Hilltop views… 9 miles

Lamberts Castle, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/walks

Lamberts offers stunning views of the vale with its clay valleys and rollling greensand hills. On a clear day you can see Chesil beach and Portland to the east and Look for the banks of the Iron out toward the sea at to the south. Age hill fort. We have been

doing some remedial work in Start: Lamberts Castle car park Grid ref: SY366988 Maps: OS Explorer 116 the western entrance hence the post and rail each side. Getting here & local facilities

By foot: Wessex Ridgeway Trail traverses north to south on the east of the property All images © National Trust By bike: National Cycle Network route 2 runs in the vicinity of the property By bus: Service 206 on Thursdays and 690 on Saturdays. Alight at Lamberts Castle By train: Axminster Station, 8km/ 4.5miles. Bus services X53 and 31 connect from station to the above service The medieval fish pond at By car: A35 Eastbound from Axminster, bear left onto B3165 at Raymonds Hill, signed Fishpond Bottom is well worth Marshwood. Continue for approximately 5km/3miles then bear right onto Lamberts Track a closer look. Originally it would have been stocked but National Trust car park with information panels at Lamberts. There is a small shop in the is now a wildlife habitat. In village of Marshwood and main facilities and toilets in and Axminster. spring masses of tadpoles

churn the water, kingfisher can Things to look out for… occasionally be seen and in the summer you’ll see t History and Archaeology: Lamberts Castle is the site of an Iron Age hill fort constructed dragonflies and damselflies. by the local tribe dating back some 2,500 years; the ditch and bank are prominent as you approach the western entrance. More recently a fair was held here from 1709 to 1947, at which the hilltop was used as a racecourse – part of the walk follows the route of the old Keep your eyes peeled for racecourse. there is a range of bird life that can be seen at Lamberts. t Conservation: Lamberts is home to a variety of habitats including heathland, acid Willow warbler, redstart, tree grassland, woodland and wet mires. Keep an eye open for birds such as the Meadow creeper, nuthatch and Pipit, Stonechat, Green woodpecker and Yellowhammer on your way round. Yellowhammer (pictured) can be seen and heard. t Grazing: The cattle at Lamberts are managed by one of our tenants. He uses Welsh Blacks, a traditional hardy breed, distinctive by their stocky appearance and black shaggy coats. Grazing is vital here, without which the hill would soon be lost to scrub and

woodland. ‘Lamberts is a site where you can walk in the footsteps of previous

generations and yet still appreciate what they did and what they t Views: The views across the are spectacular. If you look to the east you could see and hear. ’ can see and (the highest point in Dorset) and to the south, toward the coast, , Langdon Hill and can be seen. Jon Sibthorp, National Trust Warden, 2010

Directions - see page 3 for map

1. From the car park walk through the gate out onto Lamberts Hill. Follow the path straight ahead and presently you will see the banks of the hill fort ahead.

2. Walk through the entrance of the hill fort, pausing to imagine what it would have been like to dig the ditch and bank by hand. Carry on walking, but keep to the east side of the hill fort looking for the gap in the hedge bank ahead.

3. Walk through the gap and continue straight on. Notice the undulations in the ground due to ploughing in 1939 to plant potatoes. This field was also the site of a Napoleonic signal station.

4. Ahead is a huge, split beech stump with some large fungi. Walk until you see a fence in front then bear right and follow the path down into the ditch of the hill fort.

5. Continue on the path until you arrive almost back to the hill fort entrance, then cut through the gap in the bank on your left. Carry straight on above the slope. This section enjoys marvellous views over the Marshwood vale with the prominent hilltops of Lewesdon and Pilsdon Pen in view.

6. Follow this section straight down the slope. The path narrows into a track and shortly you will come to a gate. Walk through the gate and out onto the road, following it straight ahead up the hill where you will shortly arrive at Coneys Castle car park. Walk through the car park and bear left by the information sign, taking the path through the ditch of the hill fort.

7. After a short time you will arrive at a stile. Don’t go over it but instead follow the path round to your right which opens out onto the top of the hill. Follow across the top of the hill until you see the trees immediately in front at which point bear left to access the stile onto the road.

8. Cross the road and pick up the gap in the bank in front of you. Go through the small gate and bear hard right following the beech trees to your right; the path drops away steeply here so take care. Follow the path to the track at the bottom and bear right. Walk along the track until you reach the road then bear left onto Fishpond Bottom road.

9. Presently you will walk past a small church on your left. Immediately after you pass the church the National Trust owned medieval fish pond is on your right - for a closer look you can go through the gap in the hedge bank. Go back out onto the road and continue straight on.

10. Bear right onto the footpath, just after the white house called April Cottage. Follow this path up the hill.

11. At the top of the hill bear to your right and walk across the top of the hill, pausing to admire the view! You will pick up a stile in the hedgeline on your left where you will access the bridleway. Turn right and walk until you reach the road.

12. At the road turn left and when you reach the first layby on your right cut across onto Lamberts common and follow the main firebreak track straight across until you reach Lamberts car park track, where you bear right to arrive back at your start point. Keep your eyes peeled for common lizards and birds such as stone- chat, meadow pippet and linnet.

Distance, terrain and accessibility

9 mile (6km) circular walk, taking approximately 2 to 3 hours. The top of Lamberts is a fairly flat grassy surface. Some sections of road walking with some steep descents and ascents. Please take your litter home.

Dogs are welcome under close control due to livestock; please do not allow your dog to foul on the paths.

Contact us

Telephone: 01297 489481 Email: [email protected]

© Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey. All rights reserved. OS licence no. AL 100023974

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