Walking with Wheels, Quantocks, Dowsborough Hill Fort from Ramscombe via Hurley Beacon

The Great Wood car park has disabled toilets  that are wheelchair and tramper accessible. You may need to check with Forestry England in advance to check they are not locked, 0300 067 4800, westengland@forestryengland.uk

From the Great Wood car park toilet take the forestry path up to Crowcombe Car park. At the top this gets muddy, stony, steep and uneven but with care is navigable by all-terrain scooters.

Cross directly through Crowcombe car park north and slightly west to the trig point and then round more to the west back onto the main path. There is an optional side bit off to Hurley Beacon if the gate is unlocked (season dependant) where there are great views. Continue on to Halsway Post.

From Halsway Post cut back on yourself east and a bit south along the 'gasline' to Dead Woman's Ditch car park. From the open space take the right hand fork towards wilmots pool car park. Follow the path along road to Dead womans ditch car park. Take the left hand fork along the road, keep left, and then take the forest track on the left up to Dowsborough Hill Fort. This is steep in places but a decent forest track all the way up.

Dorothy Wordsworth (William's sister) wrote in her Alfoxden Journal (1798) about "the great dome of Dowsborough, one of the mightiest hillforts in Somerset", where she would lie in the sunshine with Col (Samuel Coleridge).

Take the same route back down again forking left down a path near the bottom and then left along the road again a short distance. Here turn right along a track along the side of the woods to another car park. Take the forest track that makes its way down to an intersection of many paths. Go through the gate veering left (not sharp left) and then take the loggers track off to the right going down the hill back to Ramscombe. At the bottom turn sharp right and make your way along the potholed dirt track back to the Great wood toilets and car park. Note there are cars along this route.