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Hengistbury Head coastal loop

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Walk directions

From the corner of the car park take the gravel path towards the sea, with the fenced-off lines of the Double Dikes to your left. At the sea-edge you can see for miles each way: to the towers of Bournemouth, the chalky Foreland and Durlston Head to the west, Christchurch Bay and the Isle of Wight to the east.

Turn left and follow the road along the cliffs. The Priory at Christchurch dominates the view inland across the harbour, with St Catherine’s Hill behind. Follow the road up the hill. Pause to inspect the boggy pond on your right, home to the rare natterjack toad. The road narrows; climb up some steps, passing a numbered post (‘33’) marking the Stour Valley Way. As you climb the steep path, the views back along the coast are fabulous, and there are views across the shallows of Christchurch Harbour, usually buzzing with windsurfers and sailing dinghies.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Grass, tarmac road, soft sand, woodland track, some steps

Landscape - Heathland, sand cliffs, sand spit, mixed woodland

Dog friendliness - Keep to paths to avoid destroying habitat and disturbing ground-nesting birds

Parking - Car park at end of road, signed ‘Hengistbury Head’ from B3059; parking is also permitted on the approach road to the car park, but both road and car park are gated and locked daily at 10pm

Toilets en route - Beside car park; also amid beach huts

Walks in Dorset Dog-friendly walks in Dorset

About the walk

The multi-coloured beach huts of Mudeford’s sandy peninsula are a throwback to bucket-and-spade holidays of the early 20th century. In fact, they hark back to the last days of the century before that, when bathers would undress in modest little huts on wheels, which could be horse-hauled down into... the shallows in order to minimise any embarrassing exposure to public view. Those days are long gone, but the carriages’ successors, the huts, are still there, and the desire for one’s own bit of space right on the beach remains undiminished. Candy-striped paintwork has given way to soft, colour-washed hues, but the urge to individualise remains strong, with decks, weathervanes and windmilling, semaphoring sailors. While the huts’ outer form remains much the same – central door, symmetrical windows, shallow, peaked roof – the insides vary wildly. Some make the most of one light, airy space reflecting sparkling sea and sky; others may be divided into rooms, with perhaps a sleeping platform squeezed up under the roof. Each is customised with its owner’s particular beach ‘necessities’ – minimalist fridge and drinks cabinet in one, kitchen sink and home comforts in another. Names may reflect the owners’ identities but all express an air of relaxation and fun: for example whimsical Jangles next to Hideaway, and Ar Lan Y Mor, from a Welsh folk song that speaks of love beside the sea. The windswept peninsula of Hengistbury Head has an archaeological record dating back 12,500 years, when Stone Age hunter-gatherers left the remains of a camp site on its outer, seaward edge. Some 10,500 years later Iron Age folk settled here and built up a trading port on the more sheltered inner shore, where Barn Field stands today. The great Double Dikes date from this later period, built to shelter timber-framed dwellings. Barn Field itself has remained untouched by farming improvements since the Romans left around ad 410 – a rare status protected by conservationists, especially on this crowded south coast. Its vegetation is low, acidic grassland that grips onto thin soil over gravel and sand, maintained down the centuries by salt-laden winds and the sharp teeth of the rabbit population. Decimation of the rabbits in the 1950s by myxomatosis allowed gorse and bramble to gain a hold, but scrub clearance and controlled grazing by cattle have done much to restore the original balance. Today it is an important site for ground-nesting birds, adorned with the flowers of heath bedstraw, autumn hawkbit and heath speedwell.

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About the area

Dorset is made up of rugged coastlines, high chalk downlands and a chain of picturesque villages and seaside towns that make up Britain’s Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, noted for its layers of shale and numerous fossils embedded in the rock. Hidden gems of Dorset can be found down winding, country lanes that lead to snug villages hidden from view.

Route details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

3.25 miles (5.3kms)

Ascent:

109ft (33m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Hengistbury Head coastal loop

Recommended by

Walk details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

3.25 miles (5.3kms)

Ascent:

109ft (33m)

Walk directions

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On the heathy top of Warren Hill a viewing platform tells you that you’re 75 miles (120km) from Cherbourg and 105 miles (168km) from Jersey. Keep right along the path, passing a deserted coastguard station and following the top of the cliffs. Descend (forking right) into a deep hollow, where the sea appears to be breaking through; this pool is called Quarry Pond. Keep straight on, following the curve of the head. At the end the path turns down through some trees; descend the steps. Walk along the sparkling, white sand on the sea side of the beach huts to the point. Stone groynes form little bays.

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At the end of the spit you’re only a stone’s throw from the opposite shore (a ferry runs across to the pub from the end of a pier, passed further on). Turn round the end of the point, passing the old Black House, and walk up the inner side of the spit, overlooking the harbour.

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If you’ve had enough beach, you can catch the land train back to the car park from here (trains run Easter to October). Otherwise, join the metalled road which curves round to the right past the freshwater marsh and lagoon.

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At a post marked ‘19’ turn right onto the dirt path and follow it briefly through the woods, crossing a small ditch on a short plank bridge, to emerge back on the road. Turn right, passing extensive reedbeds on the right and a bird sanctuary on the left. Continue past the thatched Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre and follow the road to the café, ranger station building and car park.

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Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Grass, tarmac road, soft sand, woodland track, some steps

Landscape - Heathland, sand cliffs, sand spit, mixed woodland

Dog friendliness - Keep to paths to avoid destroying habitat and disturbing ground-nesting birds

Toilets en route - Beside car park; also amid beach huts

Walks in Dorset Dog-friendly walks in Dorset

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Dorset

Hengistbury Head coastal loop

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

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Hengistbury Head coastal loop

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