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Win Green Hill

1.55 miles (2.5 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap Climb to the highest point in the Cranborne Chase AONB and enjoy wonderful views over Shaftesbury, Salisbury Plain, Glastonbury Tor, the Mendips, the Quantocks, the Purbecks and the south coast.
There is a National Trust car park near the hill summit. You can park here and follow footpaths up to the 277 metres (909 ft) high point and enjoy the panoramic views over the beautiful surrounding coutryside. The summit has a distinctive look with a clump of beech trees growing on a Bronze Age bowl barrow. In the summer months you will find many interesting plants and flowers on the rich downland of the hill. There's also a handy toposcope which details all the landmarks you can see from the summit.
You could extend your walk by continuing south along the Wessex Ridgeway to Tollard Royal via Ashcombe Bottom. As an alternative you could start the walk from the village of Tollard Royal and visit the hill from there. Also just to the west you will find Fontmell and Melbury Downs nature reserve where there's fine views and interesting flora and fauna.

Postcode

SP7 0ES - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Win Green Hill OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Win Green Hill Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

There's a couple of fine options for post walk refreshments in the area near the hill. You could head about 1.5 miles north west of the hill to the Rising Sun for example. The quaint pub has a free car park and a nice garden to sit out in on a sunny day. The pub is marked on Ordnance Survey maps and can be found on the Salisbury Road at postcode SP7 9LT.
The Grove Armsis also nearby and an establishment of some note. The dog friendly inn dates from the 16th century and includes a nice sun terrace. It can be found on Ludwell Hill just a mile from Win Green Hill at postcode SP7 9ND. You could follow the Wessex Ridgeway directly into Ludwell from the hill summit.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The circular Compton Abbas Walk starts from the nearby village and visits the hill. It also visits Compton Abbas Airfield, Melbury Wood, the nearby village of Melbury Abbas and Melbury Hill. It's a nice way of seeing some of the local highlights.
Just to the south you can visit the pretty village of Tollard Royal where there's a 13th century church and the delightful Larmer Tree Gardens. The beautiful gardens include some nice walkways with tea rooms, peacocks and a folly viewpoint to enjoy.
A few miles to the south east you will find the Dorset Cursus, an ancient Neolithic earthwork on Wyke Down. There's some excellent views over the countryside of the Cranborne Chase AONB to enjoy from here.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Cranborne Chase Walks page.

Photos

Ashcombe Bottom from Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 139539

Ashcombe Bottom from Win Green. Walking south east from the high point at Win Green, the footpath drops steeply with views across to Ashcombe Bottom and Ashcombe House.

Trig pillar and topograph on Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 415175

Trig pillar and topograph on Win Green. The trig stands at 911ft and the topograph was erected in 1976 by local residents.

Stile on the Hardy Way at Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 415199

Stile on the Hardy Way at Win Green. The Hardy Way is the first long distance path in Britain to be linked with the works of a writer namely Thomas Hardy.

Bridleway to Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 1287963

 Bridleway to Win Green. The bridleway takes riders and walkers from the village of Charlton over the downs to Win Green via Donhead Hollow and Elliott's Shed.

Trees on Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 415185

Trees on Win Green. These trees can be seen from miles away.

Cattle at Win Green - geograph.org.uk - 857016

Cattle at Win Green. The byway along the ridge to the summit of Win Green has been fenced so that the cattle can graze the hill itself.

GPS Files

GPX File

Win Green Hill.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Win Green Hill.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)