Easy-to-moderate walking with some ascents / descents, and occasional longer days.
The season for this holiday is:
01 April 2025 - 30 September 2025
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| °C | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
| mm | 77 | 53 | 62 | 45 | 56 | 52 | 41 | 57 | 62 | 68 | 73 | 83 |
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
6 nights: 01 April 2025 - 30 September 2025
Start Monday to Friday | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 30 Apr 2025 | £1035 | £365 |
| 1 May - 24 Sep 2025 | £1065 | £355 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£46 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £46 |
Included travel: transfer Shaftesbury-Cranborne to collect car OR Shaftesbury-Gillingham railway station
Please note: dogs are not permitted on Inntravel holidays
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
| Museum Inn, Farnham | ||
|---|---|---|
| 'Feature': 01 Apr - 30 Sep 2025 | £14 | |
| 'With View': 01 Apr - 30 Sep 2025 | £25 |
Connecting travel options - via Gillingham station
| Outward route | ||
|---|---|---|
| not recommended in this direction |
| Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest departure time |
|---|---|---|
| taxi hotel to Gillingham station (0h20) | included | flexible |
Connecting travel options - via Salisbury station
| Outward route | Price per person |
Latest arrival time |
|---|---|---|
| taxi Salisbury station to hotel (0h40) | £20-£21 | flexible |
| Homeward route | ||
|---|---|---|
| not recommended in this direction |
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From start to finish dealing with Inntravel was a pleasure and staff answered any questions we had before and during our hike. Maps and directions were very informative with trails being easy to follow and well maintained. Accommodations were beyond our expectations with delicious dinners and packed lunches enjoyed. Inntravel receives a Five Star rating !!
Lovely walk, very pleasant terrain to walk over in a very pretty area with picturesque villages. We appreciated the background notes regarding the area and Thomas Hardy.
The landscape was bucolic. Our highlights included stumbling upon a pagan rite and wishing tree in the evocative henge around the ruins of Knowlton church, seeing hares running across a field after the spectacular ridge walk (we had lovely weather) walking towards Farnham and frequent sightings of raptors above us. Shaftesbury was a gem - we combined visiting the museums in the morning rain with the town walk in the afternoon, taking advantage of the friendly shops and cafes.
From start to finish dealing with Inntravel was a pleasure and staff answered any questions we had before and during our hike. Maps and directions were very informative with trails being easy to follow and well maintained. Accommodations were beyond our expectations with delicious dinners and packed lunches enjoyed. Inntravel receives a Five Star rating !!
Lovely walk, very pleasant terrain to walk over in a very pretty area with picturesque villages. We appreciated the background notes regarding the area and Thomas Hardy.
The landscape was bucolic. Our highlights included stumbling upon a pagan rite and wishing tree in the evocative henge around the ruins of Knowlton church, seeing hares running across a field after the spectacular ridge walk (we had lovely weather) walking towards Farnham and frequent sightings of raptors above us. Shaftesbury was a gem - we combined visiting the museums in the morning rain with the town walk in the afternoon, taking advantage of the friendly shops and cafes.
Loved the walk the along the Long Barrow which was idyllic; seeing deer every day, and a golden eagle; the tasting menu at La Fosse, and, how well we were looked after at La Fleur de Lys.
We liked the itinerant walks and the discovery of a new place to stay at the end of these walks
We loved the countryside and villages we saw, in particular Farnham and Larmer Tree Gardens. The cooking at La Fleur de Lys was particularly good, but breakfasts were good at all the hotels. Shaftesbury is a lovely town, though the entrance to it on the route given is not the most attractive!
The walk showcased how beautiful Dorset is. Long Bottom near Shaftesbury in May is a wildflower heaven as is Win Green. Many breathtaking views. The walk notes were precise and made it almost impossible to go wrong. As ever with Inntravel the accommodation was varied and interesting. We were struck by how friendly local people were. A memorable holiday. Thank you Inntravel.
We very much enjoyed this holiday and your choice of accommodation. We had only walked the SW Coast Path in Dorset so this was a good introduction to the countryside inland. We did not meet anyone walking at all until the third day but that was a Sunday afternoon when one might expect to meet people. We had expected to meet far more! We were impressed how unspoilt the countryside and villages are, a result we think of the land being under the ownership of various large estates. There were miles of hedges edging the farm tracks and these were dense and wonderful for wildlife. The view from Penbury Knoll was worth the detour for the view from the top.
