The Dorset Holiday Specialists

Your day begins in the historic village of Cerne Abbas, known for its Benedictine Abbey ruins, pretty stone cottages and the famous Cerne Giant hill figure cut into the chalk hillside.

Your route then climbs gently out of the valley, passing beneath the feet of the giant onto open downland before dropping back down to the hamlet of Minterne Magna, home to Minterne House, a historic manor with Himalayan-style gardens known for their spring rhododendrons, streams and specimen trees.

On then to Up Cerne, a peaceful cluster of thatched cottages set at the base of the downs. This small hamlet, with limited access and no through-traffic, retains a timeless rural charm before climbing again to the Wessex Ridgeway, with across the Cerne Valley and toward Dogbury Hill.

You will then follow the ridgeway for a while before dropping into one of the most peaceful valleys in the county. This stretch of the walk is quiet and often deserted, with broad skies and a sense of distance from roads and villages.

Your final destination is Sydling St Nicholas, a traditional chalk stream village. The village is noted for its thatched cottages, medieval church (with a rare thatched lychgate) and clear stream running through the centre. The Greyhound Inn has a sunny beer garden and is a welcome sight at the end of your walk.