Walk around the heart A walking route around the heart Bridport of Bridport and discover of Bridport to promote health and the richness of nature encourage connection with nature and heritage. Seek out and heritage for wellbeing. Green connections to the green open spaces that help Bridport has an important relationship with define the special character the surrounding landscape. The distinctive Route of the Bridport Area. skyline of the sandstone caped hills and the river corridors of the Brit and Asker are part of the town’s identity.

The Bridport Green Route builds on a previous round Bridport heritage trail developed in the late 1990s. With input from Bridport Town Council wishes to thank the volunteers who kindly gave their time local health and access groups the route to help develop this Green Route and to has been revised, improving accessibility Dorset AONB Sustainable Development and green space connections to encourage Fund for support with producing this leaflet. walking for health and wellbeing.

The Bridport Green Route connects residential areas to local green spaces using the network of Public Rights of Way and A 3-mile walk linking the along the river corridors. green open spaces around this eventful market town The walk is approximately 3 miles in length and will take around 1-2 hours to complete.

eritage an highlights to e along the r Along the route you will find six Six h d nature njoy oute: junctions with Public Rights of Way that offer additional or extended walking to

other green spaces in the Bridport Area: A Coneygar Hill D Asker Meadows Enjoy the impressive views over the town Take some time to sit and enjoy this wildlife Junction 1 from Coneygar Hill with echoes of the haven in the heart of Bridport. Wildflower West to Skilling and onto Eype or Georgian era development of family villas meadows and tree planting are beginning East into the heart of the Saxon Town combined with landscaped pleasure gardens. to buzz with insects, birds and mammals as the Local Nature Reserve Group continue via the Community Orchard Website to enhance the riverside meadows. Look Junction 2 out for water voles and otters! B The Old Railway Line West to Vearse Farm and onto Website Allington Hill Look out for the distinctive iron gates that indicate that the Green Route has crossed Junction 3 the former Bridport Branch Line. The Bridport E St Michael’s / West Mill, West Street North toward Watton Hill Railway Company opened its branch line Bridport has a long association with rope from Maiden Newton, through Powerstock to and net making. West Mill is a good Junction 4 example of the water powered mills that Bridport in 1857. The line was closed in 1975, North to Happy Island and Bradpole drove the industry and created employment the last branch line to close in Dorset. Sea in the town. Plottingham Field, now a public Road North sits on top of the old railway bed. Junction 5 park, was formerly used for drying out East to Bothenhampton Hill Website nets and sail cloth. Bridport still produces nets for a wide range of uses, from cargo Junction 6 shipments to various sports – including the South to West Bay and the Jurassic Coast C Site of the Old Priory, East Street See if you can spot a little known piece nets for Wimbledon! of Bridport history: on 5th November 1483 Website King Richard the Third stayed overnight in Bridport on his way to Exeter to deal with F Along the Riverbanks the remnants of the rebellion led by the The three rivers that meet in Bridport are Duke of Buckingham. It is likely that he important corridors for wildlife and offer stayed at the Priory of St John the Baptist local people unique access to the living (founded circa 1240 and dissolved in 1547) world. Look out for kingfishers along the which was situated on East Street adjacent River Brit around Gundry Pond and where to the bridge over the River Asker. it is joined by the River Simene. Website ater Vo W le

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Alternative section avoiding steep hill A35 (to Axminster) Roads T I

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R Kin gfish A Heritage / Nature er highlights as listed overleaf, A - F

1 Junction points as listed overleaf, with access to further routes, 1 - 6

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N Bus Station at ure Reserve Steep incline Egret Design & illustrations: DelphineJones.com Design & illustrations: