The best walks and hikes around Winterborne Houghton

Okeford Hill Bike ParkClick to open side panel for more information is a premier downhill mountain biking destination located on the steep northern escarpment of the Dorset Downs, offering some of the most challenging terrain in the region. Diverse Trail Network: The park features a variety of downhill-specific trails that cater primarily to intermediate and advanced riders, including technical "rooty" sections and fast, flowing jumps. Uplift Service: To maximize ride time, the venue provides a dedicated uplift service (usually a tractor and trailer) that shuttles riders from the bottom of the hill back to the summit. Operating Hours: The park is typically open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, though it is often closed during the weekdays. Spectacular Setting: Riders can enjoy the same famous views of the Blackmore Vale described from nearby Bell Hill between runs.

Standing on the summit of Bell Hill (258 meters) offers what many locals and hikers consider the definitive view of the Blackmore Vale. It is a vantage point that explains why Thomas Hardy called this area the "Vale of the Little Dairies."

All Saints Church in Hilton, Dorset, is a remarkable Grade I listed building, primarily dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Its unique architecture features masonry, windows, and carved corbels (including a bagpipe player) salvaged and reused from the nearby Milton Abbey after the Dissolution. The church also houses two beautiful panels of early 16th-century paintings of the Apostles, which were also transferred from the Abbey. It retains a square 12th-century font in Purbeck marble.

* It lies southeast of the deserted medieval village of Bingham's Melcombe, the remains of which can still be seen in the surrounding fields.

* Architectural Features: The church exhibits features typical of the 14th and 15th centuries, including reticulated tracery in some windows, ogee-headed lights, and a tower with an embattled parapet. The south chapel has panel tracery. * Interior Elements: Inside, you can find a Norman font (brought from a nearby chapel in 1951), a pulpit bought in 1723, and 17th-century communion rails. A unique feature is a stuffed owl intended to deter bats! * Horsey Chapel Screen: The oak screen separating the Horsey Chapel from the nave is particularly interesting, featuring the initials S.T.F. (for Sir Thomas Freke) and the date 1619 on the reverse. Location and Setting: * The church is situated in the grounds of Bingham's Melcombe, a significant medieval manor house.

A church has stood on this site since at least 1150 AD, with records dating back to that time held in the County Museum Library. * 14th Century Core: The present stone and flint building largely dates back to the mid-14th century. This includes the nave and the lower stage of the west tower. * 15th Century Additions: The upper stage of the tower and the rebuilding of the south (Horsey) chapel occurred in the 15th century. The Horsey Chapel is separated from the nave by a notable oak screen. * 19th Century Chancel: The chancel was added in 1844 and features a window with reticulated tracery, in keeping with some of the earlier styles.

* Dissolution: Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the Abbey and estate were acquired by Sir John Tregonwell, a lawyer for Henry VIII. The Abbey church was allowed to become the parish church. * 18th Century Changes: In the late 18th century, Joseph Damer, Lord Milton (later Earl of Dorchester), decided the nearby market town of Milton (or Middleton) disturbed his ideal of rural peace. He had the entire town demolished and created the planned village of Milton Abbas. He also commissioned the landscape gardener Capability Brown to design the parkland around a new mansion he built on the site of the old Abbey buildings, keeping only part of the church. * Restoration: The church was restored around 1790 by James Wyatt and again in 1865 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The first church on the site was founded around 934 AD by the Saxon King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great. It is said he had a vision of defeating the Danes while camping nearby and built the church in gratitude. * Benedictine Abbey: About thirty years later, King Edgar established a Benedictine monastery there. * Fire and Rebuilding: A fire caused by lightning destroyed the Norman church in 1309. The current Abbey Church of Saint Mary, Saint Sansom and Saint Branwalader largely dates from the 14th century, with some 15th-century additions like the north transept and tower extension. The nave as originally planned was never built.