On a visit to beautiful Dorset, our ‘3 Walks from our Wareham B&B’ could certainly be part of your holiday itinerary. If it is history, nature and wildlife, beautiful picnic spots or the buzzing Wareham Quay with river cruises and a fine selection of eateries, then read this blog for a choice of 3 beautiful local walks.
1. Wareham Forest Walk
This is one of our favourite walks.
From Spurwing Guest House, this walk takes 1-2 hours at a relaxed pace. It is approximately 3 miles long. See route directions below:
- From the B&B turn left out of the driveway and head up Sandford Road. When you get to the main road, cross over, turn left and then next right. You will walk past Wareham Golf Club car park on the right. At the t- junction turn right onto Northmoor Way.
- Continue along Northmoor Way as it bends round until you see a sign on the right pointing in the direction of Wareham Forest. It’s a track which leads up past the horses grazing and Wareham Golf Club on your left. Be aware of any golfers teeing off on your right!
- When you reach the gate into the forest, turn immediate right. There is a slight incline before heading down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, the path bends left and continues to wind through the beautiful forest.
- You will come to a crossroads. Here take an immediate left and follow the gravel path upwards.
- Shortly afterwards, look out on the right hand side, there is a path leading up to a viewpoint. If you are feeling strong enough it is relatively steep but worth the climb. Once up there, there are some logs on the ground where you could sit and enjoy a snack or a picnic. Be sure to take any rubbish home with you.
- If you feel the path may be too steep, then continue along the gravel track until it forks left and you will eventually arrive back at the forest entrance gate.
- From here continue in the same direction as you came, turning left along Northmoor Way to the main road and cross over to Sandford Road, and return feeling refreshed at Spurwing Guest House!
2. River Piddle and Wareham Weir Walk
The River Frome and River Piddle flow through Wareham into Poole Harbour. Did you know that Poole Harbour is the 3rd largest natural harbour in the world?
This is another of our pleasant ‘3 Walks from our Wareham B&B’.
From Spurwing Guest House, this walk takes 1-2 hours at a relaxed pace. See route directions below:
- From the driveway, take a right turn towards the train station. When you get to the train station, take the walkway over the track. Go straight on, under the subway and keep walking towards North Bridge. Once over the bridge walk straight on until you see a road on the right called ‘Shatters Hill‘.
- Turn up ‘Shatters Hill’ and when you reach the top, the reward is a beautiful view of Wareham Common.
- In the picture above, you can see an old house beside the river. This house is North Mill on the River Piddle. It was first recorded in 1150 and it was a working mill up until the late 19th Century. Take the path which leads down to this mill.
- Once at the bottom you will arrive beside the River Piddle. If you glimpse right towards the mill, you will see a pretty bridge that crosses the river.
- Continue to walk alongside the river up to the gate. Once here, you have two options. You can either continue along the path by the river or you can take the lower path below the Saxon earth wall.
- If you chose the path beside the River Piddle, you will eventually go under the main road. There are brambles and nettles in the summer, so long sleeve tops and trousers are recommended, as well as suitable footwear as it can get muddy after rain. This path continues along the river to Wareham Weir.
- If you chose the lower path below the Saxon earth wall, you will eventually walk past the small car park on the left. Follow the track towards the tunnel under the main road. Go through the tunnel and continue until you get to Wareham Weir. It’s a beautiful spot to have a snack or a picnic, and perhaps a paddle too! Again be sure to take any rubbish home with you.
- Once rested at the weir, you could either walk back along the track to the lower path below the Saxon earth wall and return to the B&B, or you may chose to return along the River Piddle path, as detailed above. Whichever option you chose, enjoy!
For a map of the ‘River Piddle and Wareham Weir Walk’, there is one for the ‘Two Rivers Walk’ on the Dorset Council site:
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/documents/wareham-two-rivers-walk-leaflet.pdf
3. Saxon Walls of Wareham Walk
Built in Saxon times under the reign of King Alfred the Great in 875, the Saxon earth walls of Wareham were constructed to defend Wareham from Viking invasion. They enclose the town on three sides with the the River Frome acting as the fourth wall.
To read about this interesting walk, see our separate blog Saxon Walls of Wareham which includes route directions from our B&B, and lots of fascinating historical facts too!
This brings us to the end of our blog ‘3 Walks from our Wareham B&B’. We hope you enjoy the walks as much as we do!
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