Walks & Rides

Woodland Walks in Frampton

Buoyed up by the success of developing a Millennium Green in the village, a group of local people spotted a strip of woodland adjacent to the Village Hall that would make a great new asset to the community. The woodland, known as Harry's Wood, runs peacefully along the River Frome and being central to the village makes it very popular with dog walkers too.

Len Harris, who has been a leading light in the group, felt that much could be done to improve the woodland for walkers and for wildlife alike. The first steps for the group were to get specialist advice on what to do with the wood. They drew up a Management Plan for Harry's Wood on that advice and the butterfly and bird surveys they did themselves. As Ron pointed out ‘this project has turned up quite a lot of skills locally, unearthed lots of local knowledge'.

They've had to take their health and safety responsibilities seriously and trained up two volunteer chainsaw operators to clear dangerous trees from the path and roadside as well as doing a weekly safety check. Volunteers have also got involved in clearing elder to help other woodland plants grow, building new seats for walkers and installing bird and bat boxes too. One of the volunteers keeps a record of birds and butterflies and highlights them in a column in their monthly parish mag.

As well as surprising skills that have been unearthed, volunteer Peter Emery recently found what is thought to be Mesolithic worked flint and Bronze Age remains of an enclosure thought to have been a hunting camp - making Harry's Wood a very special place in the village indeed.

We all have different ideas about what makes a great landscape, so it's no surprise that there have been lots of different ideas of how to celebrate this special part of the world - and to explore it more too.

Understanding organic farms

Sydling Brook organic farm at Up Sydling is proud to part of the Organic Farms Network. Farming in a way that works with nature, they are keen that the land, air, water and wildlife are really looked after, not just for today but for ever. With this at the core of their work, they have developed a successful farm business including farm shop and incorporating Woolsery Cheese processing and Green & Pleasant co-operative on their land.

To demonstrate their enthusiasm for the organic way of farming, they produced a leaflet about the farm, what it grows and why. The leaflet is available at the farm shop so that visitors can understand where the food they buy comes from. Group visits to the farm are also available by arrangement.

Long Bredy Playing Fields

Present and future generations of families in Long Bredy will benefit from a shady area to sit & get closer to nature and bushes to play hide & seek in!

By planting new native trees & scrubs, constructing bird boxes and a picnic table, Long Bredy and Kingston Russell Parish Council have transformed their local playing field into a breathing place for people and wildlife. Getting local people involved in the planting and construction made light work of the project and created a simple but effective improvement to the playing fields.

Shillingstone trails

Shillingstone lies in the Stour Valley on the edge of the AONB in North Dorset and Shillingstone Parish Council were keen to develop two trails which explored the local landscape.

Two trails have been developed using existing public rights of way but making them much more accessible by removing all stiles. The Trails provide an easy link from the village out to the stunning countryside of the AONB, with striking views of Hambledon Hill.

The routes also link to the Wessex Ridgeway, North Dorset Trailway and local village facilities. A locally produced leaflet interprets the trails and the many features of interest.

Cattistock: enhancing access by foot in the village around the church.