Peace and quiet along mostly remote paths. Enjoyed the variety of trees at the Larmer Tree Gardens and anyone that wants a good pint of real ale there is a micro brewery about 20 minute walk away from Cranborne village. Came across a quaint fayre at Wimborne St Giles, stopped for cake and coffee. We met very few people on any of the walks, so enjoyed listening to the birds and taking the lush countryside in.
We very much enjoyed exploring this part of the world, lucky to have had lovely weather until the last day, and scenery enhanced by seasonal blossom and spectacular bluebells and wild garlic.
The landscape throughout our walk was much more open and spacious than we had expected, very quiet. The villages are lovely, with examples of the thatcher’s art everywhere. Wildflowers abounded - early bluebells, anemones, violets, primroses - and daffodils nodded from every bank and garden. Each of our hotels had its distinct charms, but they were united in the warmth of the welcome they extended. We felt very at home, comfortable and well-fed at La Fosse, The Museum, and the Fleur de Lys in Shaftsbury. The walk from Farnham to Shaftsbury is wonderful, exemplifying everything we had loved along the way - views from the heights, woodlands, tight valleys, and glimpses of rural life. To open a farm gate and step into suburban Shaftsbury was quite a shock! Shaftsbury itself is most interesting; we enjoyed your walk through town. Both museums, Abbey and Gold Hill, are free of charge, and staffed with well-informed volunteers who are keen to tell the town’s story. Indeed, all along our walk, local people were happy to stop and chat with us, all very pleasant. Another great Inntravel walk - thank you.
We had a fabulous break, walking in an area we had not visited previously. The walk notes were accurate and reliable, leaving us only rarely needing to check the GPS notes to reassure. Do look at the 'On the map' notes before you travel so you can highlight your map in advance. We particularly enjoyed walks on days 1 (circuit from Cranborne) and 4 (Farnham to Shaftsbury). We did day 3's walk to Larmer Tree Gardens in reverse, which was pleasant but the Gardens were uninteresting (in early April), and we suspect the allternative longer walk would have been more interesting. Day 5's walk left us uninspired, not wanting to catch a bus to the start point. So we did a 9-10 mile loop to Donhead St. Andrew - a fabulous walk (just google to find it), that we recommend to others wanting to walk from the door. On accommodation, The Museum Inn won hands down, with good storage (the only one with hooks on the door for wet waterproofs) and the all important good shower - the shower at La Fosse was farcical). Our two evening meals at The Museum Inn surpassed by far the meals offered at the two prize-winning stops, and the staff were welcoming and helpful. For back pain sufferers, only the bed at La Fosse was reasonably firm, with the others far too soft (although the Museum Inn came up with a solution). For us, La Fleur was far too fancy for what we wanted at the end of a week's walking and we'd have been more compfortable at a more straighforward inn with friendly staff and places to put muddly boots and wet clothes, and good pub food. Overall though, a great holiday, which has restored our trust in Inntravel and its walk selection and notes after less impressive ones a few years ago.
Meals at the Fleur de Lys Inn were not included but there was no where else to eat in the vicinity so we ate at the Inn. The food was just about okay but the Sunday Roast Beef should be chosen with great caution and low expectation. The Museum Inn was very pleasant, friendly and service was good but the Stable rooms were incredibly small for two people, rucksacs, cases etc and we had great difficulty until we were transferred to the main hotel for the second night following a major flood in the bathroom which they weren't able to sort out. We also had a significant delay to the start of our walk on our departure date because the staff didn't turn up to open up. La Fleur de Lys in Shaftsbury was an excellent contrast to the prevous two hotels. Our hosts were extremely friendly and helpful, the environment was clean, warm and comfortable and the food was exquisite.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. My wife is a Thomas Hardy enthusiast having taught his works to students for many years and she was thouroughly immersed in the accompanying notes that you provided. The walking was good bit a little repetitive over the first couple of days but the walk from Farnham to Shaftsbury made up for it (despite the freezing, wild wind!) Villages were very pretty and interesting and some of the views were spectacular.
We have been using InnTravel for walking holidays, in UK and abroad, for many years and will continue to do so in the future.
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