"This walk heads south from the Vale of Wardour through the southerly parts of the West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is spectacular walking country with some breath-taking views. The full walk reaches the hilltop boundary with the Cranborne Chase AONB (with views all the way to the coast, around Bournemouth and Poole). You’ll find picturesque villages and atmospheric pubs in the beautiful undulating countryside, as well as a wooded Iron Age hill fort site and plenty of dry chalky U-shaped downland valleys. The middle part of the walk especially leads through – or around the rim of – several very pretty coombes.The walk starts with a gentle ascent out of Tisbury across fields but features a few short and sharp ascents later on as well as three more prominent ascents, spread out through the day, before descending back into Tisbury, a remarkably unspoilt village."
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Saturday Walk - Tisbury Circular via Alvediston: West Wiltshire Downs at their best (anti-clockwise)
Length: 26.0 km
(16.2 mi) [shorter walk possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 628m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½
hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
Take the 09.20 Exeter St.
David’s train from Waterloo (Clapham J. 09.27, Woking 09.47, Salisbury
10.47), arrives Tisbury at 11.06. You have to be in the front three
coaches of the train.
Return trains: 17.01,
18.01, 19.03, 20.01, 21.01 and 22.03.
Note: this walk is
written up in both directions, with both versions available in
separate pdfs. This was originally necessary as The Crown Inn was closed
for many years and the Three Horseshoes had short kitchen hours. Since then, The Crown has reopened again, but then burned down while the Horseshoes has extended its kitchen hours and that pub now works well as a lunch stop in either direction. I will walk
the original anti-clockwise direction, as it is due a text-check. Both versions are
tremendous walks though.
This is the blurb describing the original
anti-clockwise walk:
Shorter Walk:
A Shortcut before
lunch, limiting the effort to 6/10, is described.
Bus number 29 (Shaftesbury to Salisbury) stops outside the pubs in Ebbesbourne Wake (12.26, 13.56, 15.36,
17.06) and in Alvediston (4 minutes earlier, approx. 45 mins journey
time).
Bus number 26 (Shaftesbury to Hindon via Tisbury) stops outside St. Peter's Church in Swallowcliffe (15.48, 17.23) for a 7 minutes ride to Tisbury, useful if walking the clockwise version (cuts 4.5 km).
Lunch: The Horseshoe Inn, Ebbesbourne
Wake (16.3 km/10.1 mi) into the walk. Open 12.00-15.00. Food served
12.00-15.00 [The Crown Inn, Alvediston burnt down in 05/23 and as far as I know
has not been rebuilt].
Tea: Star
Grill, Tisbury Fish & Chips, Tisbury Delicatessen, Beatons Tearooms and
Bookshop, Gardner & Beedle Wine Shop, Coffee Angels, The Benett, The Boot
Inn. See the pdf for details.
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n=8 off the train on the platform, arriving 5 mins early as we didn't have to wait in the Tisbury Loop for the London bound train to pass first, as that was running very late indeed.
n=1 other had driven in from her temporary abode on the coast, so n=9 in total.
The forecast was for w=grey-overcast skies all day, and it largely delivered, although we had some short sunny breaks around lunch. No rain though.
This is known to be my favourite amongst the Tisbury walks, and it delivered again! Fantastic views down U-shaped downs, quiet lonely countryside, plenty of flora, historic paths and holloways, an Iron Age hillfort site, very pretty villages, and the most lovable grumpy pub landlord of them all.
1 walked the shortcut, claiming a cold, but all 9 reassembled at The Horseshoe Inn, where (contrary to their website, I believe) grumpy Tony told us that food could only be had with a pre-booking, so we had to survive on crisps, nuts, pickled eggs and beer. All this while Tony got awarded a Pub Of The Year certificate from the Salisbury & South Wiltshire CAMRA Branch!
There was another group of 3 walkers in the pub garden with us, which we suspected were walking our route as well, and indeed, we later overtook them and quizzed them: they are regular users of our walks and today did a short version of this one, but off the 08.20 train.
We reached Tisbury at 17.40, which left enough time for 3 to stock up on sandwiches and other stuff for the 18.01 train, while the other 6 had a drink at The Bennet first, then walked up to The Boot Inn for some competent meals and also some good banter with the staff. 20.01 train for those (minus the car driver).
Seen or heard: celandines, primroses, wood anenomes, (young) bluebells, (still some) snowdrops, daffs, (lots of) wild garlic, skylarks, buzzards, flocks of small birds, two muntjacs. Loads of lambs. White ones. Black ones. Loads.
The upper Ebble River, a chalk stream that often runs dry in the walked area, was full of water today, so much so that one could have called this a swimming walk! The patchwork pattern of ploughed fields and lush pastures was very pretty to look at indeed from the many tops and ridges.
All in, a very good SWC-day!
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