Frome Valley Trail - Part 1 - Evershot to Maiden Newton - 24th August 2018

Having done part 4 of the trail last October (I can hardly believe it was that long ago), I thought it was high time we walked the rest of the trail so, when our original plans for the long weekend were thwarted, I devised this route instead. When I'd originally planned the route last year, I'd thought it could be done in three days, but that was a lot of rubbish; of course it couldn't. It needed four days and the logistics even then were complicated. After hours of drawing and redrawing routes, emailing potential B&Bs and agonising over the train timetables between Yeovil Pen Mill and Wareham, I came up with a workable route. This would involve us returning home each day and thus saving costs. All the B&Bs were full anyway and it worked out in our favour in the end because it rained all day Sunday so we would have been stuck in a B&B all day and that's just plain boring. It does mean that we'll have one section of the walk still to do, so watch this space . . .

I'd first walked some of this route in February 2015 before I started this blog and I'm not sure which walks I've done since which I've recorded on the blog, so I thought I might as well write up the walk here even though I didn't get any new gridsquares today. Besides it helps keep one's mind active when one remembers that one has to photograph every single gridsquare, featureful or featureless, exciting or boring.

We parked in Evershot, one of my top 10 Dorset villages if only because parking is easy and there are many walking opportunities from here. "Now, you might think the very first bit is gratuitous," I said to Paul as we started our walk along Back Lane. "But, although we're just going to do a circle of the village really, it's all necessary because we obviously need to start at the source of the River Frome." "Obviously," Paul agreed. "I just need to remember where that is," I added. I was feeling a little unsure; my memory does not serve me as well these days.

When we stumbled upon St John's Well, generally considered to be the source of the River Frome, I was taken aback. "But where's the information board?" I protested. "It was here last Christmas!" Or was I going mad? Had I simply imagined that there should be an information board here? Was my memory really that bad? "I'm sure it was here," I added staring at the spot where I'm sure the board was, willing it to reappear as if by magic.

We looked at the trickle of water which signified the Frome's humble beginnings and paused for a moment in reverence.

The source of the River Frome, St John's Well, Evershot - ST5704

"I know we've hardly begun our walk,but there's a bench here and we might struggle to find one later on, so I'm going to suggest having lunch here with the Frome." Paul readily agreed. We'd set off as soon as he'd returned from work (half day Friday), so it was already 1.30 pm. "After all it seems fitting to be spending a bit of time with the object of our walk," I justified our decision further as we munched on our cheesey topped ham rolls.

We then joined the Macmillan Way at the school and walked across a few uninteresting fields.

Towards Burl Moor, the Macmillan Way near Evershot - ST5703

The Macmillan Way - ST5703

We had done a butterfly scramble along part of this route a couple of years ago and recorded every single butterfly we saw. If we'd been doing that today it wouldn't have been too difficult; we hardly saw any.

"I can't remember where this path ends up," Paul said as we wandered through long grass following the hedge. "Fortunes Wood Farm," I replied. "It was really muddy last time we walked here."

Fortunes Wood Farm - ST5803

I was disappointed that we weren't walking closer to the river itself. I didn't like abandoning it; I wanted to watch it grow in volume and strength with all the tributaries that fed into it. But there were no rights of way any closer to the river, so we had to be content with our lot.

We walked across Chantmarle Moor to the old police training centre.

Chantmarle Moor - ST5802

When we approached a junction in the paths we noticed a signpost we'd not seen before, labelled in one direction - Chantmarle and in the other direction - Chantmarle (Dry route). "I didn't realise we'd been the dry route before," Paul noted. "Shall we try the wet route then?" I suggested. We decided to do so on the grounds that this might be the only chance we ever get if last year's winter was anything to go by!

Not the dry route - near Chantmarle- ST5802

 The path was still quite wet, so we were glad we'd done it. "We've added on about 50 yards to our walk," I laughed as we sloshed through the wet mud. "But it was worth it to remember the days of relentless mud!"

We did not linger at the old police training centre. We'd been here several times before so didn't bother doing a diversion to see the old mansion house. Instead we walked on to North Holway Farm and then onto Holway Farm where we'd stopped to eat our lunch on our butterfly scramble.

North Holway farm - ST5801

When we emerged at Sandhills I had a sudden moment of clarity. "I know where we are!" I exclaimed. "It's that junction that I always think we've got to turn off at." Paul stared at the signpost for a few seconds before the penny dropped. "Oh yes!" he agreed. "We came this way with the walking group one time." "Yes, it was one of my favourite walks," I recalled. "We ought to do it again soon."

