Scheduled, self-guided Inland Heritage walking holiday

You can do our Inland Heritage trail either as a scheduled walking holiday or as an independent inn to inn hiking tour (see further below for each option).

The route, which involves very little road walking, winds its way through the best of rural Dorset, through mature woodland, along open ridges, over Celtic and Roman hill forts and into quiet, unspoilt English villages, all with their church and most with their pub. Although there are a few steep climbs, the terrain is mostly undulating.

There is an abundance of wildlife to see: rabbits, deer, foxes, squirrels, pheasants, buzzards, butterflies and many other fauna. For lovers of trees, hedgerows and wild flowers, this trail is ideal.

Even in the summer, the paths and tracks are usually deserted, and you are left to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the landscape on your own.

If you want to discover rural England as it really is - in one of the most beautiful, historic and unchanged parts of the country - then this holiday is ideal. It took us three months of trial and error to identify, walk and research this trail, and we are very pleased with the result. It is a 54 mile (87 km) walk of moderate difficulty from Shaftesbury to Dorchester. You can do all or part of it.

Our Inland Heritage trail takes you to:

• The hill-top town of Shaftesbury with its much photographed “Gold Hill”
• The royal hunting grounds of Cranborne Chase
• The weird and wonderful Larmer Tree Gardens
• A succession of beautiful stone and thatch villages
• The iron age hill forts of Hambledon Hill and Hod Hill
• Milton Abbey and the extraordinary village of Milton Abbas
• The quintessentially English village of Cerne Abbas and the mysterious “Cerne Giant”
• The historic town and museums of Dorchester.

Scheduled, self-guided walking holiday

To do the full Inland Heritage trail is an 8 night holiday - 6 days' walking, with one rest day in the middle. You can also do a short break of 4 nights - 3 days' walking.

The average daily walking distance is 9 miles, although you can do less than the full distance each day, since our vehicle can pick you up at almost any point where a road meets the trail. This is therefore a good option for families/groups with children or people of varying fitness or aptitude for walking.

We will collect you each morning from your inn, B&B; or hotel and drive you to the trail, and then take you back in the late afternoon.

We will give you our detailed and informative Inland Heritage Trail Guide that includes step by step walking directions and interesting background material on places along the trail.

As a back-up we will also lend you the relevant ordnance survey map with the trail highlighted.

Occasionally we may propose accommodation with a standard and price between A1 and A2.
 
We can sometimes offer family rooms and special prices for children, depending on the accommodation that is available at the time, but early booking is advisable. Please give us details of your requirements on the enquiry form.

Independent, self-guided inn to inn hiking tour

This is a simple and popular formula: you walk from one place on the trail to the next, staying in a different place each night, with your baggage transferred for you. You can choose your own dates, subject to room availability.

If you want to do the full trail, the number of nights will depend on your daily walking distance and whether you want any rest day(s). If you walk an average of 9 miles a day, you will complete the trail in 6 walking days (without any rest days), i.e. a 7 night holiday. You can, of course, walk more or fewer miles than this each day, and you can also decide to do only a part of the trail, if you wish, the minimum number of nights being 2.

So please give us as much information on the enquiry form as possible.

The accommodation along this trail is of a good standard, but the number of rooms is limited. Therefore this holiday is not appropriate for large groups. We strongly advise you to book early. Many places are full of character and of a standard and price between our A1 and A2 categories.

As with all our holidays, the price includes a full English breakfast each morning (or continental if you prefer) and a detailed and informative Trail Guide that includes step by step walking directions, interesting background material and all other information that you might need for your holiday. We will also supply you with the relevant ordnance survey map(s), with the footscape trail highlighted, as a back-up.