Discover the delightful village of Thorncombe and Forde Abbey, famous for its award-winning gardens and tulip displays, as Edward Griffiths invites us to join him on a walk on the Dorset Somerset county border along the banks of the River Axe
Forde Abbey stands on the south bank of the River Axe which here constitutes Dorset’s border with Somerset before flowing through Devon ending its journey on the coast at Seaton. Richard FitzBaldwin, feudal baron of Okehampton in Devon, founded a Cistercian priory on his lands at Brightley between 1133 and 1136 but, owing to the poor quality of the land for cultivation, Richard’s sister Adelicia offered the abbot and 12 monks a site in the manor of Thorncombe. Here, between 1141 and 1148, they built a new priory at Forde, by a ford across the River Axe. Forde Abbey was one of the richest and most learned institutions in England, long before Thomas Chard reconstructed the Abbey buildings in 1521. In 1539, during The Dissolution, Abbot Chard handed the Abbey and its estates to the Crown, taking up the position of Vicar of Thorncombe until his death in 1543. The Abbey was converted into a magnificent home in the 17th century by Edmund Prideaux MP for Lyme Regis.
The starting point for this lovely walk, at 485 ft above sea level, is St Mary’s Church in the historic village of Thorncombe. Dating from the 14th century, St Mary’s was rebuilt 1866-67. The walk, over surrounding hills and fields to the River Axe, its 16th-century three-span bridge and the pleasant meadows around Forde Abbey, utilises sections of the Liberty Trail which marks a route from Somerset and Forde to Lyme Regis taken in 1685 by supporters of the Duke of Monmouth’s ill-fated attempt to succeed King Charles II instead of Charles’ Catholic brother James.
The Walk
1 From St Mary’s, walk south along Chard Street past the Village Stores to the T-junction with Thorncombe Chapel opposite. Turn right up High Street. After left Golden House, take the right footpath-signed track, passing Little Orchard left, to a footpath’s junction. Through the footpath-gate into the field, go left on the used path to the fence footpath stile/gate. Through, cross the field to the trees gap. Through, walk half-right to the footpath signed hedge-gate onto Horseshoe Road. Cross into Thorncombe Sports and Social Club grounds. Cross the field ¼-right to the footpath-stile centrally in the pines. Over, go straight down the field, or around the edge if planted, to the opposite hedge’s twin stiles. Over, turn right onto the unsigned bridleway along the right hedge to the corner gate. Through, follow the right hedge to the next corner gate. Then repeat through two more fields to the bridleway-signed gateway onto Horseshoe Road.
2 Turn left. Past a right footpath, continue under beeches to the left footpath-signed stile. Over into a field, cross ¼-right to the hedge’s footpath-gate near the bottom right corner. Through, join the farm track down with left fence and right hedge, then with right and left woods and fields to a footpath crossing with right gate and left track. Keep straight on along the hedged bridleway-drive. When it bends right into Forde Abbey Farm, take the left footpath-stile into the field. Follow the right hedge/fence down. Past a right gate, go through the footpath kissing-gate in the corner. Through, follow the right hedge round and past a right gate to the footpath-gate. Through into the large field, follow the left hedge, ditch and trees down to the corner. Bend right along trees to the road gateway.
3 Cross into ‘Forde Bridge’ footpath-track, soon passing above the left reservoir and gravel extraction. Continue to a facing parkland entrance gate, before which take the left footpath with left fence. Meander down to a footpath-post and stile right into hawthorns and trees. Continue to the footpath-stile into another field. Over, walk right of the cedar, over the stream bridge and on to the River Axe footbridge. Over, go right and follow the green path, centrally through the field with river and abbey right, to a gate/stile. Over, continue across a shallow ditch and to another gate/stile. Over, continue to the footpath-gate/stile onto the road. Turn right for ‘Thorncombe’.
4 Walk up the road and over 16th-century River Axe bridge to Forde Abbey gates and drive. Take the nearby left footpath kissing-gate, signed ‘Bokerley Dyke 90’, Cranborne Chase earthworks on the Dorset/Wiltshire border. Into the field, follow the well-trodden grass path up, passing left of twin oaks, to the hedge-gap and stream-bridge. Over, bear half-right up to the footpath-gate/stile.
Over, walk to the nearby footpath-post and gap. Into the field, follow the left wood for 100 yards to the footpath-post. Turn right onto the central green track to the footpath-signed gateway onto Forde Grange T-junction, signed ‘Crewkerne’ left, ‘Chard’ right, ‘Thorncombe’ straight on. Turn right. Pass Forde Grange cottages left with farm buildings behind.
5 At the right bend, take the left footpath-signed track. Instantly, take the right path to the footpath-bridge. Over, go left. Follow the grass track up along left trees to the corner gate/stile. Over, continue up against the left hedge to the corner where left and right footpaths meet. Keep straight on, over the footpath-stile and up the meandering left hedge’s path to the hedge-bank footpath-post and stile. Over, walk straight up to the wood’s footpath-stile. Over, follow the path straight through the woods, ignoring turns and forks, soon widening and continuing to the exit footpath-stile. Over into the field, pass the left gate and stile above Gribb hamlet. Continue along the left hedge and over two stiles into another field. Continue along the left hedge to the footpath-gateway into another field with Gribb View houses left. Follow the left fence to the footpath-signed half-gate. Through, follow the enclosed path. Into a paths’ crossing, take the left footpath into laurels. Continue, enclosed, turning right at a footpaths T-junction and emerge between cottages into Chard Street. Turn left back to St Mary’s where you started.
Compass Points
Distance: 4½ miles/7.25 km
Time: 3 hours
Exertion: Not strenuous. Mostly gentle undulating field paths
Start: St Mary’s Church, Thorncombe. Park outside in Chard Street or thoughtfully in nearby Fore Street (Grid Ref: ST375034)
Map: OS Landranger Sheet 193
Public Transport: None suitable
Dogs: On leads in fields, lanes and Thorncombe, abide by The Countryside Code
Refreshments: Forde Abbey for cream teas. The White Lion in Broadwindsor, a community owned village pub