Junction at Sandhills - ST5800

We turned off onto Wraxall Lane which is one of those delightful old green lanes which missed out on being tarmacadam-ed whenever the appropriate authorities decided which roads to tarmac and which to leave unmetalled. I'm glad they left this one unmetalled for it is one of my favourite green lanes in the county.

The Frome had gathered its tributaries and grown in volume by now.

River Frome near Wraxall - ST5800

Wraxall Lane - ST5800

The railway more or less follows the river Frome which is why this walk lends itself well to rail transport - you can get on and off at stations along the Frome Valley. We were walking now opposite Cattistock along a part of the walk that we thought may well have been new to us. It turns out it wasn't. We had done a Maiden Newton walk to Sydling St Nicholas in 2015 which had used this right of way.

I took a photo of Grove Stall Farm for the gridsquare (just in case).

Grove Stall Farm - SY5899

Then we were in Chilfrome where, according to the notice in the phone kiosk, the red telephone box has been so infrequently used that it was going to be taken away unless it was bought for the princely sum of £1. "The community must have bought it then," I said joyfully, "the notice is dated October 2016." I sincerely hope it has been bought and saved. Much of the gubbings of the phone had been taken away, leaving the phone impotent and futile. "A soulless phone box," I mused. Is that perhaps not worse than simply taking it away? I wasn't sure.

Chilfrome Phone box - SY5898

Payphone Kiosk removal notice, Chilfrome - SY898

Himalayan Balsam lined the banks of the Frome as it wended its way into Maiden Newton and then there was a rope swing dangling temptingly over a shallow portion of the river."I dare you!" I urged Paul, who was not to be so easily tempted.

Himalayan Balsam and the River Frome - SY5998

Rope swing near Maiden Newton - SY5998

When we reached the bridge across the Frome we were tempted to end our walk there and walk back up to the railway station but I suggested we walk on into the village. "Otherwise we'll have to do this bit tomorrow," I reminded Paul. So our feet took us along the chalk stream and up to the railway station where we had to wait for an hour and a half for the train.

We were entertained in our wait by one old lady and her grandchildren. On their way past the Help screen, the old lady pressed the green help button. "Do you wish to report an incident or get information?" came the immediate response. The old lady was clearly embarrassed. "Neither, sorry," and the old lady walked bashfully away. We couldn't work out why she had pressed it in the first place. She evidently hadn't expected a human response.

Later a man, wife and daughter joined us on the platform. Carrying a huge green and white umbrella to protect her coiffure and clothes, the daughter kept her distance, but her dad approached us with his handkerchiefed jacket and asked which train we were waiting for. "Mind your own plumby business," we answered - no, of course we didn't! We told him we were waiting for the Yeovil train, but his daughter was obviously embarrassed, "It says that here, daddy." We guessed she was on her way back to Bristol for university or something, though she had little luggage.

When the train eventually came she protested at her dad holding the umbrella over her head as she got into the train - "You're embarrassing me," and then she sidled into the furthest away seat she could find on the train while her parents walked the length of the train searching for her and, having found her, proceeded to wave frantically through the window. "I wonder who they are," I said. "From one of the posh houses around here," I answered my own question.

Our walk was far from over. As the rain fell we walked the three miles from Chetnole back to our car at Evershot, disconsolate, tired and almost silent. It had been a long day but the journey to the mouth of the Frome had begun.

Number of miles walked: 6.3 (Evershot to Maiden Newton) Plus 3 Chetnole to Evershot
Number of new gridsquares: 0

The Twelve Crossings - Evershot to Frome St Quintin - 9th March 2017

Having moved house and been without the internet for weeks, my project had moved quite a bit down the priority list. But we're in and settled now and last week the sun made a welcome return from its holiday and so I set off for a solitary ramble along quiet west Dorset lanes.

Parking at the familiar Three Sister Standing Stones, made attractively into a bench at the Village Common, I walked back through the village in search of a footpath south. This was not at all obvious and I wandered up and down the south side of the street looking at my map and then at the houses in search of a footpath sign. Two villagers were looking on bemused so I explained my quest and one, I think she was the Post Office assistant, said 'Oh, you've just walked past it; it's between the two houses there, underneath the arch.' So I returned to this unlikely, unsignposted spot and walked boldly through the arch, boldly past an inquisitive horse and onto the minor road which leads south to Holway.

