![Close up of poppies against green grassland at Fontmell Downs](http://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/dorset/places/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/library/poppiesatfontmelldownntidavidnoton.jpg?auto=webp&width=767&crop=16:9&dpr=2 2x)
Fontmell Down walk
Fontmell Down was bought in memory of English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy, to protect the natural landscape in which his novels of the Blackmore Vale are set. On this short circular walk you will discover the wildlife of the cross dyke (wall and ditch) and chalk downland, an open expanse of flowery downland, excellent butterfly populations and far-reaching views.
Total steps: 4
Total steps: 4
Start point
Car park at the top of Spread Eagle Hill, Compton Abbas, Dorset SP7 0DT. Grid ref: ST886187
Step 1
From the car park walk straight out across Fontmell Down.
![Grass-covered bank and ditch, known as a cross dyke, on Clubmen's Down, Fontmell Down, with trees on the hilltop at the horizon](http://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/dorset/places/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/library/fontmell-down-walk-step-1-cross-dykes-on-clubmens-down-clive-whitbourn-1.jpg?auto=webp&width=684&dpr=2 2x)
Step 2
Cross over the cross dyke (a bank and ditch).
Step 3
Once over the dyke, turn left and walk through the gate. Head left, back up the down, in a direction towards the main Shaftesbury/ Blandford road.
![Close-up of the yellow, bell-shaped flowers of a cowslip, with grassy hills in the background, at Fontmell Down, Dorset](http://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/dorset/places/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/library/fontmell-down-walk-step-3-cowslips-clive-whitbourn-1.jpg?auto=webp&width=684&dpr=2 2x)
Step 4
You will come to a small wooden gate on your left. Go through the pedestrian gate and follow the path along the road, which will bring you back to the car park.
End point
Car park at the top of Spread Eagle Hill, Compton Abbas, Dorset SP7 0DT. Grid ref: ST886187
Trail map
![Route map for the Fontmell Down walk](http://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/dorset/places/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/library/fontmelldownwalkmakeshiftmapimage.jpg?auto=webp&width=767&dpr=2 2x)
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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.
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Hod Hill butterfly walk
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.
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Bonham Wood walk at Stourhead
WiltshireThis gentle walk takes you behind the Temple of Apollo through the picturesque Bonham Wood, and returns along a WWII airfield. A springtime hotspot also for daffodils and bluebells.
![From Melbury Hill looking towards Shaftesbury, Dorset](http://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/dorset/places/fontmell-and-melbury-downs/library/from-melbury-hill-looking-towards-shaftesbury-dorset.jpg?auto=webp&width=505&crop=16:9&dpr=2 2x)
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Get in touch
Our partners
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We’ve partnered with Cotswold Outdoor to help everyone make the most of their time outdoors in the places we care for.
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