Abbey Farm Flowers
A blooming marvellous site
It’s no surprise that in the achingly picturesque village of Abbotsbury there should be an impossibly pretty cut flower farm. Abbey Farm Flowers, founded by friends Amy Ralph and Emma Hughes, is based in a converted piggery, looking out over a medieval tithe barn and a duck pond. The mallards happily waddle around the flower beds and occasionally poke their beaks into the shop – it’s hard to imagine a more bucolic setting.
From March to late October the beds at Abbey Farm are a riot of colour, an ever-changing canvas of shrubs, annuals and perennials. The emphasis is on sustainability and growing with the seasons, so you won’t find polytunnels or out-of-season flowers. Armed with a pair of snips you can pick your own blooms, or you can take home a ready-tied bunch from the shed by the gate. The pick-your-own buckets have proved popular with local weddings – one bride even picked her own bouquet on her way to the ceremony.
Abbey Farm Flowers is something of a passion project for both women. Amy had a background in horticulture and environmental education, while Emma managed a veterinary rehabilitation centre but always had green fingers. The flower farm’s historic setting comes with some special challenges. ‘We have a “no dig” policy, as we’re in the grounds of the ruined Benedictine abbey and might disturb something of archaeological importance,’ explains Amy. Instead, they plant into compost laid on top of existing ground. Traditional medicinal plants like wild clary have popped up in the beds nearest the abbey ruins, suggesting that the plot might once have been an apothecary garden. Inside the piggery you can chill with coffee, cake or local ice cream and there’s a small but perfectly formed collection of garden-themed products by local makers. The place has become a bit of a social hub, with a monthly flower club, workshops, and festive wreath-making classes in the winter, when the beds are bare.
Address The Piggery, Church Street, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, DT3 4JJ, www.abbeyfarmflowers.co.uk | Getting there Buses X 52 and X 53 stop at the Ilchester Arms in Abbotsbury, a 5-minute walk from the flower farm; by car, from Bridport take the B3157 to Abbotsbury; parking in Abbotsbury car park | Hours Mar – Dec Tue & Thu – Sat, 10am – 4pm, unless the weather is very poor; additional PYO sessions when the flower forecast is good | Tip If you’re in need of a pick-me-up after picking your own at the flower farm, Cherry’s Café next to the Tithe Barn at Abbey Farm is the perfect spot for brunch or a light lunch.
The Fleet Lagoon
Smugglers’ tales
It must be hard to live in the shadow of something as impressive as Chesil Beach, where the sea has perfectly graded one hundred million tonnes of shingle from pea- to potato-sized. But the Fleet Lagoon, running behind its steep banks, from Abbotsbury to Portland, is more than capable of holding its own. It might not be as mighty as Chesil (it’s only 8.2 miles long compared to the beach’s impressive 18 miles), but it makes up for it with a rugged wildness and roguish history.
Smuggling is a common thread woven through Dorset’s heritage. And in the 18th and 19th centuries this tidal lagoon was a smuggler’s dream for hiding stolen goods. Barrels, called ‘tubs’, containing contraband were landed at Chesil, before being hauled up and over its slopes and stashed in the Fleet’s shallow waters. Unsuspecting Revenue Men would stroll by, entirely unaware of all the tea or French brandy bobbing below. It didn’t always go to plan, though. One particularly bad storm in 1822 freed some of the hidden tubs, resulting in a frantic race between the revenue boat and the smugglers, both desperate to retrieve the contraband washed away by the waves. On taking the lead, one smuggler added insult to injury by ‘striking his posterior in derision’ as they sailed smugly past the revenue men.
Today, instead of stolen goods you’ll find over 150 species of seaweed under the surface. And whilst you’re unlikely to cross paths with smugglers, the Fleet is perfect for a spot of bird watching. From April to October you can take to the water on the Fleet Explorer – Dorset Wildlife Trust’s boat, designed to reach the shallower sections where you can get better views of birds like little egrets, ringed plover, or the little terns that breed here during the spring. It’s certainly worth paying a bit more attention to this often-overlooked stretch of brackish water brimming with wildlife and rebellious history.
Address The Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre, Portland, DT4 9XE | Getting there
From Weymouth take the A 354 towards Portland; park at the Wild Chesil Centre (the Fleet Explorer runs from here), and head out on foot | Hours Accessible 24 hours; Fleet Explorer Apr – Oct (www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk) | Tip The Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre is the perfect spot to shelter after a windswept coastal walk (www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildchesilcentre).
Gold Hill
Uphill struggles
This steep cobbled street is one of Dorset’s most iconic locations, and the setting of an equally iconic advert. Directed by Sir Ridley Scott of Alien and Gladiator fame, the 1973 Boy on the Bike ad shows a delivery boy battling up the hill’s vertiginous incline with a basket filled with Hovis loaves.
In recent years Gold Hill has swapped bread for dairy, hosting the infamous Cheese Run during Shaftesbury’s annual Food and Drink Festival. Participants carry 20-kilo truckles of local Cheddar down the hill to the start line. Then comes the hard bit: they race 150 yards uphill with the giant cheese wheels on their shoulders. Locals and visitors can take part, with under-10s competing with a polystyrene fake cheese; the winner gets a crown and a cheesethemed prize. At the time of writing, the record for this extreme cardio workout stands at an impressive 15 seconds. The Gold Hill Cheese Run was the brainchild of a local cheesemaker, Charlie Turnbull, as a tribute to the cheesemaking tradition of the Blackmore Vale, which stretches back hundreds of years. Legend has it that in medieval times cheesemakers, brewers and butchers raced up the cobbled street to get their products to the Abbey first and bag a place on the Abbess’s High Table menu.