I nodded a 'Good morning' to a horse rider, but otherwise nothing passed me on this short stretch of road before I turned left onto the footpath and headed south to Higher Coombe Farm.

Near Higher Coombe Farm with the Rampisham aerials just visible in the distance - ST5604

 I wasn't in this gridsquare long before entering ST5603, another square dominated by farmland.

Hedge and field in ST5603

Approaching Rampisham, I crossed a tributary of the River Frome and passed a good stash of firewood at what I discovered was Pugin's Hall.

Tributary of the River Frome at Pugin's Hall, Rampisham - ST5502

Firewood and bridge over tributary of the River Frome at Pugin's Hall, Rampisham, - ST5502

I bade someone good morning (probably the gardener) and joined the road between Uphall and Rampisham, pausing to take a photo of the impressive Pugin's Hall on the way.

Pugin's Hall, Rampisham - ST5502

Pugin's Hall is a  Gothic Grade I listed building designed by the famous Victorian architect Augustus Pugin (1812-1852). Formerly known as Glebe Farm, it was built for the Reverend F. J. Rooke and his family between 1845 and 1846. He was rector at Rampisham from 1845 until his death in 1894.

I walked past the old school, now converted into a house, and then into the centre of the attractive village of Rampisham.

Old school, Rampisham - ST5502

Old stone bridge over tributary of the River Frome, Rampisham - ST5602

Old stone bridge over tributary of the River Frome, Rampisham - ST5602

St Michael's Church, Rampisham - ST5602

Signpost, Rampisham village - ST5602

After making a short detour to the church of St Michael's to see whether it was open (it wasn't) and drinking a cup of tea in its porch in the hope someone might come and open it for me (they didn't), I retraced my steps to the centre of the village and passed a Swan Lake of a garden. Someone has shaped their trees to look like ballerinas and it's really quite attractive and fun.

Ballerina topiary, Rampisham - ST5602

I turned right at the crossroads, heading south-east out of the village towards Lower Wraxall and walked along the road. I was composing poetry as I walked. (In fact I'd been doing that since the beginning of the walk and by the end of my 11 miles I'd done!) This accounted for me wandering right into the next gridsquare unnecessarily and passing my footpath. Actually, that only partially accounted for it; the other factor was the lack of footpath which I've since reported. After taking a photo of a square I would otherwise not have got today, I retraced my step and looked in vain for the footpath I thought I'd missed. I hadn't missed it; it simply wasn't there. After some dleiberationi with myself, I concluded I could retrace my steps yet again (and also make sure I'd seen everything there was to see in this tiny hamlet) and head northwards to Broomhill Farm.

Road to Lower Wraxall - ST5601

This did give me the opportunity to photograph the old cross by the side of the road.

Thatched cottage and old cross, Rampisham - ST5602

Old cross, Rampisham, ST5602

The road also provided lovely views back towards St Michael's church.

St Michael's Church, Rampisham from the north - ST5602

At Broomhill Farm, I was relieved to discover the footpath was very obviously marked and headed east to Broad Witcham, which is where the footpath I'd wanted to take initially would have ended up. There was no signpost for a footpath her either, but thankfully there was another footpath heading directly south and this was the one I wanted. The path was a little unclear as I passed a farm; i wasn't sure whether it had been diverted or not, but opted to walk through a field of sheep rather than right by the farmhouse and I walked south to yet another tributary of the River Frome which i was able to wade through and then head eastwards towards Inkpark Farm.

I was walking in glorious sunshine and had been in my T-shirt since Rampisham. Now I was delighted to see my first butterfly of the year - a Peacock - enjoying the warmth of 2017's first rays of sunshine. Inkpark Farmhouse is an attractive building nestling on its own amidst the hills and valleys of this delightful part of Dorset and enhanced today by a blossoming pink cherry tree.

Inkpark Farm - ST5702

I wandered lonely as a cloud and took a photograph of those famous aerials before once more crossing a small tributary of the Frome and joining what was now familiar territory at West Holway, Paul and I having walked this way on our butterfly scramble last summer.

Rampisham aerials from Inkpark Farm - ST5701

Barn at West Holway - ST5701

It had been on that occasion that the idea for this walk had been born in fact. I'd noticed a sign then for Lower Wraxall and looked it up later to discover there was a church there in that tiny hamlet and made up my mind to design a walk to visit it - and now here I was brimming with anticipation at the thought of seeing this tiny hamlet and on such a glorious day.

