Wimborne Minster and its water meadows

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Walk directions

Turn left through a wide gate in the car park and into a field. Follow the path beside the river for 0.5 miles (800m), on the Stour Valley Way, crossing two stiles and a very short footbridge. The mottled brown towers of the minster are now seen ahead. The track runs into a little side road. Turn left at the end, towards the town centre, passing through a residential area of Victorian villas and modern houses – this is Julian’s Road. Emerge opposite the Minster Arms and cross straight over into West Street. Continue along the narrow pavement round past the back of the King’s Head Hotel into the town’s main square. Turn right here, into Church Street, passing the Oddfellows Arms pub and then the toilets on the left, with the minster straight ahead.

Take some time to visit the minster; its squat, square towers dominate the town centre. The present building dates from around 1100. After exploring the minster walk past the Number 9 on the Green café on the left, to meet the High Street. Follow this round to the right, to the junction with King Street and East Street. Turn left here, with a glimpse of the river on your left. Pass the Rising Sun pub on your right, cross the river and keep straight on.

Shortly afterwards, bear right down Poole Road and continue on to pass a large thatched pub, the Coach and Horses, on the left. Cross the River Stour on a footbridge to one side of the old arched road bridge.

Almost immediately turn right, down a narrow path between houses, signposted ‘Stour Valley Way - Corfe Mullen’. This emerges on to a bungalow estate; go straight over a mini-roundabout and follow the aquamarine waymarkers through the estate. Next, after about 55yds (50m), bear right down a narrow footpath, sided by fences, across the bottom of a recreation ground. Go through a metal kissing gate to continue on along a line of trees (on your right), above a bend of the river. There are water meadows below – look out for cormorants in the river. Cross a stile and turn up left, along the edge of some woods (on your right).

Go through a kissing gate and emerge at a lane and turn right (it’s noisy from the bypass, which runs parallel). Zig-zag under the bypass and go up to a gate. Go through and along the road, past Merley Hall farmhouse on your right. Continue ahead and at the end of the lane cross over the road immediately and turn right to reach a very busy roundabout (A31).

Follow the path round to the left and cross straight over this road with care. Once across, look directly ahead for the wooden fingerpost located in the bushes, signposted ‘Stour Valley Way and Pamphill’. Cross the stile and follow a grassy track as it bends to the right. Cross another stile over a fence, staying on the broad green track. Bear left to go through a metal gate, then cross a footbridge and go through another metal gate, before bearing right on a path over the grass. Keep right at a mid-field fork to pass through an old hedge-line and soon turn right, to cross a stile in the fence. Head straight across the meadows towards the river. Meet the corner of another field but continue straight ahead in the same field, close to its right-hand hedge and fence.

Go through a metal kissing gate. Cross a high footbridge over the river. On the opposite bank a surfaced riverside path leads off to the left. Bear right on this path to return to the car park, passing a slipway for launching small craft.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Riverside path (may be muddy), pavement, field paths, lane, gates

Landscape - Town centre and water meadows to southwest

Dog friendliness - Town walking on very narrow pavements close to traffic makes this walk less dog-friendly

Parking - Gravel car park on Cowgrove Road (unsigned)

Toilets en route - Near Minster

Walks in Dorset

About the walk

Wimborne is surrounded by the picturesque, gentle folds of the Dorset countryside, yet is just 5 miles (8km) from seaside towns such as Poole. The town grew up at the confluence of two rivers: the River Stour and the River Allen, both excellent for fishing. This attractive market town has retained...

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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

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.