Frome Valley Trail

Last updated

Frome Valley Trail
Length16 miles (25km)
LocationDorset, South West England
Trailheads Evershot and Dorchester
UseHiking and cycling
Elevation change Total ascent 300m (984ft)
Highest point191 m (627 ft)
Lowest point52 m (171 ft)
DifficultyEasy
SeasonAll year
Hazards Flooding

The Frome Valley Trail is a long-distance footpath in Dorset, England which follows the River Frome from Evershot to Dorchester and will, when completed, extend to Poole Harbour.

Contents

Trail description

The Trail runs from Evershot Village Hall to Greys Bridge, Dorchester and passes through settlements of Sandhills, Chilfrome, Maiden Newton, Frome Vauchurch, Cruxton, Notton, Southover, Muckleford, Bradford Peverell, Charminster and Burton. It is currently 16 miles (25 km) long, however, It will eventually extend to Poole Harbour making Its final length 43 miles (70 km) from the source of the River Frome at Evershot to its mouth. There is also a cycle route which follows county roads and farm tracks. The trail is signed using a symbol based on an arrowhead which was designed to reflect the Bronze Age archaeological finds from the river valley. The trail is not marked on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps but the footpaths, bridleways and roads it uses are on OS Landranger 194 and OS Explorer 15 and 117 maps. [1] [2] [3]

Habitats and wildlife

The trail runs beside chalk streams and through areas of chalk downalnd, grassland, water meadows and woodland. Flora and fauna that can be seen include Kingfishers, snipe, song thrush, grey wagtail, dippers, European otters, hazel dormice, water voles, marsh marigold, water crowfoot, salmon and brown trout. [2] [4] [5]

The Frome Valley is part of a major river and wetland restoration project, Dorset Wild Rivers, which is being led by Dorset Wildlife Trust and Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group South West, with funding from Wessex Water. [6] [5]

The trail passes two nature reserves Nunnery Mead near Frampton managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust [7] and the Riverside Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Dorchester, managed by the Friends of the Riverside Reserve with assistance from Dorchester Town Council. [8] [9]

Intersection with other long distance trails

The Frome Valley Trail shares its route with sections of two other long distance footpaths. It is joined by the Macmillan Way from Evershot to Sandhills and again between Chilfrome and Maiden Newton. [10] This latter section is also shared by the Wessex Ridgeway. [11] A very short road section at the start in Evershot is also followed by the Round Dorset Walk [12] and the Hardy Way. [13] When completed the trail will link up with the Purbeck Way part of which runs beside the River Frome near Wareham [14] and the Poole Harbour Trails. [15]

Signpost for the Frome Valley Trail in Higher Frome Vauchurch Frome Valley Trail signpost.jpg
Signpost for the Frome Valley Trail in Higher Frome Vauchurch

The cycle route is joined by National Cycle Network Route 26 through Maiden Newton. [16] [17]

Shorter circular routes

The symbol for the Frome Valley Trail Frome Valley Trail symbol.jpg
The symbol for the Frome Valley Trail

There is a short (1.5-mile [2.4 km]) circular route near Dorchester called Ratty's Trail, which is named after the character in Kenneth Grahame's book The Wind in the Willows . The trail was established in 2005 by Dorset Countryside (Dorset County Council) to encourage local people and visitors to explore the countryside and highlight the importance of the River Frome as a habitat for a wide range of wildlife, particularly the water vole. [18] [19] [20]

There is also a short walk round Maiden Newton and Frome Vauchurch, which takes in points of historic interest, following part of the Frome Valley Trail through the villages. The walk starts on the corner opposite the village cross in Maiden Newton, where a sign on the wall of the village shope points the way. [21]

The Times has published an 8.5-mile (13.7 km) circular walk in its Weekend section from Maiden Newton to Sydling St Nicholas via Cattistock. This uses the section of the Frome Valley Trail between Maiden Newton and Chilfrome. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Frome, Dorset</span> River in Dorset, England

The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. At 30 miles (48 km) long it is the major chalkstream in southwest England. It is navigable upstream from Poole Harbour as far as the town of Wareham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Dorset</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

West Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with Sherborne urban district and the rural districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Dorchester and Sherborne. Its council was based in Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maiden Newton</span> Village in Dorset, England

Maiden Newton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in south-west England. It lies within the Dorset Council administrative area, about 9 miles (14 km) north-west of the county town, Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford Peverell</span> Human settlement in England

