Litton Cheney

Litton Cheney lies in the valley of the small River Bride, beneath chalk hills, 9 miles (14 km) west of Dorchester. The parish had 355 residents at the 2021 census, so this is a small, quiet base, with the walking starting from the village itself.

People have used this ground for a long time. On Pins Knoll, west of the village, an Iron Age settlement was excavated in 1959, and a Romano-British building stood on the same site in the 4th century. The parish church of St Mary was restored in 1878 but keeps its tower, chancel arch and parts of the nave and porch from the 14th and 15th centuries, along with a font bowl that is probably Norman. The engraver and designer Reynolds Stone lived at The Old Rectory from 1953 until 1979.

For a bigger walk, Eggardon Hill is an Iron Age hillfort on the high ground north of the village. It stands 252 metres (827 ft) above sea level and looks south over the English Channel.

The White Horse Inn is the village pub. It serves Palmers ales and has a beer garden with a stream running along one side, a skittle alley, and a large car park that walkers and cyclists use. Dogs are welcome. It is a stop on Palmers Brewery’s Bride Valley Circle pub walk, which also calls at the Three Horseshoes in Burton Bradstock and the Crown at Puncknowle.