Tag: Ox Drove

  • Milestones and Bunkers

    Milestones and Bunkers

    Like so many people I find the winter months a gradual drain on my mood.  In years gone by when I commuted to London for work we headed to Lanzarote for a couple of weeks winter sunshine to lift my spirits.  It is over ten year since we did that and increasingly the lack of daylight and dull skies wear me down and I lose my bounce.

    Spending time out walking helps lift my spirits, but during the winter there is always a spell when each walk is a trudge through the mud, or I am heading into driving rain.  My mood is not helped by having Raynaud’s disease meaning that in colder weather my fingers and toes turn numb making even simple tasks very difficult.

    Most of my winter walking is a solitary pastime. Lynnie is occasionally tempted to join me but apart from that and the odd day out with walking buddies I am on my own with Crosby.  I like walking on my own, but there are times when the company of others perks up a walk.

    Today I am out with my walking buddies Mandy, Nigel and Gary.  We are going to have a jamabout around Grovely Wood and as luck would have it we are forecast a bright day once the morning mist has lifted.  

    Our starting point is a parking area besides a drove at the west end of the woods (Grid Ref: SU007347).  We set off along the drove heading in a south-easterly direction.  It is a chilly start to the day but the sky is clear and we have a good view across the valley with the fog hanging below us.

    This track is an ancient drove known as Ox Drove, a common term in this area for a track which was used to drive cattle to market.  This particular route linked Chicklade and Wilton and we soon encounter an old milestone sitting to the left of the track.  It is dated 1759 and indicates that we are 9 miles from Sarum, the old name for Salisbury.

    It is a cracking morning and the frost still lies on the ground as we head along the drove.

    Stopping to take in the view behind us I spot a stunning fog bow.  This is similar to a rainbow, but is created by the sun interacting with water droplets in the fog.  I cannot recall seeing one before.

    The Ox Drove we are following is also part of the Monarch’s Way, a long distance walking route retracing the journey made by Charles II after the battle of Worcester.  The 615-mile way starts from Worcester and after a convoluted route reaches the Dorset coast and then heads east to finally end at Shoreham-on-Sea. 

    At a junction with Fir Drove we stay with the Ox Drove and Monarch’s Way to head uphill in an easterly direction.

    At a junction of tracks just before West Thornhills copse we leave the Monarch’s Way, which forks to the left.  We stay on Ox Drove forking right to pass the copse and carry on to reach East Thornhills.

    The track now descends to a junction of paths and a minor road.  There is a small parking area here and another milestone beside the path bears the inscription “VI Miles from Sarum 1750” .

    We continue east on the Ox Drove, ascending again we get fine views across to Cranborne Chase with the fog still lingering in the valley to the south.

    Just before reaching a junction of paths we pass another milestone.  The inscription on this stone is difficult to make out, apparently it said “V Miles to Sarum 1750”.

    At the junction of paths we continue straight on towards Ugford Red Buildings.

    At a junction of paths by the farm buildings we turn left and keep left as the path forks, this takes us along a line of attractive beech trees. 

    At a junction of paths we turn right and then after a couple of hundred yards take a left along the wide track called First Broad Drive.

    After 500 yards, shortly before the Grim’s Ditch joins the drove, we turn left into the trees to visit the Handsel Sisters.  These are ancient beech trees within this section of pine woodland.

    The Handsel sisters were born in Denmark in the 1700’s and moved to the Wilton area.  Soon after they arrived an outbreak of smallpox claimed 136 lives.  Locals were convinced the sisters were responsible for the deaths and they were accused of witchcraft and an alliance with the devil.  Without an official hearing they were taken to Grovely Woods and bludgeoned to death.  They were then buried some distance apart to stop them conspiring against their murderers.

    There are conflicting tales about the origins of the beech trees, one is that they were planted to mark the graves as a warning to others who might consider practicing witchcraft.  The other that the trees grew on top of the unmarked graves as a reminder to locals of their murders.

