East Dorset: Exploring Stephen's Castle

The following Wilts & Dorset buses come through Verwood;

X6 Poole - Ringwood

97 Ringwood - Fordingbridge

324 Cranborne - Bournemouth

Car parking at the Hub

[1] From The Hub walk down past the Police Station on your left to the main road, Station Road.

[2] Turn right along Station Road and cross the road at a convenient opportunity.

[3] A short way along, turn left up Edmondsham Road and immediately right into Moorlands Road. Pass the hall fronted by a car park on your left.

[4] Take the unmade road to the left of the Verwood Concert Brass Band Hall. (On the right side of this road , there's a blue bridleway signpost with an arrow.)

[5] Continue past the last house where the path ahead becomes narrower, and on your right enter by the wooden gate into Stephen's Castle Nature Reserve.The route goes over a boardwalk, then a grassy track and a wide firm sandy track.

[6] Turn right along this, till it meets a structured stone path. Turn right and go all the way down to another exit/entrance to Stephen's Castle.

[7] At this point, turn right on the tarmac path to the back of the Brass Band Hall.

[8] Turn left onto a short gravel path. It leaves the trees to join a gravel road bordering the recreation ground on your right as you return to  Station Road.

Alternatively, at [7] go straight ahead with the side the Hall on your right and rejoin Moorlands Road. Re-trace your steps back to Station Road.

[9] Turn right from either point [3] or [9] on Station Road, crossing when convenient.  Continue to Brock Road on the left to return to the Hub.

A. The Hub

Lifestyle in Verwood is the name of the newly merged Leisure Centre, Hub and Potterne Park, which all together offer an extensive range of sport, leisure and entertainment to the local community. It is run by the charity Verwood Arts and Leisure Association (VALA)

The Hub offers fitness classes and courses,  for both adults and children and it Verwood's main centre for entertainment, including dance, cinema, shows, fairs and parties. Local groups perform here such as the Verwood Concert Brass Band, whose venue you pass on the walk.

B. Stephen's Castle

The 'castle' is an Iron Age barrow at the top of an old sand and gravel quarry. Legend has it that Stephen was a local tribal chief of great strength. He was supposed to have hurled the 'Stephen stone' , weighing 3 tonnes, half a mile into Ringwood Forest. The barrow was excavated by archaeologists in the early 20th century where human remains dating back to the Iron Age were found. Verwood once had a thriving pottery and brick industry and the heathland provided the raw materials for the manufacturing activity. Now it is a pleasant and popular place for walking and for wildlife enthusiasts and magnificent views from the higher ground.