Our verdict
Quieter than the main Martin Down reserve and a good short circular from the village itself, with a genuinely good view from Penbury Knoll. Livestock graze the down, so dogs on a lead.
Dorset's portion of the Martin Down chalk grassland complex, an SSSI reached by a stile from Pentridge village. Unimproved downland turf here supports downy oat-grass, quaking grass and salad burnet, and Penbury Knoll at the summit is a well-known local viewpoint.