Highcliffe Castle and Chewton Bunny

Three level miles in an hour and a half through the grounds of a Gothic Revival castle, east along the clifftop to the wooded gorge of Chewton Bunny on the Hampshire border, and back inland through Steamer Point woods. Surfaced paths and mown grass, 40 metres of climb, with a long stepped zig zag down to the beach if you want the sand. Park at Highcliffe Castle, pay and display, about 150 spaces, with the tea rooms and toilets on site and free parking on Wharncliffe Road as an alternative. Highcliffe Beach allows dogs all year except between groynes H4 and H8 from 1 May to 30 September, and Friars Cliff between the wave wall and groyne H4 is open all year, so there is legal sand here in August; leads on the clifftop paths and in the castle grounds.