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 WALKING IN DORSET

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LONG DISTANCE PATHS RUNNING THROUGH THE REGION ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN WHITE
 

Dorset Walks (Ordnance Survey Pathfinder), Brian Conduit - 28 varied walks from easy strolls to exhilarating hikes - colour coded according to difficulty. Distance, timing, refreshment stops and advice included. Published May 92.	100 Walks in Dorset,  - Part of a series for the keen walker, this book features 100 route descriptions of circular walks ranging from 3-12 miles in Dorset. Each walk has a map, points of interest and places to eat and drink en route, plus suggestions for easy car parking. Dorest has some of the most interesting coastline east of Cornwall, such as Portland and Lulworth Cove. Perhaps it is best known as the centre of Hardy's Wessex. Keen walkers will also enjoy the Purbeck Hill, Cranborne Chase and Lyme Regis areas. Published February 95.	Short Walks: Dorset - 20 easy-to-follow walks for the whole family. The routes range from 1½ to 5½ miles in length. Ordnance Survey mapping throughout. Points of interest for children, as well as refreshment stops, public facilities and transport. Published May 03.
Walking in Dorset, James Roberts - Dorset is one of the finest counties for walking in lowland Britain. It is richly endowed with a spectacular coastline and a wide variety of inland scenery including chalk downs, ancient woods, rich riverbanks, limestone hills and more. This is a guide to circular walks of between 5 and 12 miles. The majority of the walks take you to some of the county's finest pubs. There are details of long-distance paths, with directions to follow the Dorset Ridgeway, the Wessex Way and the Liberty Trail, as well as details of the Dorset Coast Path and the Stour Valley Path. Many of the walks can be adjusted in length to suit every level of fitness or inclination. There are frequent references to the county's rich history and even richer literary heritage: not only Thomas Hardy, who did so much to make his native county famous, but also Jane Austen, John Fowles, J. Meade Falkner, Henry Fielding and others. Every step of the way has been covered by the author, often a number of times. There is a guide to accommodation in pubs, farmhouses and bed and breakfast to accompany each walk. Published April 95.	50 Walks in Dorset, Ann Stonehouse - Explore the beauty of Dorset with this walking guide. It offers over 50 walks around the country, including Swanage, Badbury Rings and Charmouth and provides places to visit along the way, or extensions to make the walks easier or more challenging. Each walk highlights a particular feature, for instance wildlife, history or the countryside and ranges from two to ten miles in length. A location map indicates the starting point of the walk while topographical features are clearly marked to guide you along the route. Information is also provided on footpath signs, countryside access, walking tips and safety guidelines and an introduction to the county provides a brief background to the area.  Published July 02.	AA 100 Walks in South West England - Seven regional walking titles in this new series help walkers enjoy the best of the British countryside. Each book offers highlights of the area, its regional and topographical features, plus information on footpath signing, countryside access, walking tips and safety guidelines. The 100 walks cover the area in detail, with the distance of each ranging from two to ten miles depending on the terrain and interest along the way. Town and city strolls maybe shorter, depending on the hinterland. Each book offers: 100 mapped walks, with 1 walk per page, in a handy cheque-book format; Detailed 1:25,000 OS (redrawn) maps in 4-colour with route and topographical features marked clearly; Location map of the region giving the start point of all walks offered; Range of walks appealing to both casual walkers and hikers Each walk has a theme: Rural walks, Historic & Urban walks, Famous Footsteps walks, Spectacular Scenery Walks, Wilderness walks, Industrial Heritage walks, Parkland walks, Mysterious & Ancient Monuments walks, Woodland & Nature walks; Maps annotated with places to visit along the way; Detailed information panel includes distance, start point, easy-to-follow walk directions, parking, public transport and terrain; Numbered walk directions both in the text and annotated on the map; Each walk graded for steepness. This book covers Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire.  Published April 04.
Adventurous Pub Walks in Dorset, Anne-Marie Edwards - 20 circular walks varying in length between 7 and 12 miles, and based on good local pubs. Includes routes near Symondsbury, Osmington Mills, Gussage All Saints, Studland and Sherborne. With maps and photographs.  Published April 03.	Pub Walks Along the Dorset Coast Path, Anne-Marie Edwards - 20 walks of between 2 and 6 miles. Includes routes through Lyme Regis, Abbotsbury, Lulworth and Studland. Published April 97. Pub Walks in Hardy's Wessex, Mike Power & Brenda Flint. Published November 97. Smugglers Trails: Pub Walks in Dorset, Carol Showell & Roger Guttridge. Published March 97.	Pub Walks in Dorset, Mike Power. Published March 89. Forty more Pub Walks in Dorset, Mike Power. Published June 91.
