1. Round the North of the Town

Shorter walk - approximately 1¾ miles
Longer walk - approximately 2½ miles

Starting from the Town Hall, with your back to it, turn left and go through the passage by the Oxfam Shop on to Park Walk.

The Abbey Ruins are on your right and are open from Easter to September. On the other side of Park Walk, beyond the War Memorial there is a panoramic dial explaining the magnificent view to the south.

At the War Memorial turn right into Abbey Walk, passing the Westminster Memorial Hospital on your left.

Turn left at the end into Bimport, (meaning 'the street within the gate' of the Abbey). Pass 17th century Ox House, referred to in Hardy's novel 'Jude the Obscure' and follow the blue sign to the right to Castle Hill.

Go straight ahead and across the grass to an iron kissing gate.

Before going through this gate you may like to follow the tarmac path on your left to another panoramic dial. You can see Glastonbury Tor on a clear day. By looking down at the views to both the north and the south you get a good impression of the size of the spur of green stone on which the Saxon town was built.

From the gate follow the track steeply downhill - this can be very slippery after rain – at the bottom of the hill turn right on to the narrow path between the houses to the road (Breach Lane).

Turn right to the Fountain Inn. You are now in Enmore Green, whose wells supplied Shaftesbury with water for centuries

Cross the medieval and coaching road called Tout Hill - 'tout' means lookout - at the foot of its steep ascent to Shaftesbury, and go down Sally
King's Lane opposite. At the end of the lane go straight ahead on to a footpath between two houses with a hedge on your right; the path leads through an overgrown hedge to the A30 road. Cross the road to a waymarked wooden gate.

From the gate turn right and follow the fence to a stile and farm gate between two bungalows. Go straight ahead passing a yard and concrete sheds on your right. Pass through the gateway and turn immediately down the footpath to the left to the Gillingham road near Payne’s Place House. Please do NOT go down the private tarmac drive to the road.

This farmhouse, built in 1851 is on the site of another building of the same name shown on a map of 1615

Turn right uphill and at first bend turn left - signposted 'Motcombe 2 miles'.

a) Shorter Route

Immediately past the letter box turn right up a path through the trees, coming out by the A30 again, just below the Ivy Cross roundabout.

Keeping the roundabout on your left cross the A30, and the next road -Bleke Street - and take the path to the left of the Shaftesbury Town Silver Band Hall and on across the Recreation Ground with a hedge on the right.

Go along the path to left of the red brick bungalows into Barton Hill. Turn right and walk down Bell Street. Note the 19th Century warehouse on your right and the variety of 17th, 18th and 19th century town houses some of which contain in their walls stones 'acquired' from the Abbey.

At the end bear left across the Commons to the Town Hall.

b) Longer Route

Go along the Motcombe road and take the first driveway on the right. Go into the drive of Pensbury Close and through a gateway to the right of a five barred gate.

Follow the path round to a stile in the beech hedge. Continue across a small paddock and over another stile. Follow the path along the edge of woodland to your right. Just before reaching a stile, look back to your left for a good view of Duncliffe Hill and its wood now in the care of the Woodland Trust.

Go over the stile and follow the track uphill through trees to cross another stile - the last! Keep straight on and up the steps on a path leading to Grosvenor Road (A350). Turn right along this road to the Ivy Cross roundabout. Go straight over into Bleke Street, and follow this bearing left at the end to the Town Hall.

Map 1 Round the North of the Town