Robust Rambles

Section 50

Nunton to Coombe Bissett

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 50  Out

Nunton to Coombe Bissett

Map: OS Explorer 130 Salisbury

Distance: 4 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Radnor Arms, parking for patrons. Open every day. Very limited on-road parking.

Comment: An interesting walk of contrasts. Small amount of road walking to start with then all paths and tracks. The first half is on byways which may be ancient drove roads across the downs so there are fairly long straight stretches. Lots of kissing gates so few stiles. Extensive views. The end of the walk into Coombe Bissett is used on the outward and return sections as there are no alternative paths.

With The Radnor Arms behind, turn left up the road. Soon reach a junction and follow the main road around to the left. A straight stretch with no verges so go carefully.

Nearing a T-junction at the top with a busy dual carriageway, join the pavement on the left. Follow this around left and up the side of the main road. Cross a river bridge then pass a bus stop and, in a few paces more, turn left into a concrete byway.

After passing Longford Farm, on the right, the concrete ends so continue on a gravel drive, this too, ends at a house. Keep forward on a narrow grassy path into woods.

On leaving the woods, continue along the side of a field. At the end go through a metal swing gate and on along the bottom of another large pasture with woods on your left.

Cross a farm track turning left and keep on along the field edge to meet a metal swing gate onto a road.

Turn right a short distance then left, past a metal fieldgate on your left, into a narrow path into woods.

Soon enter an enormous field and keep along the edge for ¼ mile with a hedge on your left.

Where the hedge begins to swing right, turn left, down through the hedge. In a few metres the path turns right (ignore the stile into the field here) and continues along with a fence on your left.

Keep on for ¼ mile, bending left halfway. Cross under power lines and about 100 metres further on, reach a stile and metal fieldgate on your right.

Cross and go uphill on a grassy track. At the top pass all the buildings of Dog Dean Farm, then, by a green water tank, turn left and go straight ahead past the other side of the farm and on up the farm access drive for ¼ mile to a T-junction with a road.

Cross over to a stile by double metal fieldgates in the bottom corner of a huge field. Turn diagonally left up and across the field.

Over the brow of the hill and at the far side of the field, drop down through trees and bushes to a metal kissing gate. Turn diagonally right down a large sloping, grassy meadow.

In the far bottom corner, go through a metal kissing gate and then forward, slightly right, up a grassy path.

Continue for a good distance across the open down. Go through a metal kissing gate halfway and keep forward.

Finally reach a wooden wicket gate by a lone house on the left and traverse a narrow, enclosed path to a further gate. Keep on across grass with a hedge on your right.

The path enters trees and drops down through a wood. At the bottom go down rough steps by a broken wooden gate onto a drive.

Turn right to soon pass houses and reach a junction with a main road. With great care turn left past a house jutting out, then on on a path for 50 metres to reach the Fox & Goose pub in Coombe Bissett and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 50  Return

Coombe Bissett to Nunton

Map: OS Explorer 130 Salisbury

Distance: 4 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Fox & Goose pub, parking for patrons. Open every day. No on-road parking.

Comment: Basically a walk along the valley of the River Ebble. A pleasant start (although a short stretch of very narrow pavement needs care) up through woods, then open downland then pasture makes a varied walk with no steep inclines. Finally a short section of quiet road into the centre of Nunton. Currently the pub there is open every day.

Leave the Fox & Goose car park and turn right up the main road. Pass Willowmead Close on the right and keep forward through trees. The path becomes very narrow round a projecting house and the road is busy so take extra care. Immediately around the house, turn right up Marsh Lane.

Pass houses on the right and continue into woods. In 100 metres bear left off the lane up worn steps by a broken wooden gate onto a rising path into woods.

At the top cross a grassy area and then go through a narrow gated path by a lone house to enter downland.

Ignore a cross path and continue straight ahead for some distance passing through two metal kissing gates.

Through the second one, keep on by a treeline and fence on the right.

Just before a large house and garden, turn right through a metal kissing gate. Cross a footbridge and soon emerge onto a road.

Turn left up the road. Pass the entrance to the house called Homington Down and in a few paces turn right onto a byway into trees, for ¼ mile.

Eventually reach a metal fieldgate down on your right and a metal kissing gate beside. Go through and turn diagonally left across the field.

In the far opposite corner cross an ancient stile into a narrow enclosed path.

Cross two old footbridges and turn left on a beaten path through woods between rivers. (THIS CLEARLY USED PATH IS NOT THE PROW ON THE OS MAP WHICH DOES NOT SEEM ACCESSIBLE).

At the far side of the wood reach a metal kissing gate into a large pasture. Follow a narrow path diagonally left. Aim between pylons ahead with buildings in the distance, a road is beyond the hedge up on your right.

Eventually leave the pasture through a metal kissing gate by a rusty metal fieldgate onto a road (this is the end of the original public right of way on the map).

Go straight ahead up the road into Odstock. At a crossroads, turn right. Pass the Yew Tree Inn (closed Mondays) and in 50 metres, opposite Shepherds Close, turn left up a gravel drive.

By a wooden fieldgate, bear left into an enclosed path to soon reach a metal kissing gate into a paddock. Go diagonally right to the far opposite corner.

Exit through a metal kissing gate and follow a rough grassy track to reach farm buildings. Bear right to a metal kissing gate by a rusty metal fieldgate.

Enter the pasture and bear left along the bottom edge past the farm. Then turn slightly diagonally right up and across the open field passing a telegraph pole on your right.

Go through a metal kissing gate at the very top and immediately turn left along the side of the next pasture, with a hedge on your left.

Exit through a metal swing gate. Cross a farm track to a metal kissing gate and drop down to a road.

Go ahead on the road passing houses on your left. Keep on the road around a sharp left bend. Continue down to the end ignoring a road off right. Pass a playing field and reach a T-junction.

Turn right for 100 metres to arrive at the Radnor Arms and the start of the section in Nunton.