Stage 4 - Maiden Newton to Lower Ansty - 1st May 2025
- John Tippetts
- May 22
- 8 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Official Stage Statistics
Route distance – 15.67 miles
Total ascent – 2180 feet
Highest point – 860 feet
Logistics
Drive to Yeovil Pen Mill station BA21 5DD - 0.7 mile & park car
APCOA Location ID 2204
Catch train to Maiden Newton 07:33 - 22 mins
Walk to Lower Ansty
Get taxi to Blandford Forum - Oakwood Taxis - https://blandford-oakwoodtaxis.co.uk/ - 01258 455555
Catch CR4 bus to Yeovil Pen Mill station BA21 5DD at 17:40 – 98 mins
Drive to Premier Inn Yeovil Town Centre BA20 1LT & stay overnight
My Walk
Today’s walk would almost certainly be the toughest of the whole Great Chalk Way, being almost 16 miles with a total ascent of 2180 feet and 5 steep climbs. I would definitely be paying for having had an easy walk yesterday. The weather forecast for today was unsurprisingly more sunshine with a maximum temperature of 27°C – which ordinarily would be really nice if you’re not on a long walk with numerous climbs. Between start and finish, once again there would be no shops or pubs along the route without making a combined detour of at least 2 miles. As things panned out during the day I really wish I’d decided before I set off to detour to Cerne Abbas for a lunchtime break at 1 of its 3 – yes 3 – pubs!
Whilst mentioning Cerne Abbas, it is famous for the Cerne Giant, an ancient naked figure sculpted into the chalk hillside above Cerne Abbas. The Giant is without doubt a man!! At 180 ft tall he is Britain’s largest chalk hill figure and perhaps the best known. Archaeologists believe the Giant was possibly first constructed in the late Saxon period which ended in 1066 but really, it’s a bit of a mystery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant
The Wessex Ridgeway doesn’t actually go past the Giant; however, it does pass within a mile on the same ridge. On my drive down to Lyme Regis a few days earlier to start the Great Chalk Way, I stopped off at the visitor car park to get some drone footage of the Cerne Giant.
Back to the walk. I was staying in the Yeovil Town Centre Premier Inn and was down for brekkie at 06:30, after which I drove the short distance to Yeovil Pen Mill Station; in fact, I could have walked it as the station is only a 15 minute walk from the Premier Inn. As is my way when planning my walks, I aim to choose locations with good public transport links. Yeovil has 2 stations. Yeovil Junction is on the London to Exeter main line, whilst Yeovil Pen Mill is on the Heart of Wessex Line with trains running between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth. Most importantly, Maiden Newton is 4 stops from Pen Mill. I arrived just in time for the 07:33 train.
From Maiden Newton my walk today would first take me on a steep climb and descent into the village of Sydling St Nicholas. From there a straight and steady climb to the top of Gore Hill at 850 feet would then be followed by a steady descent into the hamlet of Up Cerne. Another climb from Minton Parva to a minor road would bring me out opposite the Giants Head Caravan & Camping Park. The Wessex Ridgeway would continue through the caravan park with 2 more climbs up Ball Hill and finally, Lyscombe Hill, the highest point on this stage at 860 feet. Dorsetshire Gap would soon follow and it is here that I would leave the trail and continue to Lower Ansty where I would finish my walk.
Everything went swimmingly well initially. Like every other day the views were spectacular. Sydling St Nicholas is a really attractive village with plenty of thatched roof properties.
The climb out of the village up Gore Hill was relatively easy with bluebells, wild garlic and other spring flowers aplenty alongside the path. Up Cerne comprises an estate of 1,930 acres centered around a Grade II listed manor house. It includes eight let properties, most of which are listed buildings, a church, farm buildings, woodland, farmland and fishing lakes. So pretty!
