Tog Blog » Walking

Sixpenny Handley Dorset round walk.

Gareth — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:15:54 +0000

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.

Essential Guide to Walking Kit

Gareth — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:00:18 +0000

We had fun earlier in the year meeting up with Andy from Walks around Britain and Dave from MyOutdoors whilst up in the Peak District. We were already shooting a short video on a walk around Coombs Dale, whilst we were there, we had a chance to shoot the following short video on what sort of gear you might need when starting walking.

For those of you new to walking, the video gives a great intro to the sort of kit you will need to take when heading out for a days strolling, whether that be in the hills or valleys. We would recommend at least the following gear, as weather conditions can change rapidly when you are out and about.

- Small rucksack of between 15 & 25 litres in size
- Good pair of walking boots, spend the lions share of your budget on this.
- Baselayer to push or wick sweat away from your body, it should be synthetic or merino wool (not cotton!)
- A Midlayer, generally fleece, either heavy or light depending on the weather and a spare one in case of emergency.
- An outerlayer, usually a waterproof jacket, but can be a soft shell which is a water resistant and wind proof layer.
- Good pair of walking trousers and a pair of waterproof trousers if the weather looks bad. Don#’t wear jeans, if they get wet, they are rather uncomfortable, again stick to synthetic options which are hard wearing, water resistant and dry quickly.
- Compass.
- Map (great guide from Ordanance Survey here on choosing the right map).
- First aid kit.
- Food & Drink as you burn a lot of calories out strolling.
- Hat & Gloves (make it a sun hat for summer along with some sun cream).

This is just a basic list, so take in to account if you are doing anything more strenuous, or if you are heading in to the mountains, you may well need more equipment.

What would you consider essential for your rucksack or clothing when heading outside?

Get outdoors over the bank holiday

sian — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:25:05 +0000

Take advantage of Kate and Will’s kind gift of a free day off and get outdoors! If you’re not into sitting inside, glued to live footage of someone else’s shindig, the day of the Royal Wedding is the perfect time to escape, as beauty spots will be empty as would-be ramblers stay shackled to the TV. Here’s our list of where to go and what to do.

Catch the bluebells. Countryfile have a list of the best bluebell woods in the UK,
whilst Visit Woods lets you type in your postcode and find the carpet of bluebells nearest to you.

The National Trust’s top 10 places to visit over easter are all stunners, from castles to rocky islands.

In need of inspiration? Live for the Outdoors have a fantastic destination guide. Click on the place nearest to you for walks on and off the beaten path.

If you feel more like celebrating than avoiding the big party, check out my list at Countryfileon the best ways to celebrate being British.

And if the weather doesn’t stay fine, you can always hang out indoors and prep your gear with LFTO’s handy guide to caring for boots, waterproofs and sleeping bags.

The Girl Outdoors

Four years is too long a time to not share a path with the ones you love.

Gareth — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:47:10 +0000

I’ve done something I haven’t done for several years this week. I walked in the hills with my wife. Doesn’t sound like much does it, but when you factor in that our eldest is now 3, thats nearly 4 years since we have been for a decent walk together, and by that I mean something over 2 miles without blackmailing / cajoling / carrying a tiny guy along as well. It’s been such a long time, it felt a little strange to start off with, but the silence soon lost it’s edge and became the comfortable companionship I had missed. I’m not sure what it is, but hill walking and car journeys always seem to be the easiest places to talk to people. The quality of conversation that you get on the path or the front seat of a long trip, seem to be head and shoulders above the conversations we normally try and fit in to our busy lives. Not having anywhere to go except the journey, the lack of internet, demands of work and everyday life result in communication that is to be cherished.

The plan wasn’t always for a wander, we woke up at Cath’s folks house and decided when looking at the heavy hoar frost that it would be a stunning day for a wander. Persuading Grandma and Grandpa was done first thing, and the boys didn’t even turn round as we bolted out the door. We needed a gentle, swift wander as we didn’t want to leave the boys all day, so we headed on over to Cutthroat bridge, just up from Ladybower reservoir to park up. We were heading off to a bit of the Peaks I had not been too before, up to Strines reservoir, before heading across to an old favourite, blackhole moor and down to Derwent edge.

It’s been a while since I have been in the hills with Cath, so Monday was a bit of a dreamy day, my memories now I am back at the PC is of the chuckle of many grouse, trying to break through ice sheets whilst giggling, the silent movement of mist and cloud across the heather, and the beauty & majesty of Peak district gritstone. We’ve just been looking at some of the photos we have taken, and it’s lovely to share a smile and memories we have had together again of the hills. Time to plan some more dates, it’s been too long.

Dartmoor at Easter

Gareth — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:00:35 +0000

Moving down to the South West has been a great move, but it’s not the first time I have lived down here. We lived just outside of Plymouth until I was 10 when I moved away. Part of the reason I love the outdoors as much as I do is the fact that when we lived there, my parents always took us to Dartmoor walking. Having such a beautiful wilderness on our doorstep really influenced my love of all things wild and this Easter saw us head down to Dartmoor for the first time in nearly 25 years.

Walking over the tors and moors really brought back memories, the chuckle of water in the many streams, the call of grouse and the feeling of space and wilderness you get in so very few areas of Britain these days. Ifor in particular loved it, we had him walking as much as possible as there were no hills to fall down, it really is a great place for kids.

We did two walks, the first was over Brich tor, through the standing stones and back up over Hambledown tor. The standing stones in particular were incredibly atmospheric and go back to the Bronze age. On the Sunday, we headed down to Badgers Holt and went straight up Yar Tor, Down to Sherwell, back through clapper bridge and over the stepping stones (hairy with a kid on your back) before heading back for a well deserved cuppa. The clouds threatened but didn’t deliver leaving us with a cool and calm walk, and the whole weekend awakened a love affair with Dartmoor again.

We’ll be back.