walks near the X53 bus route

thursday, 12th may 2016

The folks over at Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site were after some volunteers to test some walks along the route of the X53 bus in Dorset. Since I was down in Devon and Dorset I thought I'd give a couple of the walks a try. These are the instructions (with some of my modifications) for the walk from Portesham to Abbotsbury.

It was a filthy day for walking so the photographs are rubbish!

Alight from the X53 bus at either the Village Hall or Kings Arms bus stops in Portesham.

Walk on the pavement by the main road towards the minor road junction by the Kings Arms.

Go up the road past the pub, the old schoolhouse and St Peter's Church to the right hand bend in the road by the duck pond.

Go left along the road for 100m and take the signposted footpath to the right and along behind the houses.

Continue to a gate onto a farm road, turn left along the road, then at the junction go straight on, through a gate and along a field path with the hedge to the left, to another gate.

Go through the gate and take the path which bears right and down through some trees, with a muddy patch - it was very muddy when I walked it - , to a gate into a field.

Take the field path to the right for 100m to 2 large stones then do a hard right turn up the hill to a gate and fingerpost marked for Abbotsbury.

Ignore the gate. Instead, turn left uphill with the fence on the right, then across the field to a path through the bushes.

Ignore the stile on the right. Carry on this path to a path junction with a marker stone.

Go straight on, up to a minor road and gate. Turn left along the road for 50m to a gate on the right and farm track which is the South Dorset Ridgeway.

Go along the track to a gate on the left with a fingerpost to Abbotsbury. There are good views of the village. It was foggy when I walked it so I didn't have any views.

~~Take this path leaving the South Dorset Ridgeway down over the fields to arrive at a minor road.~~

Take this path leaving the South Dorset Ridgeway down over the fields. There was no discernible path through the fields when I walked it and the sign is pointing too far to the right but head to the left of St Catherine's Chapel and towards the Fleet and you'll find a small ridge of grass which leads to a gate marked 'Abbotsbury round walk, old railway walk'.

Go through the gate and head along a path downhill to a sign for Abbotsbury half a mile away.

Continue down hill to a gate and a minor road.

Turn right down the road to Abbotsbury. At the road junction, take Rosemary Lane to the Swan Inn bus stop (turn left at the main road through Abbotsbury to reach the Swan Inn) or Back Street to the Ilchester Arms Hotel bus stop.