Sixpenny Handley Dorset round walk.

backpackers club, dorset, sixpenny handley, Walk, Walking

This weeks #walkwednesday route we thought we would post here for you to share. This is a cracking walk we did as part of the Dorset Backpackers meet recently. We were camping at Church Farm for the weekend, but you can start at the Church instead and walk through to the start. Starting at Sixpenny Handley you walk through prime Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire countryside taking in woods, fields and stunning views from the top of Pentridge Down.

START OS ST 9956 1727

Distance: 17 km (10 miles)

Max Altitude: 182 m

Min Altitude: 72 m

Height Gain: 323 m

Height Loss: 332 m

DIRECTIONS

Starting at the church, take the left hand turning on the corner of the road outside to head up to Church Farm campsite.
Go past the campsites cafe/toilet block on the left hand side and turn right through a gap in the hedge following a path to the left hand side of the track.
Come out through a gap in the hedge and follow the right hand side of the field. Turn left along the boundary of the second field you come to and head for the houses opposite.

Once over the field cross the stile and carry straight on up Oaskley Lane which becomes a track.
Keep following the path until you cross the A354, take a path to the left hand side of the garage and follow the path in to the middle of the next field, heading slightly right away from the left hand edge of the field.
The post pointing the way was down so pay attention! When in the centre of the field you join another path from behind and head down and left to the bottom corner of the field.
Go through a gate and join a track until you get to a muddy T Junction where you head right, bending round to the left steeply uphill.
Head left for the clump of gorse bushes in the centre of Pentridge Hill and up to a wooded area to join a path to the right of it.

Follow the ridge on Pentridge Down with some quite stunning views. Bear left away from the path downhill towards a farm.
Rejoin the path heading past Whitey Top Farm and turn left along the road at the bottom (Earthpits Lane).
Take the first road on the right (Morgans Lane) and swing left in between the buildings following the path to Pentridge Church – a super lunch spot.

Coming back out of the church, head left up on the path in front of cottages to follow the left hand side of the field back on to the road.
At a sharp dog leg left on the left (Peaked Post), follow the path to the right through a wooded section and take the left hand branch shortly afterwards.
Follow the path along the right hand side of the field then switch to the other side of the hedge half way along towards Bokerley Farm.
Follow the path to the road and turn left and cross the A354 to take the road virtually opposite in to Woodyates.
Where the road curves to the right, take the path off to the left and follow the path behind some houses, tracking the path as it curves around to cross over the road up to Woodyates Manor. Continue following the path on a solid track across fields until you come to a road.
Follow the road for a short distance and then turn right in to Garston Wood. Follow the path through the wood then turn left along a path heading left out of the wood along fields.
It get’s a little muddy here but keep going with a hedge on your left hand side until you get to a quiet road – turn left.
After a couple of hundred yards or so find a path heading downhill to the left of a group of houses to join Dean Lane. Turn left.
Follw Dean lane past the road on your right (dean lane drove) then take a right afterwards to follow a footpath up the hill.
Keep following the path before taking a sharp left through a gate in to the campsite and back to the camp or church.

Sep

New tea boy in town

Gareth

eCommerce, Uncategorized Tags

dorset, london, relocation, work

Today is a strange day and a strange blog post for me. Life has been chaotic and disconcerting for my family for the last four weeks for a fairly monumental reason. My wife and I have both resigned from our jobs, we have sold our house and are currently living out of the back of a large estate car. Couple this with the fact we have a 1 year old son and most people would be scratching their heads and wondering if we lived in one of the many conflict zones around the world. Thankfully, the reason is a much happier, though still nervous and exciting one. We have given up two succesful careers in London for me to come and work for Webtogs.

Lots of emotions and thoughts have been discussed before we decided to make this move. On the caution side we both had good jobs, at Northern Trust for me and English Partnerships for Cath. I was also concerned about working with such a good friend as James as my friendship with him is worth a great deal to me and I didn’t want this affected. There was also the fact that Cath would be giving up her job to become a full time Mum. All these concerns however have been outweighed by the positives. First and foremost, Webtogs has grown in the short time it has been live to be an extremely successful business. For me personally I get to combine my passion for hill walking as my job which is just the nuts. I also get to work in a completely differernt environment to the corporate life I have become accustomed to and I am looking forward to a working style that is miles away from the suits I used to wear. Finally, we get to live in some beautiful countryside and our son gets to grow up in Dorset instead of SE London.

So here we are. Moving from friends house to friends house, saying goodbye to people we love in London and on the cusp of a new adventure with Webtogs. I’m nervous but do you know what? I just can’t wait to be a part of this business!!!