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National Trail AcornSouth Dorset Ridgeway

Dorset

29 km / 18 miles
The South Dorset Ridgeway was the original route of the South West Coast Path (SWCP) to be designated (the longer coastal route around Portland was only added in 2003), now preserved as a variant of the SWCP. Providing an inland option or a circular route if combined with the coast, it runs from West Bexington to Osmington Mills, decreasing the total distance from the coastal option of the SWCP by 25 miles (40 km). Although it is some distance from the sea, it offers views of the Jurassic Coast.

The route also provides the opportunity to explore one of the UK’s most significant ancient ceremonial landscapes. The South Dorset Ridgeway has been important to local people for millennia as shown by the extraordinary number of lumps and bumps - or historic monuments - that can still be seen along the ridge. From long and bank barrows constructed around 6,000 years ago in the Neolithic period, stone circles and 4,000 year old Bronze Age round barrows, to Iron Age hillforts, the area rivals the more well known sites of Stonehenge and Avebury. The footpath passes close by to some of these monuments, particularly the round barrow groups at Bronkham Hill and Bincombe Down. Be careful not to trip over the stone circle at Hampton which also lies alongside the path.


Details:

Waymark: National Trail Acorn
Path Type: Paths Marked on OS mapping
Waymark: National Trail Acorn
Attributes: Challenging
Cycle Route
AONB
Heritage
Start: SY531864 - West Bexington, Dorset View on StreetMap
Finish: SY734820 - Osmington Mills, Dorset View on StreetMap
Web Sites: Dorset AONB - South Dorset Ridgeway Visit Dorset - South Dorset Ridgeway Dorset Council - South Dorset Ridgeway

Maps:

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National Trails (England & Wales)
Paths Marked on OS mapping
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Anytime Challenges

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Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2016.
© OpenStreetMap contributors under Open Database Licence.
Rights of way data from selected Local Authorities.
Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn.
At high zoom levels the route is indicative only.
Purchase Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps):
OS Landranger 194
OS Landranger Active 194
OS Explorer 15
OS Explorer Active 15

Walking Support Providers:

Support Providers
Baggage Handling and Self-Guided Walks (Walk & Cycle Britain Limited)
Support Providers
Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Encounter Walking Holidays)
Support Providers
Baggage Handling (Eco Friendly Deliveries)

Accommodation within 5 km of this Path:

 
 
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Route Profile:

26.5 km (16.5 miles)
624 m (2,047 ft) ascent
234 m (768 ft)  maximum height

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