Pub Strolls in Dorset, Anne-Marie Edwards - Thirty short, circular walks based on good local pubs. Includes routes near Bridport, Weymouth, Swanage, Dorchester, Blandford, Shaftesbury and Sherborne.  Published March 01.	Mike Power's Pub Walks Along Fine Dorset Coast  Published August 00.	Pocket Pub Walks in Dorset, Nigel Vile - Fifteen circular walks, of between 3 and 7½ miles. Each route is based on a local pub serving good food. Includes routes near Lyme Regis, Sherborne, Blandford, Wimborne, Weymouth and Poole. With maps and photographs. Published December 98.
Nature Walks in Dorset [S&W], Tim Goodwin - 18 walks of 3 to 9 miles duration in beautiful countryside with notes about the natural history of the area. Also a N&E Dorset version. Published September 97. Nature Walks in Dorset [N&E} - 18 walks of 3 to 9 miles duration in beautiful countryside with notes about the natural history of the area. Published April 99.	The Hardy Way, Margaret Marande - A detailed description of the 213 mile route from Hardy's birthplace in Higher Bockhampton, to Stinsford Church, where his heart is buried, accompanied by knowledgeable references to Hardy's work. Published October 95. In the Steps of Thomas Hardy, Anne Marie-Edwards -  There are eighteen circular walks to enjoy in Hardy’s company. Walk on the downs above Puddletown where Gabriel Oak tended his sheep in Far From the Madding Crowd, take the ‘embowered path beside the Frome’ with the carol singers in Under the Greenwood Tree, follow the paths beside the river Frome trodden by Tess and Angel Clare in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Stand on High Stoy to admire one of Hardy’s favourite views of the Blackmore Vale. Published July 89.	In the steps of Jane Austen, Anne-Marie Edwards - This third edition recaptures the world of Jane Austen and her characters through a series of walking tours in the towns and country she knew so well. Illustrated.  Limited availability.  Published March 91.
More Plods in the Purbecks, Raymond Masters. Published January 98. Walking in Purbeck, Andrew Bibby.  Published June 89. Purbeck Coastal Walks, Rodney Legg - 12 walks of between 4 and 10 miles. Includes Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, St Alban's Head, and Dancing Ledge. Contains sketch maps.  Published December 94.	Walk Dorset, Charles Davis - There is a genuinely enduring patch of England that matches and improves on the bucolic clichés, a place where modern services collude with picturesque villages and unspoiled countryside to provide the perfect holiday destination, and where geology and history have conspired to fashion a landscape that can only properly be explored on foot. This book aims to take you into that real Dorset, a living vital place that would nonetheless be familiar to Hardy, and to ensure that, when you get there, you're not disappointed by a case of mistaken identity. All 30 walking routes and alternatives include: walking route summary, ratings for Effort Time Distance Ascents/Descents Refreshments and Vertigo risk, fully detailed walk description including frequent timings to aid navigation and check your progress, GPS waypoints at every key point on every route, full colour 1:40,000 scale Ordnance Survey licenced mapping for each route, short walk and stroll alternatives.  Published January 06.	More Circular Dorset Walks, Edward Griffiths - This is a collection of medium- and short-distance walks in beautiful places like the Isle of Purbeck and The Blackmore Vale with its hidden villages, mills and dairy farmland. There are jaunts by the River Stour, around the Piddle Valley and past manor houses and churches galore. There is something in this book for everyone. Buyer Review.  Published May 00.
Wild Flower Walks in Dorset, Peter and Margaret Cramb - A guide to walks in Dorset, memorable for their wild flowers. Dorset's landscape and wild flowers have inspired generations of writers: some of their most evocative pieces are used to enhance the writers' own words, paintings and photographs.  Published March 06.	Circular Dorset Rambles, Edward Griffiths - 18 superb walks through the best of Dorset. Published November 00.	Artist's Rambles Roundabout Weymouth and Portland, Hume Swaine.  Published April 89. Artist's Rambles Roundabout Swanage, Hume Swaine. Published May 89.
