The Dorset walk – Broadstone
Matt Wilkinson and Andy Farrer on a surprisingly rural urban walk
Published in February ’18
As a former railway trackbed, the Castleman Trailway makes for flat, easy walking
The Romans called it ‘Rus in urbe’: the countryside in the city. Broadstone is hardly a city – not even Poole, of which it is administratively a part, can claim that – but it is an area of high density housing, one of its main roles being as a dormitory for those working in the conurbation.
At first sight, whether looking at Broadstone on a map or on the ground, it would appear to be short of anything much resembling countryside or even open spaces. The route of this walk proves that first impression wrong: yes, there is a fair bit of walking on pavements through areas of housing, and some traffic noise from main roads, but it was a pleasant surprise to find so many green and quiet stretches.
Broadstone is not much more than 150 years old. Its first church was opened in 1853, the original school in 1871 and the station in 1872. The fact that the last was known as ‘New Poole Junction’ and only called ‘Broadstone’ in 1890 shows how long it took for the name of the settlement to become established. That name supposedly came from large stones forming a bridge over a local stream; even today, there are stones around the town that are claimed to be from the original bridge. The golf course, laid out in 1898, is regularly voted among the top 100 in the country.
Spring sees the arrival of vivid colours along the walk
Mention has been made of the area’s railway history and part of the walk lies along the Castleman Trailway, formerly the track-bed of ‘Castleman’s Corkscrew’, which opened in 1847 and ran from Brockenhurst to Hamworthy via Ringwood, West Moors and Wimborne. Its nickname arose because its chief promoter was a Wimborne solicitor, Charles Castleman, and
it followed a rather tortuous route to take in as many areas of population as possible – Bournemouth was still not much more than a village in those days.
THE WALK
1 Between numbers 23 and 25 Barn Road, a path leads onto a playing field. Take this path and walk straight ahead along a line of trees dividing the playing field from another on the left. In the top corner, enter woodland and bear left to follow a well-defined path, ignoring minor paths to left and right. In about 200 yards reach a fork. Take the right-hand option to reach a T-junction of paths in about 80 yards. Turn left and walk down to a paved path, where turn right and almost immediately fork right. As the path bends to the left, continue straight ahead, through two half-barriers, and at the top of the rise, continue straight ahead to reach Dunyeats Road.
2 Turn right, then left into Upper Golf Links Road and take the first turning on the right into Merriefield Avenue. Take the second turning on the right, on an S-bend, and at the end of the cul-de-sac turn left on a footpath. Almost immediately, go through a gate on the right and follow the track beyond as it climbs gently to the top of Dunyeats Hill, where it bends sharply to reach a fork. Fork left and follow the path downhill to a gate, beyond which turn right. At the end of the houses on the left, turn left and parallel their fences to reach a footbridge. Cross it and turn right to follow an obvious path through trees and two clearings to reach a more substantial bridge.
3 Don’t cross it, but turn left and follow the course of the stream, keeping it close by on the right. Reaching a clearing with a footbridge, cross the bridge and turn left to continue following the stream, but now it is on the left. At an obvious cross-tracks by the corner of a fence, turn right, up onto the smooth surface of the Castleman Trailway. Turn left and follow the trailway all the way to the centre of Broadstone. Use the underpass to go under the roundabout, then bear right under another underpass. Turn left up to the continuation of the Castleman Trailway.
4 In about 1000 yards, fork right and walk down a slope, at the bottom of which, turn left to go under a bridge and cross the main road, Broadstone Way, courtesy of a set of pedestrian lights. Bear slightly left along a footpath that leads to Northbrook Road. Go straight across into Mission Road. At the T-junction, turn right into York Road. Take the third turning on the left, Hillbourne Road.
5 As the road begins to descend, by a bus stop, turn left on a path signed to Pocket Park and Ribble Close. Follow it round to the right, then immediately turn left and follow the path through the wood to emerge onto Lytham Road. Walk up the road to the T-junction, where turn right. Take the first turning on the left and at the end of the cul-de-sac continue ahead and turn right on a paved path. Go through the first major gap on the left, by two large blocks of stone. Fork left and follow the path to Lower Blandford Road. Cross the road carefully into Barn Road, where your car is parked.
Distance: About 3¾ miles.
Terrain: Even when not on pavements, the going underfoot is good, but watch out for tree roots and stumps in places. The gradients are gentle and any muddy patches easily avoided.
Start: Barn Road, Broadstone. OS reference SZ012951. Postcode BH18 8NJ.
How to get there: From the Fleetsbridge roundabout under the Upton by-pass, head north towards Wimborne on the A349. At the first roundabout (Darbys Corner) take the first exit towards Broadstone. Barn Road is the third turning on the right.
Maps: OS Explorer 118 (Shaftesbury & Cranborne Chase), OS Landranger 195 (Bournemouth & Purbeck). A good street map of Broadstone, eg. Estate Publications’ Bournemouth, may also be useful.
Refreshments: Nothing actually on the route, but plenty in the centre of Broadstone.
