Long Crichel DISTANCE: 6.5 miles MAP: OS Landranger 195 - Bournemouth & Purbeck START: 974104 By the telephone box in the village of Long Crichel, after which the walk is named. The village is between the A354 Salisbury to Blandford Forum road and the B3078 Cranborne to Wimborne Minster route. For a full page map showing the start point, please click here.   THE WALK: With the telephone box to your right, walk along the road which passes through Long Crichel village. Shortly, turn left up a signposted bridle way. Continue past the vehicle barrier and climb steadily to the top of the rise. Just over the top, as you slightly start to descend, turn left onto a signposted bridle way. Remain on the track as it reaches a road and turns right, continuing for a few yards parallel to the road. Turn right onto the road at the left hand bend in the path, turning left after about 20 yards or so onto a straight grassy footpath.   Remain on the footpath until you reach the bottom of a hill and turn right with some newly planted deciduous trees to the right. Continue through the wood and eventually carry on with fields to the right with cottages in the hamlet of Manswood beyond them. Continue along the track until it bens sharp right; at this point, continue left ahead along a small footpath that passes behind a long row of cottages. At the far end, turn left onto a track and climb slowly to continue ahead on a grassy slightly raised track which is on the line of Ackling Dyke, an old Roman road. Upon reaching a field, the track at the time of our walk was well-defined straight across the middle of the field and ahead to a road.   Turn right at the road, then soon left onto a bridle way opposite a cottage. Continue ahead until you reach a sign asking you to bear right to continue ahead downhill to a footbridge over a stream which feeds a lake at Crichel House. Turn left on the road, and as it turns left around the corner, go through the gate to follow a fenced footpath between two fields. The path continues straight ahead to reach another road at the top of a slope. Cross over to the path ahead which descends to Sovell Down (Scrub and chalk with interesting flora and butterfly populations).   As the path you are on reaches a slightly wider track, turn left and climb gradually up to a stile. Cross and continue climbing ahead to a second stile into a field. You may continue across the field in the direction of the way marker, or if the field is in crop, it is not much further to take the right-hand edge. Continue to the fields' top right hand corner and pass through the two gates here back out onto the road.   Turn right along the road and continue to the crossroads and turn right. Remain on the lane as it takes you back to the village of Long Crichel. Turn right in the village and continue back to your car. Home / Salisbury & Wessex / New Forest / Guestbook / Links / Your page / Other Interests