The West Ridgeway Circular Walk From Corfe Castle, Dorset

On the drive towards Swanage in the picturesque county of Dorset, you’ll pass right beside the majestic ruins of Corfe Castle. Perched high on a natural grassy mound in the Isle of Purbeck, the imposing castle ruins are a real treat for your eyes.

I highly recommend visiting if you get the chance, but you will need to buy a ticket if you’re not a National Trust member. However, there’s also this lovely 3 mile circular walk you can take along The West Ridgeway, where Corfe Castle makes a fabulous backdrop. Along the way you’ll get to admire the charming patchwork fields, fluffy sheep and amazing scenery that stretches across the Isle of Purbeck.

I’ll show you exactly how to do it in this guide, so lace up your walking boots and get ready for a gorgeous scenic walk along the West Ridgeway to Corfe Castle.

In this article...

Where to park for the West Ridgeway Walk

There’s a few options on where to park your car for this walk. If you’re a National Trust member then you can park for free in the main National Trust carpark by scanning your membership card at the ticket machine. Non-members can also park here, but it will cost £5 for 4 hours.

The address for the main National Trust carpark is:

East St, Corfe Castle, Wareham BH20 5DR.

Other than that, there’s a free carpark on the opposite side of the road which has enough spaces from around 20 cars. It’s worth a look and you might be able to save yourself a few pennies if you get lucky. Failing that, there’s a small lay by just up from the free carpark which will fit 3 cars.

The final option would be finding a parking space around the quaint village of Corfe, and walking across from there.

The below photo shows how close the main carpark and the free carpark are from one another!

Should you go clockwise or anticlockwise?

If you want a slightly gentler walk, then do the West Ridgeway walk in a clockwise direction. Going anticlockwise will give you an exceptionally steep hill to trudge your way up right from the get-go! There’s still hills going clockwise, but they are less intense.

Where to start the Corfe Castle Circular walk

From the National Trust carpark you want to cross over the main road (be careful as its busy and fast) then head along the path that runs along the bottom of the field to your right. This path was under maintenance when we first visited, but it’s since reopened.

Follow the sign for ‘Purbeck Way’ which will lead you along a dusty track into a field called ‘West Hill’. If you’ve walked along the main road instead of the footpath, then you’ll need to turn off right into the field just after the wooden foot bridge. The photo below shows the metal gate which you need to keep your eyes open for.

Go through the metal gate and head up the grassy mound with Corfe Castle in the background behind you.

Begin the incline up the ridgeway

Continue walking up this gentle grassy hill. You’ll see a track on your right hand side, but don’t turn off. Carry on walking straight up the hill where a stone sign points you in the direction of ‘Knowle Hill & Cocknowle’. You’ll can see a wooden gate in the distance.

Just before the gate, you’ll come to a sign post which directs you on to ‘Church Knowle’. Head through the wooden gate and continue walking up.

Keep left at the Underhill Path / Cocknowle sign

Carry on walking and you’ll arrive at a little stone sign which marks a fork in the road. You can go right (Ridge Path/Knowle Hill) if you want to make the walk shorter. Or keep left (Underhill Path/Cocknowle) which is what we did, and head down the lower, narrower path.

Take a look inside Church Hill Lime-kiln

Next you’ll discover the Church Hill Lime-kiln, theres a small information sign here and you can go inside for a little look.

After a little nosey, continue walking and clamber over the stile shown below. The route then becomes narrow and brambly for a short section.

Brambles along the Corfe Castle Ridgeway Walk

Take the hairpin bend up the hill

You’ll come out from the brambles and notice a gate ahead, or a hair pin bend on your right taking you up the side of the hill. When you see a gate ahead and this trough. This is where you turn almost back on yourself (but going up the side of the hill)

Trudge up this fairly short but steep hill where you will come out in a big open field, providing amazing views of all the patchwork fields.

In the photo below, I’ve turned around to face this part to try and show it better. We came out on that lower track and spun around heading up the hill where James is walking.

Head across the open ridgeway

Follow the trodden path and you’ll see another stone sign down in the ground. Ignore the one which tells you to go right to Corfe, this would take you down the track where I said you could turn off to make the walk shorter and you’ll miss the best view point! Instead walk over the mound and head over to the far left corner of the field.

Go through the kissing gate

You’ll see a trig point in the next field over, and you’ll need to go through the kissing gate to get into that field.

Get ready for an epic view-point of Corfe Castle!

Continue walking across the field and you’ll eventually gain this incredible view point over Corfe Castle. It’s a beauty!

Begin the decent

Turn right here and head back down. It’s a very steep hill so be careful!

The hill will eventually turn to proper steps which snake their way down the hill.

Head towards Corfe Castle

Go back through the gate where you started, and walk along the road crossing back over the bridge (or use the new footpath and cross over a wooden footbridge and road) Then follow the signs to Corfe Castle, where the path runs beside a gentle stream.

The path will bring you out right next to the National Trust cafe and ticket office, so if you want to go around the castle this is where to get your tickets from – or show your National Trust membership card.

Corfe castle makes for an exciting day out, and its a great place to bring the family for an historic adventure. Adding in the scenic West Ridgeway walk certainly pads out your time here in Corfe and offers some stunning views. I hope this has been useful and aids you to get the most out of your Corfe castle trip. If you’re interested in visiting Corfe Castle, i’ll leave my blog post linked here.

We look forward to coming back and doing the long walk all the way to Swanage next time. Have you done it?

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