Sometimes anticipation and fact do not match; sometimes you discover you have just built up an event, a place, a person way too much and the reality is not as good as the dream. That was not the case with Lower Wraxall, at least not externally. It is a typical Dorset village with thatched cottages and a ford and, on this occasion, complete with thatchers at work. I enquired about the position of the church and was pointed in the right direction, although, upon enquiring whether the church was open the workers did not know.

St Mary's Church, Lower Wraxall - ST5700

The church was basking in a spring fusion of blue and yellow - blue sky and Daffodils and Lesser Celandine and my heart leapt at its beauty and at the opportunity to sit and eat my lunch, to the accompaniment of the 2017 debut of the lawn mower concerto - not an unpleasant sound! I had a quick look in the church, but thought the outside more attractive on this occasion and then I changed my mind.

Well, I changed it as I walked past the thatchers, now eating their lunch in their van. Looking at the map again, I decided against the option of risking another barbed wire cut to my wrist (which I forgot to mention earlier in my outburst of joy re spring!) I had thought I would retrace my steps  to the crossroads near West Holway and then head east to North Holway Farm, but I'd done that bit before and the pull to cross the ford was too much for me and offered a much more attractive alternative - a dawdle along the dotted line of Wraxall Lane. I don't know why I'm attracted to these green circled footpaths, but I am and this was just so delightful.

Ford at Lower Wraxall - ST5700

I wandered blissfully along this old road, composing my mournful poem as I went, relishing the new territory and wondering if this would make a possible walk for the meet up group of which I am a member.

Wraxall Lane - ST58000

Wraxall Lane - ST58000

I was actually quite sad when I crossed the River Frome via a ford for the twelfth and last time on this walk. 

The final crossing of the River Frome - ford on Wraxall Lane, near Sandhills - ST58000

I joined the MacMillan Way briefly at this point and walked along the dappled road north to Holway Farm.

Holway Lane - ST58000

This was also back to familiar territory as I had walked this way twice before so didn't need the gridsquares, but enjoyed the warmth of spring and panoramic views over the rolling hills and tranquil farms of west Dorset.

View from North Holway Farm - ST5801

North Holway Farm - ST5801

The old Police Training College at Chantmarle provides an eerie contrast to the lushness and vivacity of its environs. Closed since 1995, the centre was allegedly haunted and the grounds bear poignant testimony to their erstwhile purposeful life. The manor house, meanwhile still looks lived in and in good condition.

Part of the old Police Training College at Chantmarle - ST5802

I'd been watching butterflies all day and paused to watch a Small Tortoiseshell on the croci in Chantmarle grounds.

Croci at Chantmarle - ST5802

I crossed the railway here via an attractive bridge and headed along Chantmarle Lane to the village of Frome St Quintin. It is about now that you realise how close to the A37 you really are as the sound of the Go Karts suddenly become louder.

Whilst we had walked through the village before, we had not taken the detour to the quaint little church here and I walked the gauntlet of the masked terrier in order to view this little gem.

St Mary's Church, Frome St Quintin - ST5902

It is then necessary to walk uphill past  Dawes Barton Farm to a crossroads and turn left towards Ladymeade Cottage, now derelict, to cross the railway again - look both ways - and walk through fields back to Evershot.

What a glorious walk and one I'm looking forward to revisiting with the group.

Number of hazardous gates: Innumerable

Number of times I crossed a tributary of the River Frome: 12

Number of gratuitous crossings of tributaries of the River Frome: 2

Number of miles walked: 11.8

Number of gratuitous miles: 1.5

Number of new gridsquares: 6

A Butterfly Scramble through Evershot

When we signed up to take part in the annual butterfly scramble we knew we would be allocated a 5 x 5 km square anywhere in Dorset, but, given that we know the organiser, we knew we'd get one pretty close to home. I didn't know we'd get one with lots of blank squares for me to fill in - but that's what happened!

We started at Evershot and immediately ran into trouble because we thought we'd take a short cut in preference to walking along the road. We headed towards the Sewage Works, but were supposed to turn right just before reaching it, but there was no obvious path. We strode off regardless and fought our way through bramble and nettles before finally accepting there was no path and retracing our steps to the road, past the school and onto the MacMillan Way, heading south.

MacMillan Way south of Evershot - ST5703

Counting butterflies as we went, we entered the next square and walked past Fortunes Wood Farm. I remembered having walked through the same farmyard the previous year, and having to wade through cow muck. Today it was very different conditions, very dry and pleasant.

