Walking in the Isle of Purbeck
Choose one of our walks for the list below
One of the Isle of Purbeck's greatest assets - the varied, sometimes strange, beauty of the countryside that surrounds it - is the one least known to most guests. It is easily accessible to the walker, with a network of paths that provide easy going for explorers of all ages. What better excuse for yielding to the temptation of sponge pudding and custard than an ensuing 6-mile tramp through the Dorset heathland! No special equipment or clothing is needed for these walks. When the weather has been wet, some parts of the paths can get quite muddy, so the squeamish might possibly want to carry wellingtons with them, but don’t wear them for the actual walking. Provided the ground is dry, trainers are by far the most comfortable wear on heathland paths and on the downs. The Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Outdoor Leisure Map 15 is useful, and a compass can be reassuring. Most of the paths are rights of way: either bridle ways (marked with blue arrows) or footpaths (yellow). The walking times given are for an unhurried steady pace; you will need to add another 50% for a more relaxed ramble. Most of the walks are circular, but some are outward only and use public transport (train or bus) for the return. A mobile phone is handy: it means you can go further afield on your outward trip and summon a taxi when you feel ready to return. You can obtain a free bus timetable for the entire area from Swanage station; times of important connections are mentioned in these sheets when needed (they don’t seem to change much from year to year); while you're there, pick up the Corfe train times as well. If you want to learn more about this area, and particularly about its flora and fauna and its industrial archaeology (which extends back to Roman times), there are many excellent books that can be obtained either from reception or from the National Trust Shop at the beach (as can the Ordnance Survey map). Rodney Legg's Purbeck Island and Purbeck’s Heath are particularly recommended, as also his Purbeck Walks, which describes itineraries further afield.
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