Sporty types don’t have to wait for the Food Festival to take on Gold Hill. If you don’t fancy tackling the 21.5% gradient on two legs, you can give it a go on two wheels. But if you want to beat the current record on the Strava fitness app you’ll have to make the ascent in less than 22 seconds.
In 2017, Evan’s Cycles recreated the well-loved advert as part of a quirky, yet clever, ad campaign – sending original delivery lad, 57-yearold Carl Barlow, on a ‘grand ride’ up the cobbles on an electric bike guaranteed he’d get up the hill as fast as he freewheeled down it in the original ad.
Address St Michael’s Church, Church Lane, Stinsford, DT2 8PT | Getting there Leave the A 35 at the Stinsford roundabout, turn onto Hollow Hill, and Stinsford church and village are signposted after half a mile; bus CR 8 or CR 9 from Dorchester South Station, alighting at Stinsford Cross | Hours Open during daylight hours | Tip Enjoy a stroll in 35 acres of parkland, followed by a snack in the Barn Café at Maurward Animal Park and Gardens, two minutes’ drive from St Michael’s church (www.animal-park.kmc.ac.uk).
Thomas Hardy’s gravestone
An (alleged) feline felony
On the afternoon of 16 January, 1928 the Rev Hubert Cowley solemnly carried a wooden casket along the path to the side of a newly dug grave. Hundreds of mourners were packed into the churchyard to witness the burial of Thomas Hardy’s heart – and possibly his unfortunate cat.
Hardy’s family wanted him to be buried alongside other family members at St Michael’s. His influential friends, who included Peter Pan author Sir James Barrie and Rudyard Kipling, lobbied for him to be buried along with other eminent writers in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner. His widow agreed to a compromise: his heart would be buried in Stinsford churchyard and his ashes in the Abbey. As the local mayor put it: ‘We shall have the best part of Mr Hardy still with us in Dorchester.’
So where does the unlucky moggy come in? There are many variations to the story, the basic elements being that a local doctor came to Max Gate, the house where Hardy died. The writer’s heart was removed, wrapped in a tea-towel and placed in a biscuit tin to await the undertaker. When he arrived, he was confronted by an open biscuit tin, a shredded tea towel and a cat nibbling at the remains of the recently removed organ. The undertaker swiftly wrung the cat’s neck, wrapped it in the tea towel and placed the grisly parcel in the biscuit tin. The undertaker could then truthfully claim that the burial casket contained Hardy’s heart in its entirety.
There is little hard evidence for this macabre story – one version relies on the fact that the heart was buried in a rectangular (biscuittin-shaped) wooden casket, rather than one of the two bronze urns prepared for the Dorset and London ceremonies. No explanation was ever offered for the sudden change of plan. Hardy, who had an eye for the grotesque and uncanny, would have been amused at the staying power of what is probably a rural myth.
Address Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, SP7 8HB | Getting there Bus By car, leave the A 350 at the Ivy Cross roundabout and follow the signs to Shaftesbury town centre; bus X 2 from Gillingham station or 29 from Salisbury city centre – buses stop at the Town Hall, next to Gold Hill | Hours Accessible 24 hours | Tip Dairy fans should check out The Shaftesbury Deli at 37 High Street, which carries a wide selection of locally produced artisanal cheese (theshaftesburydeli.co.uk).
Donkey Walking Adventures
‘Be more donkey’
Just beyond Beaminster’s bustle, hidden within a hazel wood, there are adventures to be had. Not fast-paced, adrenalin-filled ones though. Quite the opposite. Think slow, think mindful, think donkey. More specifically, donkey walking.
Simon Squire, who took over Donkey Walking Adventures in 2021, will lead you along woodland paths to meet his team of trusty steeds: Paddy, Flynn and half-brothers Hector and Paris. These four North African donkeys (born in Devon!) are the ultimate Dorset tour guides. Whether you head out with them beneath the trees for a gentle ramble or go further afield on a longer hike (via a nearby pub perhaps?), they’ll make sure you take regular stops to take in the view, whilst they have a cheeky nibble on some nearby nettles.
Before any walking takes place on these tailor-made tours, bonding with the team is essential. Under the watchful eye of Simon, a lifelong donkey devotee thanks to his childhood love of Eeyore, you’ll get better acquainted with the team via plenty of grooming, ear-scratches and, one of the most essential parts of the bonding process, donkey hugs. Being hand-reared means the team are totally relaxed around people, and enjoy being pampered, especially if there’s the odd ginger nut biscuit to share. Between the odd brays (donkeys are the only animals that can make a sound on both the inbreath and outbreath) and plentiful bramble browsing, these creatures’ zen-like calmness becomes contagious. There’s no moving a 200kg animal if it doesn’t want to move – you have to set your watch to donkey time. ‘We could all learn a lot from them,’ Simon says, ‘Take your time, enjoy the view, eat when you can’. Perhaps it’s these principles that help towards such a long life span: if they’re well cared for, they can live up to the age of 50 – donkeys’ years you might say. And Simon’s right, maybe we all need to ‘be more donkey’.
Address Green Cross Farm, Stoke Rd, Beaminster, DT8 3JL, www.donkeywalkingadventures.co.uk, www.instagram.com/bemoredonkey | Getting there
From Beaminster, take Clay Lane and just after the Spar shop on the left-hand side, take the turning for Stoke Road. Once you’ve arranged your donkey walking trip, Simon will give you directions to a pre-arranged meeting place | Hours All donkey walking adventures are via booking only, catering to small groups with personalised sessions | Tip The New Inn, Stoke Abbott, with its delicious food – the chips are nothing short of spectacular – is the perfect location for some post donkey-walking dining (www.newinnstokeabbott.co.uk).