WALKS IN DORSET at HAMBLEDON HILL, CHILD OKEFORD & SHILLINGSTONE RAILWAY STATION (4K)

In this episode of my series “ Walks in Dorset”, I take a walk in & around the village of Child Okeford before heading up Hambledon Hill and back to Shillingston Railway Station.. Once again I am accompanied by my Whippet, Logan.

I park my car at the free “Trailway” car Park just o the North of the village of Shillingstone and begin my 5 mile circular walk by heading North across a meadow, crossing the River Stour, to the village of Child Okeford.

After a quick look around the village, including a visit to the church as well as the Saxon Inn (where Logan met the resident “pub” Whippet (Reggi), I headed along a bridleway to the West of Hambledon Hill.

I was trying to find some stone circles but took a wrong turning and was unsuccessful – I later spotted them from a distance when I was halfway up Hambledon Hill!

My route then took me to the top of Hambledon Hill – once an Iron Age Hill Fort and now a nature reserve owned by the National Trust – for some stunning views across the Dorset countryside.

After “bagging” a trig point, I headed back downhill towards Child Okeford and then across fields (and over the River Stour again) to join the North Dorset Trailway – a section of the old Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway that closed in the 1960's.

My final destination was the restored Shillingstone Railway Station which is now looked after by the North Dorset Railway Trust & operated as a “living museum”. There is a cafe and toilets & it makes a great way to end the walk. It was not too far back to the Trailway car park.

NB: There were a number of fields with livestock (cattle) so dogs need to be on lead where appropriate. There was still plenty of opportunity for “off lead” running for dogs during the walk.

The River Stour does flood after heavy rain and so sections of the walk (near the river and in particular by the two bridge crossings) can be muddy so the best time to visit is in the “dry / Summer” months!

Information Sources: Wikipedia, Dorset Churches, Historic England, British History Online & Dorset OPC.

Map courtesy of Google Maps.
Aerial pictures courtesy of Google Maps
OS Maps. Media License.
Historic Maps NLS Maps 'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland' https://maps.nls.uk/index.html

Music by Original Spruce (Copyright owner). Permission for me to use this track has been given to me by the copyright owner. 2022. Tracks (in order of appearance in the video): 1) Pembrokeshire, 2) Eko Eko, 3) Nicely Stone , 4) Open The G, 5) Martin Down, 6) No Time For Lillies, 7) Marching The Moors & 8) Pemrorkeshire. (.To download these tracks & other music by Original Spruce go to: https://spruce1.bandcamp.com Note: The music track for “Whippet Zoomies” & the “harp” in the church were not by Original Spruce.

For further videos in the series, please go to:    / @daveford   or my website at https://daveford5966.wixsite.com/website

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I use a GOPRO HERO 7, 8 or 10 Black Action Camera (sometimes with a Gimbal) & a Rode microphone (either a “Shotgun” or a Rode Wireless Go) together with a Canon Powershot SX530 HS.