cambe

I will be visiting The South of England next week with my 84 yr old Mum and my sister. My Mum lives in Hove and my sister and I live in Belfast so this is a short holiday for us to spend some quality time with our mother.

We will spend the first 2 nights in a village outside Salisbury, visiting Salisbury on the first day. The following day we want to do a tour visiting picturesque villages, we then head for Wells, Bath and the Cotswolds. I am torn between the New Forest and Hardy's Dorset, please help!

The following itinerary's are approx 100miles round trip which I am OK with as we will probably start about 8am and return around 6pm giving us 10 hours. Our Mum is very agile but not up to walking long distances so our intention is to stop for coffee, lunch, cream tea and a little wander around small villages/towns - no hiking.

Itinerary 1 - New Forest

Salisbury - Beaulieu - Burley - Fordingbridge - Cranborne - Tollard Royal - Ashmore - Win Green - Salisbury.

Itinerary 2 - Dorset

Salisbury - Shaftesbury - Sherborne - Cerne Abbas - Milton Abbas - Blandford Forum - Salisbury.

Itinerary 3 - New Forest and Dorset (not sure about this, the main purpose is to visit Corfe Castle).

Salisbury - Lymington - Christchurch - Corfe Castle - Blandford Forum - Salisbury.

Please give your opinion and any suggestions would be most appreciated but please don't suggest the Jurassic Coast and Lyme Regis. I have read about them and they sound lovely but are too far away. I am also interested if you think I am too ambitious with only one day.

Thanks

avalon

Well I could spend a whole day and have in both Sherborne and Blandford Forum, I'm inclined to say it seems a biut ambitious to cover those as well as Shaftesbury and Cerne Abbas. That is my favorite part of England so I would do that one but drop off Milton Abbas. YOu might squeeze in Corfe Castle. Corfe requires quite a bit of uphill walking to get to the castle site

Megdorset

Hi. I assume you will have a car.

To get the most of Corfe Castle you really need to visit the castle itself which might be too much of a walk. However you could drive past the castle and perhaps onto Tyneham - walking around there is quite level. This village was abandoned in WW2 & is now a ruin apart from the church, schoolroom and 1930s phone box.

Shaftesbury is full of hills - but if you stick to the town centre and enjoy the views you will be fine.

Dont miss Milton Abbas - possibly the most picturesque main street in England - you could just drive through on your way to Blandford.

Going to Cerne (which is quite level) - you go throught the Piddle Valley which is very picturesque and after Cerne consider a 5 mile detour through Sydling st Nicholas which is very pretty.

cambe

Thank you Avalon that is what I want to hear.

If I am understanding you correctly Sherborne, Corfe Castle and Blanford Forum might be possible in one day?

My Mum walks from Hove to Brighton every day but it is on the flat. I think she would be OK with the uphill with my sister and me giving her a hand.

Thank you

cambe

Megdorset, thank you

Driving through a lovely village like Milton Abbas is good. I like the fact that Cerne is level and the detour.

We really want to see Gold Hill in Shaftesbury (We all love the Hovis Add), can we just do this on our way through Shaftesbury?

Megdorset

hi. For Gold Hill, Shaftesbury just park in one of the main car parks and to the top of Gold hill it is a level 5 minute walk. Follow the signs for the abbey and you get splendid countryside views. Car park to Gold hill to abbey is all level and at the most a 10 minute walk. Just driving through you wont actually see Gold Hill.

Milton Abbas - Do drive along the main street with the thatched cottages - you wont regret it.

Cerne Abbas is very level - some pleasant village walks..

If you are interested in Thomas Hardy then Higher Bockhampton is worth a stop. The cottage he was born in (National trust) is a level walk (5 - 10 mins) from the car park there.

cambe

Meg, thank you that is most helpful

Dorset it is and if we have time we will try and fit Higher Bockhampton in - we are all Hardy fans.

Thanks again.

bilboburgler

if you do beaulieu then try also bucklers hard, but that itinary looks too long

Similar to the lymington one

Also a bit concerned by the Dorset one's length. Still if you go at it steady you may ok. Now where to have lunch?