7. Fontmell Down and Melbury Hill

A choice of two walks of different lengths with an optional extension of both to include Melbury Beacon.

Walk A - approximately 3 ¼ miles
Walk B - approximately 1 ¾ miles
Point (b) to summit and return ¾ .miles (steep climb)

Leave Shaftesbury on the A30 Salisbury road and just after the round-about by the Royal Chase Hotel turn right on the B3081 Tollard Royal Road but, where this turns sharp left after one mile, continue straight on downhill through Dina's Hollow and the village of Melbury Abbas, and then up Spread Eagle Hill. Park in a small car park (National Trust) on the right just before the summit.

N.B. There are sheep and cattle on the Downs, and dogs must always be kept on leads.

Walk A

Walk from the car park to the top of the hill on the National Trust path along the side of the road (Compton Abbas Airfield can be seen to the left of the road).

Cross the stile at the end and turn right along the fence to the edge of the prehistoric dyke which cuts across the top of the hill and may well have once defended a settlement

You are now on Fontmell Down, an area of unspoilt land managed in the traditional manner so that butterflies and wild flowers still abound. The view to the left is across one of Dorset Wildlife Trust's reserves and down the valley to Longcombe Bottom.

Cross the dyke and go half right towards the corner of the wood to a stile in the wire fence. Cross this, turn left following the fence, and about 100 metres beyond the edge of the wood (opposite a stile and field gate) bear slightly right on an old trackway and walk down the hill. You will pass one old boundary stone on your left.

Go through a wooden field gate, and continue straight ahead on the left hand side of the field, with trees on your left. Turn right at the far end of the field and continue, keeping the wire fence on your left. Cross a stile, go ahead keeping to the left hand side of the field and through a metal waymarked pedestrian gate on the left hand side. Follow the enclosed path (can be muddy) to a lane. You are now in the village of Compton Abbas.

Turn right and keep right at the fork. At the T-junction turn right and continue along the lane until you reach a church tower on your left. You are now in the hamlet of East Compton, and the tower is all that remains of the 15th century church which was demolished a hundred years ago. It stands in the midst of old grave stones and the crumbling base of a medieval cross. The eroded faces of grotesques can be seen at the top of the tower and there is a mounting block next to the post-box by the churchyard gate.

Continue ahead to a T junction, turn left and almost immediately take the bridle-path indicated to the right. (Point 'a' on the sketch map).

* Continue on this track until you reach a gate at the foot of the downs. Just beyond there are two further gates. Take the right hand gate and follow the track up the hill.

The track joins a wider track and continues uphill around the side of Melbury Hill until you come to a wire fence. Turn left and follow this fence until you come to a wooden gate. Go through this. (Point 'b' on the sketch map.) You will see the old village of Melbury Abbas below. (See end of Walk B for optional extension).

Turn right and walk uphill keeping the fence on your right. Go over a stile, turn half right and follow the footpath by the side of the road to the car park. You may see small planes taking off from Compton Abbas airfield.

Walk B

From the lower right hand corner of the car park take the track signposted ‘Unsuitable for Motors’ and follow it down to the bottom of the slope, where it becomes a tarmac lane, bearing right. Follow this until you come to a wooden bridle-path sign on your right. (Point 'a' on the sketch map). The bridle path is just past a road junction on your left and opposite a line of four mature beech trees.

You may care to make a short diversion to look at the old church tower on your left (details given in the route of walk A).

Turn right on to the bridle-path, and follow the route of Walk A from * (Point ‘a’ on the sketch map) back to the car park.

Optional Extension of Walks

At point 'b' turn left and keeping the fence on your left climb to the top of Melbury Hill. On the peak there is an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on the site of the medieval beacon point, which in turn was probably set on the re-mains of an ancient burial ground. Spectacular views can be had in all directions. To the north you see Shaftesbury, with Duncliffe Hill, the Blackmore Vale and the distant hills of Somerset to the west of it, and the wooded uplands of Cranborne Chase to the east, with Salisbury Plain in the distance. The view to the south extends to the Purbeck Hills.

Return by the same route.

Map 7. Fontmell Down and Melbury Hill