Rambling Pete on Walking Places

The Wessex Ridgeway 2014

Day Seven: 12th September

Weather: Misty sunshine all the way

Route: Melbourne Manor to Cattistock - 14 Miles

An equally bizarre start to the day this morning, as was my arrival last night, but enjoyable nonetheless. I did have my smelly pants washed in the machine last night, collected them and up to the nose smelled like a rose. I appeared down for breakfast to a magnificent dining table, Earl Grey tea in a silver teapot and a full breakfast even if I’d not ordered one. Unfortunately the lady of the manor Loren had to dash off to see to family affairs and told me to just explore as I saw fit, and to settle up whenever I got home. So explore I did along stone floored corridors, into the old chapel, and a mooch around the bedrooms upstairs trying not to disturb the other guests. Satisfied I stepped out into another misty morning and made my way back uphill across the site of the medieval village and into an overgrown green lane to lead me up to the Dorsetshire Gap. Five ancient tracks, now bridleways, with steep, narrow, man-made cuttings, meet at the Dorsetshire Gap at the edge of the Higher Melcombe estate. The Gap was an important road crossing from the Middle Ages until the 19th century, linking the trails of the Ridgeway with the drove roads to the north. Travellers may originally have taken advantage of slight dips in the hillside to cross over the pass (mainly from northwest to southeast) and, over the centuries, these paths became worn into deep gullies. The Wessex Ridgeway route today was predominantly through pasture, and old green lanes, with a diversion made to Cerne Abbas to see ‘The Giant’ and take some lunch. A different pace to the journey across Thomas Hardy countryside, travelling slowly enjoying the surrounds of green pasture, golden hay, old lanes, and ancient landmarks. From the Dorsetshire Gap to Cerne Abbas a five mile walk along series of ups and downs in a westerly direction, offered glimpses of a pastoral landscape farmed widely over the millennia, with a patchwork of fields in every direction. A few Bottoms, Folly, Plush, Cross Dykes, Tumulus and before I knew it I was at the back end of Giant Hill. Here I diverted away from the official Wessex Ridgeway at Giant’s Head Farmhouse and contoured around the side of the hill towards the Cerne Abbas Giant site. You cannot see much of the ‘Giant’ close up and to protect the figure and prevent excess erosion the area is now fenced off. So I didn’t hang around the site, just followed the stream around into the village to stop at the Tea rooms – just in time for a lovely lunch and a thirst quenching cuppa tea. The giant figure is probably better seen early or later in the year when the grass has died down a little, and to get the best view I had to walk about half a mile out of the village. The wee man receded into the distance as I walked through more pasture and found a short cut through some woods at Park Dale, with a few deer jumping away into the undergrowth ahead, and as before a lot of game birds squawking into the undergrowth. At the top of Cerne Park I rejoined the Wessex Ridgeway route to turn south for a mile before heading downhill once more to the village of Sydling St Nicholas. A lovely old green lane took me lower to the village green where a small set of goalposts had been left standing along with a football, so any elderly hikers passing this way could pretend they were 21 once more and smash the ball into the roof of the net – I don’t think anyone was watching. Before leaving the village I passed by the old church and Tithe Barn nicely lit up in the late afternoon sunshine, with a sign pointing to Break Heart Hill. It wasn’t that steep but I was feeling the exertions of the last week and my pace was slower than usual and that’s not fast. A quick look at the map and the decision was taken to chop off the steepest part of the ascent and save the legs for another day. So I walked up the Combe to cross the A37 Roman Road and descend down into Cattistock where my B&B awaited. I’d parked my car at the B&B a week before and it was a relief knowing that I’d get a fresh pair of clothes now to go out and about in the evening. The village has some nice architecture mixed in with a lovely church, village shop and the Fox and Hounds Inn. A short stroll to the far side found me at the B&B and a wonderful welcome to end another dry sunny day on the Wessex Ridgeway.