Follow Me to Fiddleford

Sturminster Newton consists of two separate entities linked in the 16th century by the Town Bridge. At its heart is the triangular market place, dominated by the Swan Hotel. William Barnes, a prominent Dorset dialect poet, was born near here in 1801. A newly married Thomas Hardy wrote The Return of the Native (1878) during the two years that he lived here, in a house overlooking Newton Mill. In Hardy's novel a despairing Eustacia Vye drowns herself in Shadwater weir. Hardy surely had in mind the thundering waters of the two mills on this walk, which dizzy the senses with their constant roar. Newton Mill, dating from the 17th century, has been restored to working order and can be seen in operation on summer weekends.

The tawny buildings of Fiddleford Mill, set amid pollarded willows, poplars and tall reedbeds beside the curving River Stour, create altogether quieter images reminiscent of a painting by John Constable. The Romans called this place Fitela's Ford, and the mill gets a mention in the Domesday Book of 1086. The mill building itself is tiny compared with Newton Mill. One wall is largely taken up by an inscription from 1566. It exhorts the miller to welcome all comers and to be honest in his dealings. In the 18th century a notorious smuggler called Roger Ridout hid his contraband here.

Fiddleford's real treasure lies on the other side of the handsome farmhouse. It is the remains of the much older and grander Fiddleford Manor, built around 1374 for William Latimer. It came into the family of Thomas White and his wife Ann, who undertook much rebuilding in the period 1539-55. Their initials appear carved into the tops of the doorways in the passage. The east wing was demolished in the 18th century in favour of a new house, itself demolished in 1956. Abandoned and derelict, the medieval remainder - with its shortened hall - was given to the state and is now in the care of English Heritage. The remarkable little building you walk into today consists of a buttery and passage beside a high-roofed, timbered hall, with stairs leading up to a solar and gallery. The roof beams once supported a flat, moulded ceiling (removed to the manor at Hinton St Mary). Now the exposed oak timbers stretch up to the apex of the roof and are revealed in all their glory. They are adorned with carved, curved wind braces that have cusps and clover-leaf holes, like the stonework of some sweeping Gothic cathedral. Viewed up close, you can see the paler timbers of restoration, inset in 1980. Recent work has revealed that the solar room was once highly painted, and you can see tantalising fragments of an angel.

What to look for

Piddles Wood and Broad Oak are part of a nature reserve, which covers some 50 acres (20ha) of semi-natural woodland. While the trees are predominantly oak and coppiced hazel, look out for the rare wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) with its deeply indented leaves. In autumn look for the spiny fruit of the sweet chestnut. Peel off the hard brown shell and crunch the pale, delicately flavoured nuts.

Where to eat and drink

The pretty Bull at Newton lies on the main road by the turning to Broad Oak, but can be reached by a footpath from the mill car park. It serves home-cooked meals and families are welcome. Alternatively, extend your walk at Fiddleford to the Fiddleford Inn, on the junction with the A357, and enjoy a drink in its beer garden (no dogs inside).

While you're there

Seek out the story of dialect poet and parson William Barnes. He attended the little school in Penny Street. Encouraged by the Revd T H Lane Fox, he escaped to a world of books, becoming a solicitor's clerk and a schoolmaster before studying divinity. A phenomenal linguist, he taught himself many languages, including French, Welsh and Hindustani. He died in 1886, leaving his legacy of dozens of poems of gentle observation in the Dorset dialect, which he believed to be the purest form of English.