Walks into History, Dorset, John Wilks - This work presents a collection of walks exploring different aspects of the county's historical past. It includes routes at Maiden Castle, Tolpuddle, Sherborne, Kimmeridge and Studland, along with maps and photographs. Published May 07.	The Macmillan Way, Peter Titchmarsh - the 290 mile coast to coast path from Boston to Abbotsbury. The original Macmillan Way was developed to raise money for the Macmillan cancer relief charity and was opened as a fully signed and waymarked route in 1996. A lengthy extension, the Macmillan Way West, followed in 2001. The fully waymarked Macmillan Way and follows existing footpaths, bridleways and byways, and small stretches of minor roads when these are unavoidable. It runs across beautiful open fen country for its first thirty miles and for the rest of its journey it then follows, as near as possible, the course of the oolitic limestone belt, comprising stone known as 'Cotswold' in the area, but which runs in slightly varying form all the way from South Yorkshire to Dorset. It passes through a number of small towns and villages, the architectural features which have much in common. Many walkers have expressed great surprise at the many areas of unspoilt countryside that they have passed through while on the Way.  Published January 03.	Ghost Hunter Walks in Dorset,  Rupert Matthews - If you fancy a pleasant walk with a spooky secret to send a shiver up your spine, then this is the book for you. Ranging from a gentle one mile stroll to a bracing nine mile walk, the 14 walks in this book take in some of Dorset's most spectacular and charming scenery. There are also grey ladies, ghostly coaches and phantom judges in plenty.  Each route has been personally walked by the author to ensure accuracy and the ghosts are all most scarily genuine.  Published April 04.
The South West Coast Path, Roland Tarr - The South West Coast Path is the spectacular 630-mile (1008-km) National Trail around the tip of Britain. This volume features the section of the Path from Exmouth to Poole, a distance of 116 miles (186 km) along the Jurassic Coast, a designated World Heritage Site. Following Natural England's acorn waymarks, the route wends its way along the cliffs, past The Cobb at Lyme Regis and the impressive sweep of the Chesil Beach to Lulworth Cove and Studland Bay. This is the complete, official guide for the long-distance walker or the weekend stroller. All you need is this one book. "National Trail Guides" are the official guidebooks to the fifteen National Trails in England and Wales and are published in association with Natural England, the official body charged with developing and maintaining the Trails.  Published April 07. For More on South-West Coast Path see Long Distance Books	Exploring the Bournemouth Coast Path - Leigh Hatts - This guide divides the path into eight sections and each is accompanied by a sketch map, photographs, clear walking directions and information about points of interest along the way.  Published June 05. The Orange Way, Les Ham - This 350 mile long distance walk is a walk in the footsteps of history, along a route that encompasses a reminder of England's heritage. It follows the march in 1688 of Prince William of Orange and his army from Brixham in Devon, across the countryside to London. It links the walker to the unfolding story of the 'Glorious Revolution' highlighting the relevant events which took place on or near the route.  Published August 03. ►Get this book for 10% discount off published price and free postage.	Waterside Walks in Dorset, Anne-Marie Edwards - Includes the River Stour, Swanage Bay, River Yeo and parts of the Dorset Coastal Path. 20 walks ranging from 3 to 6 miles. Published April 00. River Parrett Trail The Trail follows the course of the river from its source in Dorset, through South Somerset and across the levels to its mouth at Bridgwater Bay. It can be enjoyed as a 50 mile hike over 3 or 4 days or as a series of shorter walks exploring some of England's most beautiful and fascinating countryside. Published July 97.
Family Walks in Dorset, Nigel Vile - 16 walks of between 1 and 6 miles. Published 95.	Dorchester, Sherborne Town and Country Walks, Ray Thorne. Published July 98.	A Ramblers Guide to the Dorset Jubilee Trail, William Barnes - a 90 mile trail across the County.  Published October 00.
Poole and Bournemouth Poetry Walks with Flavour, Paula Brown - Contains poetry and original recipes to enhance the flavour of some local walks. Published July 07.	A Round Dorset Walk, Steven Crockford - A Round Dorset Walk is a long-distance route of 181 miles, on ancient paths and trackways, on the perimeter of one of the most remarkable counties in England. From the stunning Poole Harbour beneath the Purbeck Hills, the walker sets out towards the peaceful downs of Cranborne Chase, across the rolling hills of Blackmore Vale and Marshwood Vale, finally to return to the dramatic coastal path from which the walk began, there to complete a journey through 250 million years of history. Whether it is achieved in one challenging effort, or in a series of stages, it is a very special journey around a beautiful and often unexplored part of Britain, that will live long in the memory of anyone who completes it.  Published July 06.	Jurassic Coastal Walks, Nigel Clarke - Takes the reader on twenty-three circular walks on the Jurassic coast of Dorset and Devon, with maps and illustrations.  Published July 06.
West Dorset, East Devon Walks and Local Attractions, Nigel Clarke. Published June 82.	Walk the Wessex Ridgeway in Dorset, Priscilla Houston - Contains details of the Dorset portion (62 miles) of this long distance walk, divided into 6 sections, as well as 11 circular walks. Includes sketch maps and info on accommodation. Published February 94.	Walking Dorset History, Jo Draper & Chris Chaplin - 15 circular walks in Dorset.  Published March 97.
