Local Guide to the Best Walks in Dorset
Maiden Castle is the largest Iron Age hill fort in Britain and lies just outside Dorchester. It is owned by English Heritage but entrance is free, so is the car park. This short Maiden Castle Walk is an easy stroll around the banks and ditches of the hill fort offering beautiful views of rolling south Dorchester countryside.
Distance: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated time: 1 hour
Date of walk: 31 August 2022
Badbury Rings is an impressive Iron Age hill fort that has three rings of ramparts and ditches. From May to July you’ll find yourself surrounded by fields of wild flowers as well as butterflies and birds.
Distance: 1.2 mile (circular walk)
Difficulty: very easy
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Total ascent 49ft, Max elevation 280ft
Dorset’s largest hill fort and home to a wide variety of wild flowers, birds and butterflies. The fort sits at 143 m (469 ft) above sea level and commands wide ranging views over rural Dorset and the meandering River Stour below.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: easy (uneven ground and uphill sections)
Estimated time: 1 hour
Date of Walk: June 2020
Hambledon Hill rises steeply to 190 metres above the Blackmore Vale and the river Stour below. It is located close to the village of Child Okeford, 6 miles north-west of Blandford Forum. Hambledon Hill is one of the best preserved and most notable Iron Age hill forts in Great Britain.
Distance: 2.7 miles (Circular walk)
Difficulty: moderate
Estimated time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total ascent: 437ft, Max elevation 619ft
Walk date: June 2020