Walking the Somerset & Dorset Railway Part 3: Blandford to Sturminster Newton

For our third walk along sections of the trackbed of the former Somerset & Dorset Railway, my friend Peter and I went south to traverse a part of the North Dorset Trailway, from Blandford to Sturminster Newton.
Actually, the photos here were taken during different walks that we did along this section of the old line with the first being in 2020, just after we were allowed to meet up outside for the first time after Covid lockdown.
Once again I have used photos taken by Hugh Ballantyne's and, this time, they are from his excellent book 'The Somerset & Dorset Remembered Part 2 - Highbridge to Bournemouth'.
This is the companion volume to 'The Somerset & Dorset Remembered Part 1 - Bath to Evercreech Junction' and I honestly cannot recommend both books highly enough. The photographs are all in colour and they are superb.
I have also used photos by Norman Lockett from the equally excellent book 'The Somerset & Dorset in Colour' that Mike Arlett compiled using Norman's photos. There is also one by Roger Merrie-Price from 'Somerset & Dorset Sunset' compiled by Michael Welch and one by J B Snell from the book 'On Somerset & Dorset Lines' by Robert Robotham.
Anyone interested in railways and, especially, in the S&DJR should most definitely have a copy of all of these books on their shelves.
Finally, the ending of this video was 'cribbed' from one I made of Shillingstone station so I have deleted that one from UA-cam as I did not want to have two videos with the same ending.
I plan to visit Shillingstone again very soon and see what progress has been made there and will, then, produce an updated video showing the latest progress there.

[@howarth004]

The halfway house ..Beer and a snack looks to make that walk even more worthwhile

[@thoscar02]

Hello David, thank you so much for your comment and, yes, the White Horse Inn, in Stourpaine, does make for an ideal place to have lunch. The beer is great and the food excellent

[@qsmdman]

Thank you for sharing that video, My mother used to get the train to sturminster and on a outing with my family we sat in Blandford station for lunch after it closed

[@thoscar02]

Glad you enjoyed the video and I think that many people in and around Blandford wish that they still had their station.

[@boblovell5789]

I think you will find Beeching amazingly had no hand in this lines demise. Labour policy guided by Barbara Castle . Strange irony.

[@thoscar02]

Hello Bob, thank you for your comment and I believe that it was a succession of Transport Secretaries (Ernest Marples, Tom Fraser and Barbara Castle) who all had a hand in the demise of the S&D, together with Beeching and his Report, of course. However, it was actually Tom Fraser, who was Minister of Transport between October 1964 and December 1965, who gave the final consent to closure, despite a Labour Manifesto that promised no more major railway closures. Personally, I despise them all!