Dorset

Stonebarrow walk on the Golden Cap Estate

The Golden Cap Estate is made up of rolling hills, pastoral fields, sunken lanes, ancient hedgerows and dramatic coastline, and lies within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This walk includes a section of the South West Coast Path along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Near to

Golden Cap

Start point

Stonebarrow car park, grid ref: SY382933

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 1.7 (km: 2.72)

Duration 40 mins to 1 hour

Dog friendly**

*Some steep steps and slopes, and cliff edges. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Well-behaved dogs are welcome but please keep them on a lead in fields with livestock.

Address
Stonebarrow car park, Stonebarrow Lane, Charmouth, Dorset DT6 6RA. Grid ref: SY382933
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Axminster station 5 miles, then bus X53 and 31 service routes (see bus directions for links to the timetables).
By bus
Coastline X51 or X53, alight at Newlands, Charmouth, then walk up Stonebarrow Lane, approximately 1 mile (1.6km) away.
First Bus
On foot
The South West Coast Path passes through the Golden Cap Estate.
South West Coast Path
By road
Come off the A35 between Lyme Regis and Bridport. From the west, go through Charmouth and turn right by Stonebarrow Manor into Stonebarrow Lane to top of hill, over the cattle grid. From the east, turn off at Charmouth, go past Newlands Holiday Park and take next lane on left, as above.
Total stages: 6
Total stages: 6
Start point
Stonebarrow car park, grid ref: SY382933
Stage 1
The Stonebarrow information centre is housed within an old radar station.
Stage 2
Turn right before the trees and follow the fingerposts for Westhay Farm. Don’t follow the vehicle track but instead step over the logs and stay left so you follow the line of the hedge. Another fingerpost sign will signal Westhay Farm and you will soon pass by Monument Copse.
Traditional farming methods allow wild flowers, including green-winged orchids, to thrive | © National Trust
Stage 3
From here you can take a short detour into Monument Copse which marks the spot where local squire Robert Hilliard died in 1876. Continue through the hay meadows to Westhay Farm, given to the National Trust in 1961. This was the first land obtained by the Trust in the area now known as the Golden Cap Estate.
Stage 4
Turn right and head uphill to the next set of fingerposts, then turn left along the smugglers' path. The next fingerpost should be signed Charmouth. Turn right and go up a few steps, then turn left and go up some more steps.
Ancient trackways criss-cross the Golden Cap Estate | © National Trust
Stage 5
At the top of the steps, turn left for Charmouth and walk to Cains Folly.
The old radar station
The old radar station, made of concrete and brick, was built by the Ministry of Defence in the 1950s as part of the Cold War defences. It's now used as a bunkhouse for working holiday groups. It enjoys a fantastic elevated position on Stonebarrow hill with magnificent views across Lyme Bay, including Golden Cap, Chesil Beach and Portland Bill. The ruins of a Second World War radar station that collapsed during a landslide in the 1970s can be found nearby.
Stage 6
Continue up the hill and turn right before the kissing gate, through the squeeze and follow the marker back to the Stonebarrow car park.
End point
Stonebarrow car park, grid ref: SY382933
Trail map
Stonebarrow walk, Golden Cap, Dorset map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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