    Of the four original trees three remain.  The largest of the trees is strewn with offerings to the sisters.  There are reported sightings of the ghosts of the sisters in this area of woodland and pages on the internet dedicated to the spooky goings on here.  I am not sure what to believe, but the trees have grown in a very strange way and there is certainly a feel about this area that makes me slightly uneasy.

    Having visited the trees we make our way back to First Broad Drive and follow this heading west.  Shafts of sunlight are shining through the trees giving a dramatic effect.

    It is very pleasant walking along the wide track feeling the warmth of the sun.  This is just the sort of thing to lift the spirits, walking with friends in cracking woodland in the sunshine!

    At a crossing of tracks close to Grovely Lodge we continue straight on to join Second Broad Drive.  We decide to take advantage of the sunshine and stop besides the track for some lunch.  

    We don’t hang about too long because despite the sun it soon feels chilly when you are inactive.  Continuing along Second Broad Drive we pass Four Sisters Copse and then leave the main track turning right to follow a path through the trees heading northwest towards the Little Langford Down Nature Reserve.  Like much of Grovely Wood this is open access land so there are no way-markers and we take care to ensure we skirt the top of a valley before turning north through Langford Woods.

    This is a stunning section of woodland maintained as a nature reserve by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.  We stay with a broad ride through the trees to reach the northern end of Langford Woods where there is a barbed wire fence.  This marks the edge of the access land.  Here we make a brief excursion into the field to visit the Ordnance Survey trig pillar on the ramparts of Grovely Castle Iron Age hill fort.

    Back in the woods we retrace our steps through the nature reserve, this time when we reach the top of the valley we fork right on a ride passing an area marked on the map as Powten Stone.  Despite searches over many years by many people the actual location of the stone is unknown but it still justifies being recorded on the map.

    We rejoin the Second Broad Drive and turn right to head west.  During the Second World War these woods played an important role as a storage location for ordnance.  As a result the old Roman Road which we are now walking along was paved to allow easy access for military vehicles.

    Apparently bombs were stored in the woods and fuses and other volatile munitions were stored in hundreds of bunkers.  A couple of these bunkers still remain and one is located by the track, it is easy to identify because someone has sprayed ‘Bunker” by the entrance.

    We stop to have a peek inside, I am not sure I would have wanted to be in such a confined space with volatile ordnance.

    Our route continues along Second Broad Drive, it is getting late in the afternoon and the sun has lost its warmth and there is a definite chill to the air.

    We keep our eyes peeled for a second bunker besides the track, this one is not so easy to find because it is overgrown.  This one has been bricked up presumably to prevent it from being damaged.

    We stay with Second Broad Drive until we reach the edge of the woods, here we turn left besides a barn and follow a track along the northern edge of the wood to reach a minor road.  We turn left to walk through Dinton Beeches and return to our starting point.

    We have covered over thirteen and half miles and it has been a cracking walk.  The sunshine and company of friends has gone a long way to lifting my spirits.  Roll on spring!

    You can view this 13.5 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow this walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer Map OS 130 Salisbury & Stonehenge 

    13th January 2022

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2022)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Droves and Trig Pillars on Cranborne Chase

    Droves and Trig Pillars on Cranborne Chase

    Today I am heading back onto Cranborne Chase with two of my walking buddies, Mandy and Ged.  Over the last year we have walked regularly together and explored parts of the local area I have not previously walked.  We start our walk from the car park of All Saints Church in Broad Chalk, which is busy as there is an event on, but we get confirmation it is okay to leave the car.

    From the car park we turn right onto the minor road and after fifty yards take a footpath on the left that leads across fields with the River Ebble to our left.  

    On joining a minor road we turn left and then almost immediately take a footpath on the right continuing across fields to reach Knighton Mill.  After passing the mill we join a minor road and head east. As the road sweeps to the left we continue straight on to join a track and then very quickly the path goes along the edge of arable fields. 

    As we continue I spot an old piece of farm machinery discarded in the corner of a field.  It appears to be a cutter of some sort made by a company called Bamlett.  Later I discover it is a grass cutter made by AC Bamlett in Thirsk.  It is difficult to determine if it was horse or tractor drawn but it must be around 100 years old.  It is a pity to see it rusting away rather than restored and displayed in an agricultural museum.

