Dorset is one of the finest counties for walking in lowland Britain. It is richly endowed with a spectacular coastline and a wide variety of inland scenery including chalk downs, ancient woods, rich riverbanks, limestone hills and more. This is a guide to circular walks of between 5 and 12 miles. The majority of the walks take you to some of the county's finest pubs. There are details of long-distance paths, with directions to follow the Dorset Ridgeway, the Wessex Way and the Liberty Trail, as well as details of the Dorset Coast Path and the Stour Valley Path. Many of the walks can be adjusted in length to suit every level of fitness or inclination. There are frequent references to the county's rich history and even richer literary heritage: not only Thomas Hardy, who did so much to make his native county famous, but also Jane Austen, John Fowles, J. Meade Falkner, Henry Fielding and others. Every step of the way has been covered by the author, often a number of times. There is a guide to accommodation in pubs, farmhouses and bed and breakfast to accompany each walk. There are some 3000 miles of public rights of way within the county boundaries of Dorset, excluding, of course, roads (tarred or otherwise). Perhaps nowhere else offers the same combination of intensely varied and alluring landscapes, and the same rich historical and, above all, literary connections as does the county of Dorset. It is walkers' country par excellence. Happily the inhabitants and local authorities encourage those whose delight it is to wander the footpaths. Almost everywhere farmers seem to go out of their way to point out the path across their land.
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