{"id":2776,"date":"2023-11-04T02:53:53","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T01:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2776"},"modified":"2023-10-31T10:06:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T09:06:04","slug":"fishpond-bottom-coneys-castle-lamberts-castle-dorset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2776","title":{"rendered":"Fishpond Bottom, Coney\u2019s Castle &#038; Lambert\u2019s Castle, Dorset"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Fishpond.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276178_a84dfdb1b6_z.jpg\" title= \"rustic waymark on the lane to Fishpond Bottom\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276178_a84dfdb1b6_s.jpg\" alt=\"rustic waymark on the lane to Fishpond Bottom\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276183_71a8e55be4_z.jpg\" title= \"old crab apple tree, Lambert's Castle\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276183_71a8e55be4_s.jpg\" alt=\"old crab apple tree, Lambert's Castle\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53221098867_a0c2440bce_z.jpg\" title= \"view over the Vale of Marshwood\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53221098867_a0c2440bce_s.jpg\" alt=\"view over the Vale of Marshwood\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222469815_877391c6f2_z.jpg\" title= \"The Vale of Marshwood 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222469815_877391c6f2_s.jpg\" alt=\"The Vale of Marshwood 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276093_98720e3680_z.jpg\" title= \"The Vale of Marshwood 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222276093_98720e3680_s.jpg\" alt=\"The Vale of Marshwood 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222353369_3d1454347c_z.jpg\" title= \"Holloway from Roughmoor ford\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53222353369_3d1454347c_s.jpg\" alt=\"Holloway from Roughmoor ford\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53221098622_20975bb123_z.jpg\" title= \"Beechmast crunchers at Roughmoor\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/53221098622_20975bb123_s.jpg\" alt=\"Beechmast crunchers at Roughmoor\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2776','pwin','height=700,width=1200,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nA grey and blowy day across the Dorset coast and the deep-sunk Vale of Marshwood. Up at Lambert\u2019s Castle the beeches thrashed and hissed, shedding their leaves downwind like flocks of birds.<\/p>\n<p>A steep path took me down the fields to Roughmoor, where a sow and her three pink-and-black piglets were blissfully crunching up the beechmast fallen from the trees. They snorted and grunted and raised their snouts hopefully as I leaned on their fence, but I had nothing in my pockets to add relish to their feast.<\/p>\n<p>Marshwood gives the impression of great depth and remoteness, a green mosaic of woodland and sloping pastures that Thomas Hardy would recognise today. At Roughmoor Cottage a splashy ford led to a holloway rustling with bracken and hart\u2019s tongue ferns.<\/p>\n<p>Up at Higher Stonebarrow the wind roared in the beeches that held the hedge-banks together with the grip of their root tangles. A basso profundo moan came from the high tension cables that crossed the valley. But once down in the squelchy green lane beyond Sheepwash Farm I was walking far beneath the rumpus of the gale. At the ford below Little Coombe the swollen stream gushed freely among horsetails and filled my boots, one of the myriad waters that once filled the carp pools dug by medieval monks at Fishpond Bottom.<\/p>\n<p>A network of old cart tracks threads through Marshwood Vale. I saw no-one as I followed the sunken path to Little Combe and Great Combe, isolated farmsteads on green slopes under the grey sky. A glimpse of the roofs of Charmouth lining their cliff gap to the south with a wedge of wind-whitened sea beyond. Then I turned up straggling Long Lane to cross the earthworks of Coney\u2019s Castle.<\/p>\n<p>Two Iron Age hill forts, orientated south-north, dominate the eastern flank of Fishpond Bottom \u2013 the modest rise of Coney\u2019s Castle, and to the north the bigger stronghold of Lambert\u2019s Castle on its long slim promontory.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d just finished re-reading Bernard Cornwell\u2019s sword-slashing King Arthur trilogy, \u2018The Warlord Chronicles\u2019. Romantic fantasy was irresistible here on the windy ramparts. I strode them like a warrior, wolfskin cloak flying free, sword in hand, as I prepared to repel the Saxon hordes massing in Marshwood Vale below.<\/p>\n<p>\fHow hard is it? 5\u00bc miles; moderate. Some boggy green lanes, fords.<\/p>\n<p>Start: Lambert\u2019s Castle car park, near Lyme Regis EX13 5XL (OS ref SY 367987)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Off B3165 between Marshwood and Raymond\u2019s Hill (A35)<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 116): Back along drive. In 100m, opposite gate on left, right down path. Cross B3165 (366988); down steps; kissing gate; half left down to gate (365989). Right down drive. At Roughmoor Cottage cross ford (363991); up holloway to Higher Stonebarrow. Left up drive; at start of road, left (357990; gate with red dog notice). Bridleway bounded by hedge, then walls to cross B3165 (360987). Stile. Down right edge of field to cables; follow them left to green lane (363983). Right; in 50m, left (stile); right along upper edge of woodland on right. In 250m at telephone pole (363980), sharp left down through trees to road (364981); right. 50m past Sheepwash Cottage, left (364977) along wet green lane to Little Coombe Farm. 100m beyond, right (369975) for \u2154 mile past Higher Coombe and Great Coombe farms to Long Lane road (373968). Left for \u00be mile to Peter\u2019s Gore crossroads (371981). Ahead (\u2018Marshwood\u2019); in 20m, right past Lambert\u2019s Castle\/Wessex Ridgeway signs. North across Lambert\u2019s Castle for \u00bd mile; at northern edge (372991) turn back along western rim to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch\/Accommodation: Hunter\u2019s Lodge, Raymond\u2019s Hill EX13 5SZ (01297-33286, <a href=\"http:\/\/hunterslodgeinn.co.uk\">hunterslodgeinn.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: <a href=\"http:\/\/marshwoodvale.com\">marshwoodvale.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A grey and blowy day across the Dorset coast and the deep-sunk Vale of Marshwood. Up at Lambert\u2019s Castle the beeches thrashed and hissed, shedding their leaves downwind like flocks of birds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}