Dorset

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 and is home to an array of wildflowers and butterflies. You will also be able to see the remains of one of the best preserved Roman forts in the UK, built within the earthen walls that were built some 450 years before the legions arrived in Britain.

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 8 of the trail.
Total stages: 10
Total stages: 10
Start point
Car park on Hanford Lane, grid ref: ST855112
Stage 1
From the car park, go through the gate and up the steep grassy field, keeping the woodland to your right.
Stage 2
At the top of the hill, go through the gate beside the National Trust Hod Hill omega sign.
Stage 3
Turn right (anti-clockwise) along the ramparts.
Wildlife
This walk is great for wildlife enthusiasts. In the spring and summer, orchids, cowslips, birdsfoot trefoil and dropwort stud the grass, benefitting from the thin, dry chalk soils. It's also a fantastic place to see butterflies, with rarities such as marsh fritillary and Adonis blue, as well as the beautiful marbled white in good numbers. Skylarks sing overhead and, in the winter, it's a great place to watch kestrels hunting small mammals and buzzards riding the updraught.
Stage 4
The more sheltered woody edge provides a place for butterflies like the speckled wood. There is a constant battle to prevent scrub from colonising the very important SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) grassland and smothering the chalk flora.
Stage 5
Keep going for about 218yd (200m).
Stage 6
Continue along the ramparts and have a look down to the River Stour on its route from Stourhead to Christchurch.
Stage 7
The next section of ramparts is particularly rich in wildflowers including cowslip, common spotted, pyramidal and fragrant orchid, agrimony and clustered bellflower.
Stage 8
Turn left upon reaching the corner of the rampart and continue along its top. There's a path here which drops down an old lane to Stourpaine.
Stage 9
Keep going round the hillfort and take in the fantastic views over rural Dorset and the Cranborne Chase towards Melbury Down.
Stage 10
Go back through the gate you came through and return down to the car park.
End point
Car park on Hanford Lane, grid ref: ST855112
Trail map
Hod Hill circular walk, Dorset | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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A brown, orange and cream patterned male Marsh Fritillary butterfly

Trail

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.

View of Pamphill across the River Stour, on the Kingston Lacy Estate, Dorset

Trail

Walk at Eye Bridge and Pamphill, Kingston Lacy

Enjoy a peaceful walk upstream along this picturesque stretch of the Stour river, with ancient woodland and an array of interesting birdlife to observe along the way.