The Cursus of Gussage St Michael

1 Turn left down the street in Gussage St Michael. It's a small, sprawling village, squeezed between the Roman road of Ackling Dyke and a more ancient, processional way known as the Dorset Cursus. After passing a repair garage on your right, turn right by Corner Cottage, on to the road signposted to Long Crichel. Where the road swings up to the left, go straight on, into Manor Road following the sign towards Cashmoor. Continue along the broad green valley, passing modern houses on the left. Cross a stile by a gate into the driveway of Manor Farm.

2 At the farm turn down the drive to the right and soon bear left across a stile and along a cinder track. Follow this for a ¼ mile (400m), until you are level with a clump of trees on the left. Cross a stile to your right, then a bridge and another stile. Bear slightly left across the field to a further stile, with the buildings of Ryall's Lodge to your left. Walk up the laurel hedge and bear left of the wooden shed to cross a stile into the drive. Turn right then go through a gate and continue up to meet a lane.

3 Turn left along this lane. Pass a house on your left and turn up a lane to your right, following the blue waymarker. Continue as the lane becomes a green track on the route of an old droving road, parallel with the Dorset Cursus to your left. Pass a farm and stay on the track as it kinks left across the Cursus then bends right up the hill.
The Cursus is an intriguing broad track, between parallel banks and ditches, some 6 miles (9.7km) long, running across this north east corner of Dorset from Bokerley Dyke to a cluster of long barrows and tumuli. It appears to be aligned with the rising and setting sun at midsummer and midwinter. Its edges have been blurred by time and the plough, but one of the clearest sections can be seen here. It's believed to have been built in neolithic times, around 2000 bc, but for what purpose isn't clear.

4 At the top of Gussage Hill turn right on to the grassy bridleway. Follow this for about a mile (1.6km) along the ridge, with views northwards over Gussage Down. You can see the shadow of the parallel ditches of the Cursus heading away towards Pentridge and Penbury Knoll, marked by a clump of dark firs. Hollows and hummocks on the flank of Gussage Hill suggest the remains of a large neolithic settlement and the top is liberally scattered with tumuli and long barrows. Do this walk towards the end of the day and the low light of the setting sun makes the ground shimmer silver with cobwebs.

5 Keep straight ahead at the intersection of tracks near the top of Gussage Hill, passing the trig point on your right and a ragged line of hawthorn bushes. The trees straight ahead mark the route of the Roman Ackling Dyke, a major route that can still be traced between Old Sarum (near Salisbury) and Badbury Rings. Follow the path into the trees and immediately turn right along the track, passing an unexpectedly modern memorial stone to one John Ironmonger, who died in 1986. Ackling Dyke is raised at this point, with a ditch and bank to the right. Follow the straight track down through the trees, up beside another line of trees and down again for about 1¼ miles (2km). There's a clear view on the left to the distinctive rocket shape of Horton Tower.

6 Pass a barn and turn right into a muddy droving lane between high hedges, following a red marker. After ½ mile (800m) this swings down to the left. Follow the gravel track downhill past the buildings of Lower Farm, and beside an old flint wall with tile cap, to return to Gussage St Michael and the lay-by. Incidentally, there are two more Gussages to discover: the larger All Saints and the tiny St Andrew. The curious name derives from the Saxon words for a spring and a watercourse.