Ammerdown Woods

Ammerdown House has an early 20th-century Italianate formal garden (covering some 6 hectares) designed by Edwin Lutyens, set within a late 18th- to early 19th-century park (of around 174 hectares). Within the grounds is a 150 foot high structure on top of a hill with various local names, the Ammerdown Park Column, Ammerdown Lighthouse or the Jolliffe Column.

Although the route doesn’t quite go past the actual house, this is a lovely walk with a mixture of woods and open fields up to the column with a cracking view over Ammerdown Park and beyond. There’s many different trails that you can take, the route provided is roughly 4km, taking around an hour to walk.

Thanks to Nathan and Hannah for this walk recommendation!

Directions
1. When you enter the woods from the car park, follow the main track directly in front of you, stay straight when you hit the intersection and go down hill.
2. When you hit the gate, go over the style, turn left and almost come back on yourself, over another style and into the field.
3. Follow the track (along the fence line) until you hit the next gate, climb the style and go back into the woods.
4. Continue up the track and you should see the tower, which we walked round.
5. Retrace your steps back down the track, into the open field and back into the woods. This time we’re heading straight.
6. Turn right just before the garden walls of Ammerdown House, up the steps. Follow it up to the top, turn right and then immediately left.

 

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