周辺のスポット/アトラクション・トップ20

notable for being one of the first planned settlements in England. In the 1770s, the owner of Milton Abbey, Joseph Damer (later Lord Milton and Earl of Dorchester), decided the original village of Middleton was spoiling his view and commissioned architect Sir William Chambers and landscape gardener Capability Brown to design a new village in a nearby wooded valley. The old village was demolished, and most of its residents were relocated to this new model village, now known as Milton Abbas. The village is characterized by its single, sinuous main street lined with 36 almost identical whitewashed and thatched cottages. These were originally designed to house two families each.

In addition to the main rail bridge spanning the river, smaller bridges were built to allow traffic and pedestrians to cross the cuttings and track as it travelled north-west. Three bridges were built for this purpose and all of them remain integral to the navigation of the town today. Arguably the most distinctive of them is the Alexandra Street pedestrian footbridge, above the site of the dismantled station. Constructed from iron and now partially supported by four narrow legs, the bridge stands at what was once the northern end of the station, where the single-line section to Templecombe began. Blandford station remained open until 7 March 1966, when the entire line from Bath to Bournemouth closed to passengers. Goods traffic continued for a further three years, but the station was finally closed and the track lifted in 1969. Following the closure, the Damory railway bridges, on the southern approach to the station, were eventually demolished in 1978.

What a beautiful place to ride a bike! Nothing too demanding along this route. A mixture of cyclists, dog walkers, hikers and pushchair parents. highly recommend this route.

Trig pillar ‘Woolsbarrow Camp’

A nature reserve of marsh and heath with marked walks and a number of hides. There is also a cafe and shop on the site. Well worth a visit.

Arne is a RSPB nature reserve with a shop and cafe. There are several waymarked walking loops around the reserve with bird hides and information boards around the site. There are areas of heathland, scrub, wetland, woodland and of course the Poole Harbour coast.

Now only two spans remain and are preserved by the Blandford Railway Arches Trust. The railway bridge was built by the Somerset and Dorset Railway around 1880 and was demolished after the line closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching cuts.

Milton Abbas was created in the 1770/80's after Lord Milton decided that the village of Middleton was disturbing his rural peace at nearby Milton Abbey. He therefore asked Capability Brown, a famous landscape gardener, to create a new village in a nearby wooded valley. He then relocated most of the villagers of Middleton.