Bradford Peverell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of the county town Dorchester. It is sited by the south bank of the River Frome, among low chalk hills on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs. The A37 road between Dorchester and Yeovil passes to the north of the village on the other side of the river's water meadows. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 370.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evershot</span> Village in Dorset, England

Evershot is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England, situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Yeovil in Somerset. It is the second highest village in the county at 175 metres (574 ft) above sea-level. Evershot parish encompasses part of the nearby hamlet of Holywell, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) east of Evershot village. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 210. The village has connections with the writer Thomas Hardy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frome Vauchurch</span> Parish in Dorset, England

Frome Vauchurch is a parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It includes the hamlets of Frome Vauchurch, Higher Frome Vauchurch, Lower Frome Vauchurch and Tollerford. Frome Vauchurch is sited in the Frome valley amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish is adjacent to the village of Maiden Newton, with which the parish's hamlets are virtually contiguous. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 160.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratton, Dorset</span> Village in Dorset, England

Stratton is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Dorchester. The parish includes the hamlets of Grimstone, Ash Hill and Wrackleford which, like the village, lie on or near the A37 trunk road. Ash Hill is a small estate east of the village near the railway. Wrackleford is a group of houses further east and centred about Wrackleford House and including Higher Wrackleford and Lower Wrackleford. In addition there are a number of isolated farms and houses including a few in an area called Langford near the Sydling Water in the north-west part of the parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydling St Nicholas</span> Village in Dorset, England

Sydling St Nicholas is a village and civil parish in Dorset within southwest England. The parish is 5 to 9 miles northwest of the county town Dorchester and covers most of the valley of the small Sydling Water in the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish has an area of 2,075 hectares and includes the hamlet of Up Sydling in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Dorset</span> Aspect of history

Dorset is a rural county in south west England. Its archaeology documents much of the history of southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frampton, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

Frampton is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in the Frome valley among chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The village's name is a derivation from "Frome Town".

Tollerford Hundred was a hundred in the county of Dorset, England, containing the following parishes:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruxton</span> Hamlet in Dorset, England

Cruxton is a hamlet in the English county of Dorset. It lies eight miles north-west of the county town of Dorchester, and one mile south-east of the village of Maiden Newton. It is sited on the west bank of the River Frome, amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Dorset</span>

Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Owing to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes have led to the decline of its ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilfrome</span> Village in Dorset, England

Chilfrome is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It lies in the Dorset unitary authority administrative area, approximately 9 miles (14 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is situated between the villages of Cattistock and Maiden Newton in the upper reaches of the Frome Valley in the Dorset Downs. The parish church was largely restored in 1864, though it has a thirteenth-century chancel-arch, a partly fourteenth-century nave, and windows dating from the fifteenth century. The parish church dates from the 14th century and is a Grade II* Listed Building. Dorset County Council estimate that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 40.

Nunnery Mead is a nature reserve of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, near Frampton and about 2 miles south-east of Maiden Newton, in Dorset, England. It is a former water-meadow, next to the River Frome. The reserve also contains the site of a Roman villa.

References

  1. ↑ "Long Distance Walkers Association".
  2. 1 2 "Frome Valley Trail - Dorset Council". www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Frome Valley Trail (including map, GPS files and statistics)". www.walkingenglishman.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Nunnery Mead | Dorset Wildlife Trust". www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Go with the flow | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine" . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Protect wildlife and wild places | Dorset Wildlife Trust". www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Nunnery Mead | Dorset Wildlife Trust". www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Dorchester community urged to show support for Riverside Reserve". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Riverside Nature Reserve Tree Trail". Celebrating the trees in and around Dorchester. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "LDWA Macmillan Way". Long Distance Walkers Association.
  11. ↑ "LDWA Wessex Ridgeway". Long Distance Walkers Association.
  12. ↑ "LDWA Round Dorset Walk". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "LDWA Hardy Way". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "The Purbeck Way - Dorset Council". www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "Poole Harbour Trails - News". www.pooleharbourtrails.org.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "Route 26". Sustrans. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "National Cycle Network Route 26 - Visit Dorset". www.visit-dorset.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "The Best Walks in and around Dorchester, Dorset". Discover Dorchester. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  19. ↑ Welch, Lottie (7 June 2021). "Walk of the week: Riverside stroll and Ratty's Trail". dorchester.nub.news. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Ratty's Trail (Circular Rout)". Dorset Council. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  21. ↑ Stinton, Judith (2009). Maiden Newton & Frome Vauchurch, A Short Guide and Walk.
  22. ↑ Somerville, Christopher. "A good walk: Maiden Newton and Sydling St Nicholas, Dorset". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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