Peacock butterfly enjoying the sunshine — See if you can spot a butterfly on this walk at Kingston Lacy | © Nick Ashby

Dorset

Walk at White Mill and the Droves, Kingston Lacy

Enjoy this relaxing circular walk through the water meadows by the River Stour, taking in short stretches on scenic country lanes and along gravel tracks.

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Total steps: 8

Start point

Car park opposite White Mill; grid ref: ST958007

Step 1

Turn right as you leave the car park, and then right at the junction onto Mill Lane, walking away from White Mill itself up the straight country lane.

Shapwick village

The village of Shapwick lies directly across the river Stour. The parish name derives from the Saxon meaning: sheep village. It was the smallest of the four Manors in East Dorset and pre-dates the Norman period. The village centre has an old stone cross, now a memorial to the men of the First and Second World Wars. In 1800 there were 409 inhabitants; today there are 197. The predominant employment in the area is agriculture. Two mills for corn and grain existed here.

Step 2

Turn right up the waymarked bridleway and continue straight on past farm buildings, until reaching the junction with Park Lane.

Step 3

Turn right and walk down Park Lane, passing New Barn Farm on your right.

Step 4

At the junction, cross the road and continue straight on, following the bridleway Sweetbriar Drove. The walking surface is normally dry, being on chalk. The surrounding farmland is a mixture of arable and of particular value to birds. Continue down to the end of the drove.

Sweetbriar Drove

Sweetbriar Drove was the medieval route to Shapwick before the more southerly road by the Stour was adopted, and used to be the main road to Blandford. Looking south-easterly along the drove, the tower on the horizon is at Charborough Park Estate. At the end of the drove in the 1980s, a Roman and Iron Age settlement was discovered in the field to the north. The latter was likely a farmstead with connections to the ancient hillfort at Badbury.

Step 5

As Sweetbriar Drove comes to an end, the path forks. Follow the right-hand fork onto Kingston Lacy Drove and the perimeter belt of Kingston Lacy Park. The woodland to the left of the path is known as Coneygar, associated with the breeding of rabbits in the medieval period. Artificial banks may have encouraged the creation of burrows. This section of the walk can be muddy underfoot after rain.

Step 6

Take the first right-hand turning off Kingston Lacy Drove and join the Stour Valley Way as it heads towards Sturminster Marshall. Follow the path straight down until it joins the Shapwick to Cowgrove road.

Step 7

Turn right when you reach the road. After approximately 220yd (200m) cross the stile on your left, next to a metal gate. In the summer, you can continue along the road to make a short diversion to visit longtime tenants of the estate, Barford Farm ice cream garden and shop.

Step 8

Cross the pasture, heading towards a line of trees. Cross a second stile and continue along the footpath as it follows the bank of the Stour back towards White Mill, passing over several stiles. Upon reaching White Mill follow the road a short distance before turning left and then right back into the car park.

White Mill

Henry Bankes was responsible for having White Mill rebuilt in 1776 and the National Trust have conserved the 18th century wooden machinery. The millstones remained in use right until the end of the 19th century, grinding grain (grist) for both flour and animal feed. The arched bridge here is reputed to be the oldest in Dorset. White Mill is open April-October at weekends and on bank holiday Mondays. National Trust members free.

End point

Car park opposite White Mill; grid ref: ST958007

Trail map

White Mill and the Droves map, Kingston Lacy — White Mill and the Droves map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey

White Mill on the River Stour, on the Kingston Lacy estate, Dorset

Trail

Walk at White Mill and Shapwick

Starting by an 18th-century mill, this moderate walk goes over rough pasture, alongside the River Stour, through the picturesque village of Shapwick and returns on lanes to White Mill.

View of Pamphill across the River Stour, on the Kingston Lacy Estate, Dorset

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Walk at Eye Bridge and Pamphill, Kingston Lacy

Enjoy a peaceful walk upstream along this picturesque stretch of the Stour river, with ancient woodland and an array of interesting birdlife to observe along the way.

View of Beech Avenue from the Droves at Kingston Lacy in autumn

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Walk at the Beech Avenue and Droves, Kingston Lacy

Walk around the network of droves and along the tree-lined Beech Avenue at Kingston Lacy. This circular trail takes you back along the outskirts of the Kingston Lacy parkland.

Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 4EA

01202883402

kingstonlacy@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Walk at White Mill and the Droves, Kingston Lacy

Total steps: 8