Child Okeford and Hammoon

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Walk directions

Leave the car park and walk under the redundant railway bridge and turn immediately left. Go through the gate and follow blue markers up the farm road, passing Bere Marsh Farm. Pass a house on the left and go straight on through a gate.

Just after Bere Marsh Cottage, turn left through a gate, following a sign marked ‘Trailway’. Bear to the right of the burial ground, down a broad, grassy ride. Follow this bridleway (blue markers) straight across the fields for a mile (1.6km) to Hammoon. You will pass Diggers Copse on the right and, initially, the bridleway runs along the line of a former railway on the left. Turn right at a public bridleway sign to go immediately through a galvanised gate. The route is now straight ahead, though you will have to skirt round the field-edges if the fields are planted. After the fifth gate pass Downs Farmhouse. The track becomes a road. Bend left then right to emerge opposite the stump of an ancient cross. Cross over to look at Hammoon’s church and walk up the lane to admire the (private) Manor Farm.

Return to the main road and turn left. After crossing the weir climb a concrete stile on the right. Head across the field bearing right, away from the treeline, to meet the river. Cross a footbridge over a stream at the end of the field and look ahead for a glimpse of the red-brick Fontmell Parva House. Go diagonally right across the field to a gateway in the corner by the river (yellow marker) then bear right along the edge of the field, above the river. Go through another gate and after 400yds (365m) along the right-hand edge of the field, turn left to a line of trees. Follow waymarked directions along the right side of the trees, with self-storage sheds visible behind those to your left.

At the corner of the field go through a gate and down the lane. At the road turn right into Child Okeford (the Saxon Inn is further down here, on the left). At Mulberry House (just past the Bower turning sign) turn right and immediately follow the direction of a white wooden arrow in the grass on the left to access a path between wooden railings. Walk down an enclosed path, behind some houses, to go through a galvanised gate into a field. Continue along the left edge, go through another gate, and head along a path behind hedges.

Emerge at a lane and turn right. Soon turn left at a gate and follow a path between fences, then cross a field to four gates close together, keeping to the right side of a stream. Walk along the left edge of the field, go through a gateway and keep straight on. Go through two more gates then, ignoring a half-left path that leads to a footbridge in a copse, bear diagonally left in line with distant buildings across the field to reach a raised footbridge, high above the water. Cross this concrete bridge and keep straight on towards a bridge in the hedge. Cross over and bear left to the corner of the field, to return to the start.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Field boundaries, grassy tracks, firm road, grassy bridleways

Landscape - Open farmland, dominated by Hambledon Hill

Dog friendliness - Some unfriendly stiles

Parking - Trailway car park near old brick railway bridge

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in Dorset Dog-friendly walks in Dorset

About the walk

Child Okeford and Hammoon are just two of the mysterious names of the villages around the green meadows of the Stour Valley. Child Okeford, in the shadow of Hambledon Hill, is one of a triumvirate of Okefords. To the south lies pretty Okeford Fitzpaine, and the nearby quarrying village of...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Dorset is made up of rugged coastlines, high chalk downlands and a chain of picturesque villages and seaside towns that make up Britain’s Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, noted for its layers of shale and numerous fossils embedded in the rock. Hidden gems of Dorset can be found down winding, country lanes that lead to snug villages hidden from view.