Recently I did a cracking circular walk from Sixpenny Handley that explored woodland around the Rushmore Estate and visited Chettle where there is a really good community shop that serves hot pies. I am out today with my walking buddy Mandy and we are going to do a slightly shorter version of the route.
The starting point for our walk is the Sixpenny Handley village hall car park (SP5 5NJ) (Grid Ref: ST992173). From the car park we pass the village hall and then follow a path through a recreational area to reach a footpath going north beside a camping site.
At a junction of paths we go left and soon start to descend steadily to Dean Lane where we turn left and then after 100 metres take a bridleway on the left heading steadily uphill.
At a junction of paths by a tarmac farm track we turn right and head towards Hunt Corner Farm.
After passing the farm we continue straight on a track between fields heading towards Chase Woods. We are on the Hardy Way; a 220-mile long distance route linking locations across Wessex associated with Thomas Hardy.
In the trees of Chase Woods we turn left at a junction of tracks and follow a route marked on the map as Shire Rack.
We are still on the Hardy Way and stay with this to reach Rushmore Park Golf Club. The path goes along the edge of the course and passes a hut which at various times serves refreshments, unfortunately it is not open today.
We stay with the Hardy Way as it goes into woodland and heads south.
On reaching a field we continue on the Hardy Way through a gate to reach a minor road.
Leaving the Hardy Way we cross the road and join a track opposite, after 100 metres we reach a crossing of tracks and turn right heading west.
After going over another crossing of tracks we soon spot the Gronow-Davis Tower on our left. This folly was built in 2009 by William Gronow-Davis the owner of Rushmore Estate. Originally planning permission was granted for a 65ft mobile telecommunications mast for 02. When the company pulled out of building the mast he decided to build the folly in an Indian Mogul style.
Continuing along the track we pass the entrance to the Lamar Tree Gardens. These gardens were created by General Augustus Pitt Rivers (1827 – 1900). He had inherited the Rushmore Estate in 1880 and is known for his archeological and anthological collections. His collection of around 22,000 objects was the founding of the Pitt-Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford and his local archeological collections are held by Salisbury Museum.
The gardens are closed today for a private function so we are unable to pop in to wander around. Continuing on our way along the track we pass Rookery Farm and then cross a minor road, Common Drove before heading into Farnham Woods.
We are now on a Permissive Path, this is one of many that exist on the Rushmore Estate but unfortunately they are not shown on a map, or in any of the information about the estate. At some point in the future I will have to take a wander around and mark them all on a map for my own use.
We stay with the track as it heads through the woodland to reach Bloody Shard Gate. Here we ignore a track on the left and continue straight on to reach a crossing of tracks where we turn left. After 500 metres we turn left again and follow this track to reach a junction of public rights of way at New Barn. We turn right and head in a southerly direction along a bridleway to reach a bench and a beacon at a junction of paths.
From the beacon we stay on the bridleway and follow it around the boundary of a field heading towards Little Wood.
After going through the edge of the wood we turn left at a junction of paths and walk through The Park on our way to Chettle.
Going through a gate we stay with the track as it passes the entrance to Chettle House and reaches St Mary’s church. The tower of this church dates from the 16th century whereas the remainder was built in 1849.
From the church we walk into the village. At a junction our route is to the left, but we take a right to visit the village shop. The shop is famous locally for it’s pies. I sampled one for the first time a few months ago. Despite having consumed our lunch we can’t resist the temptation and are soon sat outside on one of the many benches munching away.
The shop moved to these premises in 2023 having previously occupied a smaller building a few hundred metres along the road. It is definitely somewhere I will have to bring Lynnie before too long.
Leaving the shop we head west through the village.
Shortly after passing the site of the old village shop we take a bridleway that heads north towards a ‘B’ road. Initially this is along a track and then beside fields.
At the road we turn right and then almost immediately take a bridleway across a field leading to a minor road. We turn left and walk along the road for 100 metres to a bridleway on the right. This leads steadily downhill across a field and passes through a copse to reach another minor road. Here we turn right and after 200 metres reach a bridleway on our left.
We are now heading across fields and then join a track in a copse, 1.2km from the road we go right at a junction of bridleways. This takes us across a field and along a hedge line to a minor road at Dean.
We now stay with this track to pass Brushy Bush House and then descend into Sixpenny Handley where we turn left passing the school to continue along the road to the village hall car park.
To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer 118 – Shaftesbury & Cranbourne Chase
You can view this 14.5 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here
19th September 2024
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2024)
All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it. To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk. It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.