne Chase’s excellent nature reserves.
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4. Broad Chalke via Fifield Bavant Circular
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Length: 6.8 miles
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Time: 3.5 hours
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Level of ability: Moderate
Broad Chalke is a village certain to capture the hearts of hikers on this circular walk. The red brick houses with thick, thatched roofs are like something out of an old movie set. And this Cranborne Chase walk is perfect for getting a sense of traditional English countryside living – using generations-old farming routes and passing centuries-old houses. To start the Broad Chalke via Fifield Bavant Circular, you begin in the village itself. After parking in the All Saints Church Car Park, head towards Chalk Pyt Farm. A north path leads you from here to Old Shaftesbury Drove and the Fovant badges.
The Drove was used for livestock to be droved from Shaftesbury to Salisbury between summer and winter, and is a narrow grassy path. After walking along this drove for slightly less than a kilometre, a left turn directs hikers back down south. The route passes the smallest church in Wiltshire, St Martin’s Church. After this, you join a path alongside the River Ebble, looping you back towards to Broad Chalke.
The Queen’s Inn at Broad Chalke will welcome all hikers to stay for a pint or even for the night. What better way could there be to celebrate completing another hike in Cranborne Chase?
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5. The Magic of Tisbury to Old Wardour Castle
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Length: 5.5 miles
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Time: 3 hours
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Level of ability: Moderate
The Nadder Valley’s largest village, Tisbury, is the beginning point for the Magic of Tisbury to Old Wardour Castle hike. This is one of the best walks in Cranborne Chase for hikers interested in history, and it leads to the grand ruins of Wardour Castle. In the Saxon days, Tisbury had its stone circle, like a miniature Stonehenge, and an Anglo-Saxon monastery. However, these once beloved structures were lost over the centuries – making the remaining castle all the more precious.
Old Wardour Castle, easily one of Nadder Valley’s best hidden gems, eventually reveals itself on the horizon. This castle, caked in history, has been classed as one of the most innovative places built in Britain. It even inspired the film ‘Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves’, directed by Kevin Costner.
Walkers on this route can then return to Tisbury via Squalls Farm and Tisbury Row. A rail line over Tisbury Row will indicate that the walk is nearing its end; however, walkers on this route can leave satisfied with the weight of all the new history they’ve learned thanks to their visit to Tisbury and Old Wardour Castle.
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6. Chicksgrove to Teffont Evias
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Length: 5 miles
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Time: 3 hours
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Level of ability: Moderate
Becoming secluded from modern life is the true dream for some walkers, and the Chicksgrove to Teffont Evias route meets this need. It is one of the best walks in Cranborne Chase AONB for a peaceful dawdle through a row of idyllic villages. And from The Compass Inn at Lower Chicksgrove, the route leads walkers to one of the calmest villages in Cranborne Chase, Teffont Evias.
A little stream runs through Teffont Evias. The stream separates some of the village’s houses from the main road – providing that extra buffer from the already non-existent noise and traffic pollution. After stopping to absorb the village’s peacefulness, walkers on this route then pass Cleeve Copse Woodland before heading down towards RAF Chilmark.
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7. Semley Through the Ages
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Length: 4.5 miles
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Time: 3 hours
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Level of ability: Moderate
Semley Through the Ages is another fabulous historical walk in Cranborne Chase. Sticking with the history theme, Semley is another cute village with a lot of history – and lots of resident woodpeckers for any keen birdwatching enthusiasts. And this historic Cranborne Chase walk starts just outside The Benett Arms, which has served Semley since 1867.
En route, walkers can check out Oyster’s Coppice, where they can find all three woodpecker species if they are lucky. The ancient woodland has a bench that walkers can use to take a break while overlooking Pythouse gardens below. The Church of St Leonard, created in the 19th century, is also available to those taking this route. A bronze statue of a soldier on horseback can be discovered here, commemorating the memory of a lieutenant who served the Sherwood Foresters.
In another bizarre bit of local history, Semley was once a major fresh milk supplier to London. The 4.5 mile walk might be mid-length, but it has tons of stories and local history to unpack.
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8. The Delights of Dinton, Baverstock and Compton Chamberlayne Walk
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Length: 8.5 miles
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Time: 5 hours
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Level of ability: Expert
The Delights of Dinton, Baverstock, and Compton Chamberlayne Walk is a good chance for walkers to explore one of Cranborne Chase’s National Trust properties at Dinton Park. This Cranborne Chase walk actually starts on the grounds of a National Trust property, where it then explores the ancient woodland surrounding Phillipps House. Another National Trust house on the route once belonged to the first Earl of Clarendon, found in the first half of the walk. This route is perfect for spotting beautiful, protected buildings.
Further along, an area called The Hangings, just outside Baverstock, is reached. In spring and early summer, The Hangings reveal a massive collection of bluebells and snowdrops surrounding the historic structure of Dinton Mill. Dinton Mill is a good place to stop to catch a breather, especially if the flowers are out. Finally, walkers pass the village of Compton before arriving back in Dinton.
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9. Sixpenny Handley and Woodcutts
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Length: 7.4 miles
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Time: 3.5 hours
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Level of ability: Expert
The 1st Woodcutts Cubs group worked hard to create this Cranborne Chase walk as part of the local Landscape Partnership Scheme. Sixpenny Handley and Woodcuts is also another chance to check out Shire Rack, which forms the border between Dorset and Wiltshire.
In terms of history, Sixpenny Handley has a more tragic history than many other historical villages in Cranborne Chase, experiencing a major fire in the 1890s. As well as this learning about the history of the village itself, those who walk this route can learn about the art of coppicing. Coppicing is where trees and shrubs are cut to the lowest level possible and help to promote re-growth occurring at a faster pace – a traditional management technique.
Flowers such as dog violets can also be encountered on this route, especially in summer. Everything on the Sixpenny Handley and Woodcutts route speaks to the effort put into its creation, from the ongoing management through coppicing to the conservation of beautiful flowers.
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10. Cranborne Garden Centre via Bokerly Ditch
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Length: 9.4 miles
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Time: 3 hours 56 minutes
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Level of ability: Expert
Rounding off this list of Cranborne Chase’s walks, we have Cranborne Garden Centre via Bokerly Ditch. This walk starts in the village of Cranborne itself. From the village, walkers pass a series of grassy knolls and points of interest, such as Penbury Knoll and Boveridge.
Bokerly Dyke is a spot to stop and admire the greenery. Plenty of farms are also dotted along this route, and walkers will come across Boveridge and Blagdon Farms.
After coming across these farms, the route curves back down to Cranborne, providing a birds-eye view of the village. Finally, returning to the garden centre, those who have completed this route can treat themselves to a rewarding coffee. Hikers deserve it after completing one of the most challenging Cranborne Chase walks.
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Conclusion: Cranborne Chase Walks
Cranborne Chase is where to visit to tread the path less trodden. Cranborne Chase appeals to those who love their hills and British wildlife conservation. And it has some stunning thatched villages and secretive National Trust properties tucked away in farmland and private estates. Hopefully with these Cranborne Chase walks you’ll understand why it is such a special walking destination.
Completing a walk in this beautiful area of England certainly encourages walkers to better understand the importance of conserving its rare chalk grasslands. These walks in Cranborne Chase are a geologist’s and nature lover’s paradise, but heavenly for the view-chasing, Insta-happy hiker too. Go out to Cranborne Chase and enjoy.
By Louie Amos
Louie Amos is a freelance travel writer currently operating in the UK. Having achieved his BCJ Diploma in Travel Journalism, he regularly posts articles on his website The Travelling Foodie, as well as Everything UK Travel