Shaftesbury

October 2026

Mark left us, feeling unwell, but we three walked from Ludwell into Shaftesbury, approximately 2.5 miles. Ludwell is in south Wiltshire (as is Salisbury) and Shaftesbury is in Dorset. 

We found several stiles to be challenging but overall the walk was pleasantly varied through farm land, fields, isolated houses and the built up edge of Shaftesbury. Lunch at The Mitre was very good (we enjoyed the coronation chicken and the pleasant waitress) plus a fine view over the hills.

Gold Hill, made famous by Ridley Scott’s Hovis advert, was a delight and the adjacent museum equally so.

Popping in to the Abbey grounds (the Abbey itself having been demolished by Henry VIII) we are met by a genial local reporter for Alfred local radio who quizzes us on our impressions of Shaftesbury – which we are pleased to give. You can hear it here https://thisisalfred.com/podcast/the-alfred-daily-8th-october-2026/ (Listen from 43.50 to 48.00)

We return by a partly different route though we can’t avoid the tricky stiles.

Supper at the Benett Arms in Semley. Approaching the village, on single track roads in near total darkness we find the road closed, necessitating a retreat and a long diversion.

The steak pie has pastry like mdf and Tim can’t finish it. Worse, it revisits him overnight. There is little atmosphere in the pub and we leave early, returning to the Grove for a final pint. 

It promises to rain tomorrow morning so we may reconsider our walking plans.