Dorset

Hod Hill butterfly walk

A brown, orange and cream patterned male Marsh Fritillary butterfly — A male Marsh Fritillary butterfly | © National Trust Images/Matthew Oates

This mile-long trail involves a gentle stroll around the Iron Age fort at Hod Hill, with a special focus on spotting the many species of butterfly that live here. Marbled whites, blues, small heath and clouded yellows can all be found flitting about the wildflowers that grow here in abundance. Look out also for the remnants of the old Roman fort, built within the ramparts of the much older hillfort and one of the best preserved sites of this kind in the UK.

Near to

Hod Hill

Start point

Car park on Hanford Lane, grid ref: ST855112

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 1 (km: 1.6)

Duration 30 mins to 40 mins

Dog friendly***

*A mostly level walk with one steep climb at the beginning. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Uneven ground may be unsuitable for visitors with disabilities. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs welcome. For further details, please see section marked Facilities.

Address
Hod Hill, Stourpaine, Dorset, DT11 8PR
Directions via Google Maps
On foot
Walk from nearby villages of Stourpaine, Shillingstone and Child Okeford. Directions same as by road.
By bus
Buses 83, 30 and 314, Blandford to Shaftesbury, alight Stourpaine.
Buses 7, X8, 309, 310, 317, 323, 330, 368, Blandford to Sturminster Newton, alight Durweston.
Cycling
Hod Hill is adjacent to the North Dorset Trailway (National Cycle Network Route 25) and can be accessed from Stourpaine.
For more information, visit the National Cycle Network website
By road
Park in small National Trust car park off Hanford Lane, off A350 1 mile (1.6km) north of Stourpaine and ascend a short, steep slope to the ramparts.
Alternatively, park in Coach Road or Manor Road in Stourpaine and take a longer, more gentler route up the bridleway to Step 5 of the trail.
Total stages: 6
Total stages: 6
Start point
Car park on Hanford Lane, grid ref: ST855112
Stage 1
From the National Trust car park, bear left up a steep hill and through a bridle gate, keeping close to the wood edge on your right.
Stage 2
Cross the stile onto Hod Hill. Immediately before the main track turns up towards the hillfort entrance, take the grassy track to your right, along the crest of the lower rampart, above the wood edge.
Stage 3
At the bottom, turn left along the main rampart ditch bottom, which opens out onto a section of short turf bank.
Stage 4
Carry on along the ditch bottom, past the entrance to the hillfort.
Stage 5
At the corner, turn into the hillfort entrance and bear immediate left, to head back along the foot of the inner rampart slope. The sheltered pits (borrow pits) here are good for butterflies on windy days and in late summer.
Stage 6
Back at the south-west corner, though this time just inside the hillfort, turn right to head north below the crest of the western ramparts, to the old Roman fortifications. Turn right to follow this broad bank of short turf to the east, and then north until you reach the inner slope of the northern ramparts. Turn left, and you'll arrive back where you entered the hillfort.
End point
Car park on Hanford Lane, grid ref: ST855112
Trail map
Hod Hill butterfly walk, Dorset | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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View of Hod Hill, Dorset, and the surrounding countryside

Trail

Hod Hill circular walk

This short walk skirts the ramparts of the Iron Age fort at Hod Hill. Perched high above a meander on the River Stour, if offers sweeping views over the Dorset countryside.

Visitors at the Badbury Rings at Kingston Lacy, Dorset

Trail

Walk at Badbury Rings and The Oaks

Enjoy impressive views across the Dorset countryside on this circular walk, while discovering the history, flora and fauna of the Iron Age hillfort of Badbury Rings.