IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Wimborne Road East, FERNDOWN, BH22 9NW

A view of an ancient trackway that once ran from the banks of the River Stour (Dudsbury hill fort) across the heathland and on into north Dorset and Wiltshire. The cottage on the left of the lane is known as 'Smugglers Cottage', and parts of it are thought to be over 400 years old. The trackway was almost certainly used to take contraband away from the coastal area in the south to 'customers' inland. The road in the foreground is the Wimborne Road, once a turnpike linking that town with Ringwood.

This is a view from the Wimborne Road near Trickett's Cross of the old trackway that once ran from Dudsbury hill fort on the River Stour, across the heathland of this part of Dorset and onto the hinterland of north Dorset and Wiltshire. It was undoubtedly used by smugglers for a time.

At the junction of Ringwood Road (A348) and Wimborne Road East.

Carved stone post by the A31, in parish of FERNDOWN TOWN (EAST DORSET District), Ringwood Road, Ferndown; opposite Sainsbury's filling station, 20m East of roundabout, against bungalow wall, on South side of road. Dorset 2 (limestone), erected by the Ringwood, Longham & Leigh turnpike trust in the 19th century. Inscription reads:- 99 Miles from Hyde Park Corner through Ringwood Milestone Society National ID: DO_WBRW05.

It is peculiar that this milestone should specify "through Ringwood" – from here, no reasonable route could possibly avoid Ringwood (in the way that it would not be odd to state "through Winchester" as opposed to, say, Andover).

Situated behind us there is a large area of woodland called 'The Warren', which has been cleared and earmarked for development.

This image, roughly halfway between the busy Wimborne Road and the even busier Ringwood Road (A347), both former turnpikes of late 18th century vintage, shows the 'true' nature of the track that might have been familiar to folk using the way over a couple of centuries ago. I doubt the trees would have been so developed - the track would have passed across a heathland landscape and the shrubbery would have been cropped by ponies, cattle & wild animals etc.

Turbary Road is the access road for a large housing estate which comprises a mix of council housing and desirable bungalows. Here, by the junction with the main road, are shops including a general store (round to the left), fish & chip shop, off licence and (out of picture, right) Chinese takeaway. The postbox, like the three in the estate, is emptied finally at 5:15pm on weekdays and at 12:30pm on Saturdays. For many years residents of the estate campaigned for a post office, since it's quite a distance into Ferndown town from here – but they never got one.