    On reaching the edge of the hamlet of Croucheston we go through a gate and pass farm buildings to join a minor road.  We proceed through the village in an easterly direction until we reach a T-Junction with Croucheston Drove, here we turn right and walk south. At a junction of tracks besides a barn we turn left and start a long gradual ascent. In the distance to our left we can see the 17th century dovecote at Faulston House in Bishopstone .

    At a junction of tracks we keep straight on, pausing to take in the stunning view. Over the last year I have walked on Cranborne Chase more often than anytime in the past.  I am not sure why I haven’t spent a lot more time here, especially as it is so close to home and very quiet.

    Continuing to head south towards the Ox Drove we keep an eye out for the OS Trig Pillar at Pale Ash, initially we walk by it, but then after a bit of searching find it lurking in the hedgerow.  This is the 188th trig pillar I have bagged.

    After bagging the trig pillar we reach the Ox Drove and turn right along this ancient byway.   Approaching Knighton High Wood the track is impassable because of deep puddles, so we take a path on the right to join Croucheston Drove and then after a couple of hundred yards take a footpath on the left leading across a field to rejoin the Ox Drove beyond the western side of Knighton High Wood,  At a junction of paths we turn left and follow a track towards Knighton Wood Farm.  Just as we reach the woods we take a path on the right running just inside the woodland.

    The path leaves the woodland and follows a tree-lined track to reach a minor road. We cross and go through a parking area at Vitrell Gate to enter the Woodland Trust access land of Vernditch Chase. 

    We follow a track southwesterly through the woodland to reach a footpath.  Here we turn right and continue through trees to pass the hard to define Kitt’s Grave. Local folklore is unclear of the origin of the person buried here, however it is widely thought to be either a young girl or a romany woman who had taken her own life. Therefore she could not be buried on consecrated ground and with no parish willing to claim her she was buried at the meeting point of three local parish boundaries.  However, it could also be a long barrow, so it is a case of picking whichever tale you prefer.

    The path now follows a hedge-lined route to reach a minor road at Cutler’s Corner.  We turn left and follow the road to a crossing of tracks.  The road turns to the left, but we continue straight on in a westerly direction.  As we approach barns we spot what looks like a grass runway and then our suspicions are confirmed by the light aircraft being stored in the barn.

    We cross another road and follow the path through fields around Middle Chase farm and then enter the edge of Stonedown Wood.  We follow a path northwesterly along the edge of the woodland to go through Dank Wood Corner and then out onto a track leading to a minor road, the Ox Drove.

    Turning right on the road we take a footpath on the left after a couple of hundred yards, however after crossing a couple of stiles with gaps for Ged’s large dog Moss to pass through we suddenly reach fenced stiles.  Moss is a very big Weimaraner and too heavy to lift over stiles, so we retrace our steps to Ox Drove and turn left and follow it heading east.  At a road junction we continue heading east on the Ox Drove and follow it for just over two miles to reach a minor road at Hut Farmhouse.

    Here we turn left and walk besides the road until we reach Knowle Hill trig pillar which is located to the right hand side of the road on the edge of a field.  

    After bagging my 189th trig pillar we turn around and walk back along the road for 150 yards to reach a bridleway on the right.  With the light fading we head down Knowle Hill to reach a crossing of tracks.  Here we turn right and follow a track to pass Field Barn.  Soon after at a fork in the track we go right and follow this track as it descends to reach South Street in Broad Chalke.  

    We turn right and walk through the village to reach a footpath on the left, this runs besides All Saints church and heads steadily downhill to reach our starting point.  Our walk has covered 15.5 miles and despite some muddy tracks, to be expected in late November, we have had a thoroughly enjoyable day out with some stunning views. 

    To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL 130 Salisbury & Stonehenge and OL 118 Shaftesbury & Cranbourne Chase

    You can view this walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    Additional Information

    For more information on this walk including car parking, amenities, refreshments and detailed walking directions visit my associated Walking Moonraker website.

    29th November 2019

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2019)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.