Two ancient churches dating from the 13th century, a stretch of medieval trackway running east of the Wriggle River to Chetnole and mentioned in Roland Good’s 1966 Old Roads of Dorset, fine views of wood-topped hills from field and woodland paths, historic farmhouses and cottages built from local stone, and a small hamlet, called Hamlet, with fine 17th-century mullioned windowed stone-built Hamlet House just outside Chetnole. All this, and more, as they say, in one delightful walk.
THE WALK
1. The chancel at St Andrew’s Church was consecrated in 1312 but the completed building dates from the mid-15th century, much restored in 1890. Standing facing the chancel on the church’s east end, walk north along Church Street where elegant local stone-built houses proliferate, including The Old School and Hill House right. At ‘The Cross’ T-junction, elevated on the left, overlooking the junction, is Cross Farm house, dating from the 17th century. Follow the pavement right outside Sugarloaf House into High Street. Pass right Gable Court, probably built about 1600, and 1897 Hill View old corner shop opposite. Continue down past right 17th-century thatched Bridge House and left turning with the former Railway Inn. Over the railway bridge and Wriggle River bridge into Brister End, pass left Brierley Hay. Continue past right Eastlands. Reaching left Winter Cottage and Quince Cottage, take the right footpath-signed stony shady track up to Vecklands Woodland Reserve, planted with mixed deciduous trees in 1998-9.
Mature hedges follow the edges of the original field, historically called Vecklands. Through the gate/kissing-gate, take the left path (south-west) through the woodland to the exit gate. Through onto Downs Lane, go right.
2. Past right Mill Farm’s gate, keep straight on along the first part of the medieval trackway. Over the top, with right gates and right fork, continue down the tree-shaded track. Past a right footpath half-gate, go through the bridleway half-gate and continue. Then, passing a right footpath-bridge, keep straight on, over a timber bridleway-bridge and through the other side’s gate. Follow the tree-lined narrower path between fields, then widening before leaving the trees and becoming hedged and grassier. At a footpath-crossing with opposing gates, continue along the track, edged with mixed hedgerow and old trees for ¾ mile. At the end, onto a road bend, turn right along hedged Dunch Lane. At the next left bend, pass the right finger-post with ‘Deep Ford’ ahead. Continue around the bend, signed ‘Chetnole ¼’.
3. Continue along tree-lined Back Lane. At the next junction, don’t go straight on! Bend right at the corner cottage and continue, over the Wriggle River bridge, past left late-Georgian Chetnole House and past the right Village Hall to right Chetnole Inn and the Old Post Office on the T-junction right corner. On the left is St Peter’s Church, formerly a chapel subservient to Yetminster and dating from the 13th century. The tower is 15th-century. Restorations took place 1860-65 and 1897. Now, turn right, finger-posted ‘Yetminster 2’. With houses right and hedged fields left, continue along the road, passing the right lane to ‘Ford’. About 100 yards after the last right house, take the footpath signposted concrete drive into Manor Farm. Further north is Hamlet but the road is busy and without pedestrian refuges. So, walk through Manor Farm, between barns and milking parlour cooled tanks, through gates if closed, to the concrete track. Then, keep straight on with hedges and several gates both sides, ash trees and sessile oaks. Reaching the railway level crossing, negotiate both footpath-stiles carefully and the track quickly.
4. Over, drop down into the large field corner and go to the footpath-arrowed gate in the right hedge. Through, bear diagonally half-left along the used grass path over the square field to the far corner, with blackthorn and blackberry bushes. Go over the Wriggle tributary footpath-bridge and turn right along the meandering stream/trees. Past a footpath-post, continue to twin footpath-arrows on the corner post. Keep following the stream into the right corner. Go over the hedge’s footpath-stile into the next field’s corner. Keep straight on along the faint path to the hedge’s footpath kissing-gate. Through, veer slightly-right to the footpath-posted sleeper bridge. Over, with Winterhayes farmhouse facing you, pass the left fence footpath-arrow and turn diagonally-left to the now-facing fence’s footpath-gate. See Yetminster church distantly ahead. Through the gate, turn right with the fence right. Pass the footpath-arrowed shed and bend right. Through the gate, arrive at the driveway with Winterhayes and barn right. Walk to the road, with old ‘Winterhayes’ stone-post.
5. Carefully cross the Yetminster road to the opposite footpath-stile. Over, follow the faint path diagonally-left across the field, tapering to the far corner footpath-gate with Yetminster church ahead again. Past the first right railway footpath-crossing, go over the concrete Wriggle tributary bridge ahead. Over the facing footpath-stile, keep straight on, with the railway behind the right hedge, through the field with barns far left. Go through the opposite gate onto the track with a barn-track left. Keep straight on and pass another crossing. Continue along the right bushes and railway. Over the next fence’s footpath-stile, go ¼-left to the facing hedge’s footpath-gate. Through, walk straight on through the field with hedge and trees right, a shallow ditch left, and over the ditch-bridge into the next small field with a footpath-stile/gate in the next hedge. Through into the hill field, ascend diagonally to the top hedge’s gateway. Through, cross the sloping field, aiming for Yetminster church ahead. Go through the gate/kissing-gate into Mill Lane footpath between cottages to Church Street, footpath-signed back. Walk straight on, passing smallpox vaccination pioneer Benjamin Jesty’s 15th-century Upbury Farm left, adjacent to St Andrew’s Church where you started..
COMPASS POINTS
Start point: St Andrew‘s Church, Church Street, Yetminster (Reference ST595106)
Distance: 4¼ miles/6¾km
Time to allow: 3 hours
Map: OS Landranger Sheet 194
Terrain: Slight undulations through fields and meadows. A few stiles
Refreshments: The White Hart, Yetminster for Doom Bar ale and super lunches. Chetnole Inn for bar food at lunchtimes and evenings and local real ales
Dogs: On leads in fields with dairy cattle, in village lanes through villages and following the Countryside Code
Public transport: Buses: Currently none. Trains: Great Western Dorchester West to Bristol
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