20 fantastic trails in North & West Dorset — National Trust

This 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) trail follows the course of the excellent Trust10 and starts from the National Trust’s Stonebarrow car park. Marked with red arrows, it’s easy to follow at any time of year. The figure-of-eight loop provides a wonderful exploration of the area including the airy summit of Golden… read more

This is the first half of a wonderful Trust10k route.



1: Starting at the bottom end of Stonebarrow car park, go through the gate and follow the path down through the field. Stay on this track heading towards Golden Cap. Keep on the path and head through a gate, the Trust10k will be signposted.

2: Follow… read more

This gorgeous 3.7-mile (6 km) route starts at the fantastic Hardy Monument and takes you through undulating farmland with wonderful vistas of the coast. From the monument’s car park, this is a perfect short adventure for any age.



1: Begin by Hardy’s Monument and walk a short way north east to Smitten… read more

This mile long (1.7 km) walk is a perfect stroll to blow away the cobwebs and get some fantastic views. It begins at the National Trust’s Hive Beach car park close to Burton Bradstock and takes you on an easy loop of the cliffs.



You’ll find the car park at the end of the Hive Beach road.



1: From the car… read more

This short and sweet walk is a mile (1.6 km) long and leads you on an exploration of Lambert’s Castle Hill, the site of a former Iron Age hillfort. You start from the National Trust’s Lambert’s Castle car park.



1: From the car park, follow the trail leading south east over the hill.

2: Take the north… read more

This is a 4.4-mile (7 km) adventure taking in two neighbouring Iron Age hillforts and some glorious panoramas over the undulating patchwork landscape down to the sea. The starting point is the National Trust’s Lambert’s Castle car park and while this route is hilly by definition, the gradients are usually… read more

This fantastic 3-mile (4.8 km) walk takes you on a Tour of one of the country’s most iconic chalk hill figures set into Dorset’s gorgeous countryside. You see the Cerne Abbas giant as well as some of the village’s oldest spots. The starting point is the car park immediately above the village, which itself… read more

This 6-mile (9.3 km) walk offers you beachside adventures, undulating countryside paths and sweeping coastal views. You start at the National Trust’s Hive Beach car park and hike along the beach to the west before heading inland on a glorious loop to Cogden Beach and back to where you started. If you… read more

A 1.5-mile walk (2.4 km) around a sprawling Iron Age hillfort is one of the most Dorset things you can do as this beautiful county is brimming with ancient history. Hambledon Hill, in Child Okeford, is one of Dorset’s most amazing examples of defensive earthworks and this route leads you through them… read more

If you’re looking for a beautiful stroll to blow away the cobwebs then this 1.4-mile (2.2 km) walk might be exactly what you need. Starting at the National Trust’s Langdon Hill car park, it takes you on a complete loop of this vibrant, wooded hill. On the route, you’ll find secret viewpoints across the… read more

This 6-mile (9.7 km) walk takes you to two fantastic spots on Dorset’s stunning coastline as well as the vibrant woodland of Langdon Hill. You pass through the hamlet of Seatown twice, so you can stop for a pub lunch if you like. The starting point is the National Trust’s car park at Langdon Hill.



1… read more

This lovely 2.4-mile (3.8 km) walk offers you sweeping panoramas of Lyme Bay in the south of Dorset. Starting at the National Trust’s Cogden Beach car park on the B3157, this route takes you along the clifftop to Burton Beach, just below the charming village of Burton Bradstock. You then return along… read more

At 2.5 miles (4.4 km), this is a wonderful walk for anyone who needs a bit of beach in their day. Starting at the National Trust’s Cogden Beach car park, this trail takes you along the fields above the beach for sweeping views before leading you down to the shore to hear the lapping waves.



1: Walk to… read more

This wonderful walk is from the show, ‘Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury’ and is linear, so you need to plan in advance how to get to the start and end points. At 6.2 miles (10 km), this is a great day walk leading you from the village of Symondsbury across Dorset’s gorgeous, undulating landscapes… read more

This 4.4-mile (7 km) walk takes you on a beautiful ramble about the ancient landscape above Ringstead Bay. You’ll start at the National Trust’s Ringstead car park and stay high, exploring the cliffs so you can enjoy the soaring views across Lyme Bay and along the Jurassic Coast.



1) Walk south east through… read more

This is a lovely 1.7-mile (2.7 km) walk above Ringstead Bay and offers you stunning views along Dorset’s Jurassic coastline. You start at the National Trust’s Ringstead car park, which sits high above the sea meaning that the panorama is exceptional from the moment you step out of the car.



1) Walk south… read more

This is an orienteering trail aimed at families and beginners. Before you follow the komoot route, download this map and try your hand at following a map the old fashioned way: nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/jurassic-coast-/documents/waxcap-trail.pdf



Discover orienteering around the site of a Bronze Age burial… read more

This is a fantastic family trail created by the National Trust taking you and your family back to the time when smugglers patrolled this area. The loop should take 1 – 1 ½ hours and features nine checkpoints with brass rubbings for children to enjoy (remember to bring some paper and a crayon!).



You can… read more

This is a short but perfect little trail which takes you to the Cain’s Folly viewpoint and gives you a brief opportunity to explore Stonebarrow. With fairly easy terrain and tremendous views, this 0.8-mile route is ideal for families.



1: From the pay and display machine at the National Trust car park… read more

If you’re after a short, beachside hike, this might just be what you’re looking for. This lovely walk starts and ends at West Bexington car park (not a National Trust location), taking you along the beach and then up the hill to capture even better views. At 2.7 miles (4.3 km), it’s a particularly great… read more