Poet Walks in West Dorset, Maurice Barnes. Published December 93.	Walk Around Weymouth (Budmouth) with Hardy, M R Skilling.  Published December 83.	South Dorset Walks, Hugh Stoker. Published April 83 West Dorset Walks, Hugh Stoker. Published June 82
The Dorset Coast Path, Mike Power.  Published January 91. Hill Walking in Dorset, Edward Griffiths - circular walks to 20 of Dorset's highest peaks. Limited availability.  Published October 97. The Blackmore Vale Path, Edward Griffiths - a six days walk through Hardy Country and over the Blackmore Vale. Limited availability.  Published October 95. Dorset Tea Shop Walks, Jean Patefield - Includes Pamphill, Lulworth, Milton Abbas, Sturminster Newton, Beaminster and Charmouth. Walks range in length from 3 to 8 miles. Limited availability.  Published June 99.	Wessex Ridgeway (Recreational Path Guide), Anthony Burton - Full colour OS maps and photographs throughout. Includes short circular walks off the path, info on transport and accommodation, and useful addresses. Map scale 1:25,000.  Limited availability.  Published February 99.	Coast and Country Geology Walks in and Around Dorset, includes excursions within the World Heritage Site. Limited availability.  Published April 03. Ten East Dorset Coastal Walks, Guy Corbett-Marshall.  Published April 96.  Also Ten West Dorset Coastal Walks  Limited availability.  Published April 96. Exploring the Dorset Coast Path, Leigh Hatts. Limited availability.  Published June 93. The Cranborne Chase Path, Edward Griffiths - a complete circuit in easy stages.  Limited availability.  Published February 95.
Dorset National Trust Walks, Rodney Legg - 12 walks of between 4 and 7 miles, including areas around Stonebarrow Hill, Golden Cap, Seatown, and Studland. Limited availability.  Published January 98.	Rambles from Dorset Towns, Edward Griffiths - long circular walks in the less well known areas of the county. Limited availability.  Published March 97.	Walks in West Dorset, Rodney Legg - 20 walks of moderate length along public paths through superb scenery. Limited availability. Published December 85.

MORE MAPS Dorset Leisure Map, Dorset Leisure Map - What to see and do.

►BESTWALKS HOME PAGE AND FULL INDEX OR USE QUICK LINKS BELOW TO GO DIRECT TO ANOTHER AREA LONG DISTANCE PATHS BRITAIN GENERAL AVON BEDFORDSHIRE BERKSHIRE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CHESHIRE CHILTERNS COTSWOLDS CORNWALL DERBYSHIRE DARTMOOR DEVON DORSET DURHAM ESSEX GLOUCESTERSHIRE HAMPSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HEREFORDSHIRE LEICESTERSHIRE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE OXFORDSHIRE PENNINES ISLE OF WIGHT KENT LAKE DISTRICT AND CUMBRIA LANCASHIRE LINCOLNSHIRE LONDON NORFOLK NORTHUMBERLAND PEAK DISTRICT SHROPSHIRE SOMERSET & EXMOOR STAFFORDSHIRE SUFFOLK SURREY SUSSEX WARWICKSHIRE WORCESTERSHIRE WEST MIDS/HEART OF ENGLAND WILTSHIRE YORKSHIRE DALES NORTH YORK MOORS YORKSHIRE [OTHER] WALES [general] BRECON BEACONS/ BLACK MTNS CLWYD DYFED GLAMORGAN & GOWER GWYNEDD POWYS SNOWDONIA ANGLESEY SCOTLAND [general] SOUTH-EAST SCOTLAND SOUTH-WEST SCOTLAND ARGYLL & BUTE STIRLING PERTH & KINROSS, ANGUS AND FIFE NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND [Aberdeenshire, Moray, Cairngorms] HIGHLANDS ISLANDS IRELAND [general] NORTHERN IRELAND WEST OF IRELAND EAST OF IRELAND SOUTH OF IRELAND

AUTHORS/PUBLISHERS Listing information           LOCAL LINKS Do you have a website with content relevant to the subject matter of this page. Anything at all to do with the area? Add your link here Bed and Breakfast in Weymouth - Greenwood Guest House Footscape - the specialists in self guided walking holidays in Dorset www.rmgwildlife.com/dorsetcoast.html  The Dorset Coastal Path is a section of the UK's 630 mile long South West Coast Path, starting at Minehead in Somerset and ending at Poole Harbour in Dorset. The Dorset stretch is around 73 miles long and can be separated into 7 sections, all of which can be viewed on our "Dorset Coast and Coastal Path" DVD

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