After crossing the A352 at Minterne Parva I began the day’s third climb towards the caravan park. This is where things went wrong. I religiously followed the written instructions to arrive at a point with a glorious view over Up Cerne, even though there had been no obvious path to follow. With what I now know I was just 300 yards away from the road; however, I took a wrong turning and by the time I reached the road I was 1.2 miles off course. Whilst only classed as a minor road, this road was very busy and I was constantly having to walk along the very uneven verges. Eventually I found an entrance to a field and I thought I’d do better walking along the inside of this field. Sadly, there was no way of getting out of this field so I had to walk all the way back again to continue along the road. In the space of 90 minutes, I’d managed to walk just ¾ of a mile of the route.
I reached the caravan park hot and bothered – actually, sweating profusely as it had got very humid. I’d already drunk all the water from my 2 bottles and I was only half way through the walk. I put the written instructions in my backpack and decided that using them along with the OS Maps app was hopeless; going forward I’d rely on the app and waymarkers alone. I asked at the caravan park office if there was anywhere I could get water. Thankfully, the lady pointed me in the direction of a standpipe and I filled my bottles.
From the caravan park, the path dropped gently before the inevitable steep climb up Ball Hill. The reward for this climb was an incredible display of bluebells and wild garlic in the woods on the hilltop. Naturally, a descent followed to the hamlet of Folly, ahead of the day’s final and highest ascent to Lyscombe Hill (aka Higher Melcombe Hill). As I was walking up the steep path, a couple of fellow walkers with their dog were coming the other way. We exchanged pleasantries and as you do, I asked where they’d walked from and where they were heading to today. They reminded me that when I reached Dorsetshire Gap I would have to sign the visitors book.
Having reached the top of Lyscombe Hill, the Wessex Ridgeway began a gentle descent. It took a left and after about 700 yards and the best displays of bluebells & wild garlic, I reached the fabled Dorsetshire Gap. I’d seen Dorsetshire Gap mentioned many times when doing my research for the Wessex Ridgeway. Essentially it is the meeting point of 5 ancient tracks with steep, narrow, man-made cuttings; a crossroads, recognised for centuries, where people and animals moving east/west on the Great Ridgeway were able to access north/south tracks. Looking at it this way, I could see just what a special place this was. The lidded bin containing the current and previous visitors books was plain to see. What a wonderful tradition to keep alive. It was great reading some of the previous entries and naturally I signed in too; thank goodness though that a pen was supplied!
I chose to leave the Wessex Ridgeway for the day at Dorsetshire Gap. I took one of the north/south tracks and walked a further 2 miles to Lower Ansty via Higher Melcombe. I reached The Fox pub at about 16:30. Having set off from Yeovil Pen Station at 07:30 with no real breaks, this had been a long, hot day, exacerbated by my stupidity near the caravan park. Nevertheless, I felt I’d earned my pint, crisps & flapjack, as since breakfast I’d only eaten 1 banana and a 2 finger Kit Kat!
My plan for getting back to Yeovil was to get a taxi to Blandford Forum from where I’d get a bus. My hope was that I’d be able to catch the 17:40 CR4 from Blandford, as otherwise I’d have to wait until 19:40 for the next and last bus. Blandford Forum is 10 miles from Lower Ansty. Paul from Oakwood Taxis in Blandford picked me up and dropped me off at my bus stop with 5 minutes to spare – yippee! Many thanks to Paul who certainly did not drive like a 'Sunday afternoon' driver. The fact that the CR4 bus would take 100 minutes to reach Yeovil really didn’t bother me in the slightest as it went through some beautiful countryside and it gave me time to unwind and look back on yet another lovely day walking in Dorset. Back in Yeovil I spent a 2nd night in the Premier Inn.
My plan for the next day had been to walk the next stage as far as Iwerne Courtney, stay 1 more night in Yeovil and then drive home. When I woke up next morning however, my body told me that 5 nights away from home and 4 long walks were enough! Fortunately, I make all my Premier Inn bookings flexible, allowing me to amend check-in dates as many times as I like, up to 13:00 on the day. So, I changed the check-in date to sometime later in the summer and prepared to drive home. It was yet another perfect day so I decided to call in at National Trust Stourhead on my way home. Were it not so far away from home, Stourhead would easily be my favourite National Trust property to visit; the gardens are spectacular and for once I’d timed my visit to perfection to see the rhododendrons in full flower.
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