Hi there, I am Abbie Barnes. I am a filmmaker and presenter and the founder of Spend More Time In The WILD, a campaign which seeks to inspire and empower individuals to get outside for the benefit of mental and physical health, whilst building meaningful connections with the natural world and each other. I am also the proud Ambassador of UK hiking. Part of the project involves me putting out weekly content on my YouTube channel, which now has over 2.7 million viewers worldwide and 25,000 subscribers. This figure is growing daily. Videos vary from feature-length documentary films that follow my adventures on long-distance walking trails around the world, today walk adventures, gear reviews, hiking tips and advice videos, mindfulness exercises, wild food, cooking videos, and more. The project also sees me travelling throughout the country offering inspirational talks and wellbeing workshops for educational centres and workplaces, and I also run monthly WILD Walks which are aimed at providing a safe space for attendees to build their hiking confidence and deepen their appreciation for the wild spaces in our country.
Osminton White Horse Loop
I started my circular 9-mile walk from Bowleaze Cove, heading down the road to the footpath that skirts around the edge of Waterside Holiday Park & Spa Holiday park. The footpath besides the park was lovely and I took my time, saying hi to a passing robin which seemed curious and didn’t fly away!
The path then left the park behind and entered into Preston on the outskirts of Weymouth, where I walked through a quiet residential area to pick up a country track leading into the pretty countryside. The track soon became a single-track trail through fields with sheep and cows, overlooked by Chalbury Hillfort, an Iron Age hillfort and scheduled ancient monument.
From here the trail picked up the Hardy Way and South Dorset Ridgeway, climbing up onto White Horse Hill, which I followed until I reached the site of the Osmington White Horse itself. Standing on top of the horse meant I couldn’t fully appreciate its scale, so I pressed on along the path alongside Bronze Age burial mounds, before dropping down off the ridge alongside Combe Bottom and into Osmington village.
The village was a lovely place and I took the time to check out the St Osmond’s Church dating to 1170, and the quaint thatched bus shelter dedicated to David Edward Parry-Jones, Lieutenant 1st Battalion The Rifle Brigade, who died in action near Caen on 3 August 1944.
With my scouting out of old building complete I joined a path heading south through fields to Osmington Mills and the South West Coastal Path. Here I turned west, following the cliff-top path with fantastic views back over the White Horse to the North. The coastal path took me back to the car and completed my little loop. It had been a lovely walk of far-reaching views, coastal landscapes, and archaeological sites.
Here is a link to my walk around Osminton White Horse Loop on my YouTube channel.
UK Hiking 