Our verdict
An easy, well-connected wander that pairs naturally with a visit to Martin Down NNR next door — good tracks throughout, and the long barrow is a nice detour if you know where to look.
A mixed woodland on the southern edge of Cranborne Chase, sharing its entrance and car park with the neighbouring Martin Down National Nature Reserve just over the Hampshire border. A Neolithic long barrow sits just inside the wood, a five-minute walk north of the car park beside the bridleway, and the tracks and bridleways through the chase have no stiles.
Open access land — you can roam freely on foot.