Tess of The Vale

04/09/2026

Church Knowle. Climb up the hidden peaks of the Purbecks. Explore the ancient ridgeway route, scattered with Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age earthworks, and medieval tofts and crofts. Enjoy views over Poole Harbour to Poole and Bournemouth in the north and the wooded valley of the Corfe River to Weymouth and the Isle of Portland in the south. Dip down to an important crossing, its old road now trumped by a hairpin bend. Delve down into the valley to discover the oldest house in Dorset along with its shrunken neighbouring settlements whose only remains are farms, barns, and bumps in the ground; one being home to a murderess. Return through the village, passing the traditional Purbeck stone cottages topped with ever-decreasing tiles or whitewashed walls kept cosy with thatch.

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04/09/2026

Hidden peaks of the Purbecks

Climb up the hidden peaks of the Purbecks. Explore the ancient ridgeway route, scattered with Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age earthworks, and medieval tofts and crofts. Enjoy views over Poole Harbour to Poole and Bournemouth in the north and the wooded valley of the Corfe River to Weymouth and the Isle...

02/09/2026

The Ultimate Jurassic Coast Drive. From the far eastern tip of the Isle of Purbeck, head down to Old Harry’s Rocks, where the official boundary of the Jurassic Coast begins. Stick to the coastal roads as they narrow and split to keep the sea in view for the majority of the ride. Divert down little dead-end lanes to discover hidden car parks, perfect for resting, chilling, wondering, and exploring. Delve deeper into the surrounding landscape by embarking on one of the many walks or rides that circle the neighbouring environment, through ruins, ancient earthworks, caves, and smugglers’ trails. The 90-mile drive continues all the way to Lyme Regis, covering the entirety of the Jurassic Coastline in Dorset.

See The Ultimate Jurassic Coast Drive for more…

02/09/2026

The Ultimate Jurassic Drive. From the far eastern tip of the Isle of Purbeck, head down to Old Harry’s Rocks, where the official boundary of the Jurassic Coast begins. Stick to the coastal roads as they narrow and split to keep the sea in view for the majority of the ride. Divert down little dead-end lanes to discover hidden car parks, perfect for resting, chilling, wondering, and exploring. Delve deeper into the surrounding landscape by embarking on one of the many walks or rides that circle the neighbouring environment, through ruins, ancient earthworks, caves, and smugglers’ trails. The 90-mile drive continues all the way to Lyme Regis, covering the entirety of the Jurassic Coastline in Dorset.

See The Ultimate Jurassic Coast Drive for more…

02/09/2026

From Old Harry’s Rocks to Lyme Regis - The Ultimate Dorset Jurassic Coast Drive.



https://tessofthevale.com/2025/07/21/the-ultimate-jurassic-coast-drive

From the far eastern tip of the Isle of Purbeck head down to Old Harry’s Rocks where the official boundary of the Jurassic Coast begins. Stick to the coastal roads as they narrow and split to keep the sea in view for the majority of the ride. Divert down little dead end lanes to discover hidden ca...

02/09/2026

Start of Muin Celtic Tree Month

Today (2nd September) marks the beginning of the Muin Month in the modern Celtic Tree Calendar. Muin is traditionally known as vine, but in Britain it is interpreted as Bramble (the blackberry!). It is one of thirteen tree months, each linked to a different native tree and its folklore.

Although often described as ancient Celtic tradition, the calendar itself is actually a much more modern romantic interpretation, shaped largely by later poetry, mythology and writers fascinated by Celtic symbolism rather than proven ancient practice.

The Muin Month is linked with harvest, transformation and the gathering of the year’s abundance. They have long carried associations with celebration, intuition and the changing balance between light and dark as autumn approaches. In folklore, both vine and bramble symbolised both prosperity and the wild untamed side of nature.

Today vineyards are becoming part of the Dorset landscape, their neat rows spreading across sheltered hillsides and chalk valleys that have supported farming and cultivation for centuries. Meanwhile, in the wilder places, the bramble seems to soften for a moment as its thorns share space with its sweet fruits!

01/09/2026

September’s Walk of the Month -
Stubhampton Bottom.

From the little village of Iwerne Minster, climb up the chalk hills to views over the Blackmore Vale. Head between anciently farmed fields of the Iron Age and medieval periods, passing earthworks of a lost medieval farmstead and a Bulls Pit, to reach the causeway of Boyne’s Lane.

Cross the historic route, used by King Alfred to reach Shaftesbury Abbey and the Normans to avoid the new hunting grounds, to views east over Cranborne Chase.

Drop down past the oldest deer park, and the newest palace, in the county, to Stubhampton Bottom and weave through the trees up the wooded valley.

Skim a million-pound manor house, once a mere hunting lodge, to return to the views over the Blackmore Vale. Enter back into Iwerne Minster as Hambledon Hill rises in the south.

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01/09/2026

September’s Walk of the Month - Stubhampton Bottom. Crossing the border of the Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase.

From the little village of Iwerne Minster, climb up the chalk hills to views over the Blackmore Vale. Head between anciently farmed fields of the Iron Age and medieval periods, passing earthworks of a lost medieval farmstead and a Bulls Pit, to reach the causeway of Boyne’s Lane. Cross the histori...