Fortunes Wood Farm - ST5803

Approaching the old Police Training Centre at Chantmarle, The Centre was closed in 1995. Paul reminded me of a ghost story he'd heard about the place, from a policeman who trained there. He can't remember the details, but I've since found out another ghost story relating to the place:

For several years at the beginning of the 18th century a ghost had been reportedly heard in the Great Hall to repeat  three times 'Search for Wat Perkins!'  This occurred on the same night each year.  Then two workmen clearing a ditch found a headless skeleton. Following an investigation a widow living at nearby 'Kit Whistle' cottage confessed to the murder of a Scottish peddler some 22 years before.  She had buried his head under the cottages hearth stone and disposed of the body in the ditch. It is said that after her arrest the ghost was never heard from again.
(Source: http://www.thedorsetpage.com/locations/place/C104.htm)

A meadow was brimming with Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers as we walked through. Now undisturbed, it was once used as a football field, presumably for the trainee police officers.

Football field, now disused, at Chantmarle Police Trainig Centre - ST5802

Chantmarle Police Training Centre, closed in 1995 - ST5802

There is a lovely old bridge here if you take the road eastwards to Frome St Quintin, but we weren't heading that way today. We were heading south to North Holway Farm, counting butterflies. We stopped and ate our lunch just before North Holway Farm, amidst a cloud of white butterflies.

North Holway Farm - ST5803

Upon reaching Holway Lane, we took a  short diversion in order to enter another square, not to tick off another gridsquare for my blog this time, but to count butterflies. So we entered ST5701 and headed northwards, but only for a bit. After counting a dozen or so Red Admirals, we began to get a bit anxious about the time. We had been invited for a cream tea later that afternoon and that was something we didn't want to miss. So we checked out a couple of barns for potential bat roosting sites and retraced our steps.

Barn at West Holway - ST5701

We briefly entered ST5800 south of Holway Farm and made our way north through Holway Farmyard before heading east and crossing the railway line. Somewhere in this gridsquare we saw a dazzling Beautiful Demoiselle. We also paused after another little detour (owing to a seldom used stile being overgrown with a thicket) and our detour paid off as we watched the only two Silver-washed Fritillaries of our walk dance along the hedge.

Beautiful Demoiselle

After crossing the railway line (there's simply a sign exhorting you to 'Stop, Look and Listen'), we were heading gradually uphill, along the road a bit and turning eastwards again just before Higher Chalmington Farm.

Higher Chalmington Farm - ST5901

We were getting hot and anxious now. It was taking us much longer than usual to walk as we kept having to stop and make notes about the butterflies we were seeing. I suggested we didn't count for the next two squares so we could march purposefully on. Of course we ended up seeing more butterflies then, but our resolve was strong and the promise of the cream tea spurred us onwards.

Looking towards Old Wood - ST6001

We turned back on ourselves in ST6001 and headed back towards Evershot, through Frome St Quintin, a delightfully sleepy village with accommodating landowners and a wonky telephone box.

'You may use path 50 yards on right (Not so muddy) - Sign at Frome St Quintin - ST5902

A slightly wonky telephone box in Frome St Quintin - ST5902

We walked along the road north out of the village, past Dawes Barton Farm and took note of a handy bench for another time at our crossroads. We turned off onto a grass track and headed north-eastwards towards Evershot.

Ash Tree on path north of Frome St Quintin - ST5903

I was looking out for Ladymeade Cottage, expecting a cute little thatched cottage, but it is now a ruin and another possible roosting site for bats.

Ladymeade Cottage, near Holywell - ST5903

We crossed the railway line again at Holywell - this time there was a raised platform to facilitate the crossing.

Railway line at Holywell - ST5903

We briefly re-visited ST5803, passing Burl Farm,  and now I was recording the butterflies on an app on my phone which was much easier and quicker - but meant more work at home.

Burl Farm - ST5803

We were nearing our destination now, and looked for a different path. We didn't want to take the same path which had led to our getting lost at the beginning of the walk. But there didn't appear to be any other path, so we followed the one we were on and it led successfully back to the Common and to our car - and the Cream Tea was worth waiting for!

Field between Holywell and Evershott - ST5804

Species of butterfly seen:  11

No of times a footpath on the map didn't exist: 2

No. of ghosts seen: 0

No. of times we crossed a railway line: 2

No. of new gridsquares visited: 10

No. of miles walked: 9