Sherborne Circular Walk around the Abbey and Castle

The Dorset town of Sherborne is a fine place for a stroll with two sites of major historical interest and an attractive town centre.
This circular walk starts from Sherborne Abbey before heading through the town to the castle. The walk then explores the grounds and gardens of the castle before passing along Sherborne lake to the nearby Sherborne Old Castle.
Walk Report October 12th 2026 By Jane Carr:
We parked at Sherborne Castle, a convenient starting point for exploring this historic corner of Dorset, and headed into town to begin the walk at Sherborne Abbey.... The Abbey is an impressive building, with its tall tower and beautifully detailed stonework making it well worth a look before setting off. From here, the route takes you through Sherborne’s attractive town centre towards the castle, with old buildings and independent shops adding plenty of character along the way.
The highlight for me was exploring the grounds of Sherborne Castle. The landscaped gardens have a lovely variety of views, from broad lawns and mature specimen trees to colourful herbaceous borders and quieter paths tucked among the planting. There is plenty of room to wander without feeling you have to follow one particular route through the gardens, and I enjoyed taking my time to appreciate the different areas. The castle itself is a fine Tudor mansion built by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 16th century, and the guided tour is well worth considering if you have time. The knowledgeable staff bring the history of the house to life, with its collections of art, furniture and porcelain offering plenty to discover beyond the impressive exterior.
From the gardens, the walk continues beside Sherborne Lake, which covers around 50 acres and gives this short route a particularly peaceful feel. The water, mature trees and woodland edges make a lovely change from the streets of the town. I was pleased to spot ducks and other waterbirds along the lake, and there were plenty of attractive views through the trees as the path followed the water. The lake was designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century, and its setting between the two castles gives the landscape a real sense of history.
The route also takes you towards Sherborne Old Castle, a striking contrast to the Tudor mansion. Built in the 12th century as a fortified palace for Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury, it now stands in ruins, with sections of the old walls and defences still giving an impression of its former strength. I found it fascinating to see the two castles so close together, each representing a very different period of the area's history. The Old Castle has its own entrance fee, separate from Sherborne Castle, so it is worth checking the arrangements before visiting both.
After our walk, we headed to Castle Gardens garden centre for lunch. It was a great place to round off the visit, with a café offering good coffee and tempting cakes as well as food for a more substantial stop. I particularly liked the idea of sitting down for a relaxed lunch after exploring the grounds, then having a browse around the garden centre before heading home. The setting among the plants and garden displays makes it a pleasant change from a café in the town centre.
This is a short walk, at around 1.2 miles, but there is plenty to make a visit of it if you allow time for the Abbey, the castle gardens and the lake. I would also leave extra time if you plan to take the house tour or visit Sherborne Old Castle, as both add another dimension to the day. With convenient parking, beautiful gardens, waterside paths and two historic castles to explore, it is a lovely way to discover Sherborne without needing to tackle a long walk.
Postcode: DT9 5NR
Pubs and More Info
Just to the north you can pick up the circular walk around Corton Denham which visits Sandford Orcas Manor House.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Dorset Walks page.

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Nearby Routes

Macmillan Way Corton Denham

Photos

Shadows opposite Sherborne Abbey. The abbey is one of the finest buildings in the county. It was originally founded as a cathedral it became an Abbey in 1075 before finally becoming the parish church of Sherborne with the dissolution of the monasteries. However, it is often referred to as the ‘cathedral of Dorset’.

Sherborne Old Castle from its gateway. This 12th-century ruined castle is located in the grounds of the mansion. The castle was built as the fortified palace of Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England, and still belonged to the church in the late 16th century. After passing through Sherborne on the way to Plymouth, Sir Walter Raleigh fell in love with the castle, and Queen Elizabeth relinquished the estate, leasing it to Raleigh in 1592.

The lake, Sherborne Castle. This beautiful lake was designed by Capability Brown in 1753. It separates the old and new castles.

Folly, Sherborne Castle grounds. Looking for all the world like an English civil war casualty, this is in fact a 19th century folly built to enhance the view in the Castle gardens

Sherborne Castle. View of the 16th-century Tudor mansion. In the First World War the house was used by the Red Cross as a hospital and in the Second World War as the headquarters for the commandos involved in the D-Day landings.

Remains of the north-east gatehouse, Old Castle. In the foreground are the remains of the buildings next to the north-east gatehouse in the inner wall of the Old Castle. On the right a causeway has been created across the moat, bypassing the need for a bridge. The gatehouse was built in a similar style to the surviving south-west gatehouse at the other corner of the castle.

Southern defences, Old Castle. The castle's plan is roughly octagonal. The ditch to the right is the southern portion of the moat, with a crenellated wall on the outer bank. Most of the inner curtain wall is missing. The trees on the right are part of the Sherborne (new) Castle gardens, on the northern side of the lake.

The moat, Old Castle. Looking along the south-west corner of the moat at Sherborne Old Castle, from the entrance bridge. The castle's outer defences are roughly octagonal in shape, with the corners much shorter than the north, south, east and west sides. The trees beyond the outer crenellated wall were planted as part of the gardens of Sherborne (new) Castle. When the castle was built (12th Century) the valley below was under water, forming a shallow lake, and guests and supplies would have arrived by boat at a quay at the bottom of the steps at the barbican.

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