Corallian Heights, Sturminster Newton

Welcome to your new home at Corallian Heights, Sturminster Newton. This is your dedicated Travel Planning webpage, designed to support you getting around your local area sustainably! This page is designed to give you the best, easiest and most up-to-date information about travel in your area. Hopefully this will help you to make the most of what this area has to offer!

This webpage includes information about:

  • Your Local Area
  • Sustainable Travel Reimbursement
  • Walking
  • Cycling
  • Bus
  • Rail
  • Car Travel

Local area

Your new home is located near to a range of facilities! Sturminster Newton village centre is located around a 15-minute walk or 4 minute cycle, south of your home and offers a wide range of services and shops, as summarised on our map. This also shows just some of the off-road routes you may want to explore, to get into the village a little quicker.

Sustainable Travel Reimbursement

To help you travel sustainably, Bellway are offering a reimbursement, up to the value of £50*, on cycle related purchases, bus tickets OR rail ticket

To confirm you are eligible please email us with your name, address and planned reimbursement claim to  travelplan@paulbashamassociates.com

Only one reimbursement claim is available per address and proof of purchase will be required. Before claiming, please confirm you are eligible. Full terms and conditions can be found at:  https://tpc-paulbashamassociates.com/terms-and-conditions

Walking

Corallian Heights has a range of footpaths and pedestrian links to your local area. This makes it easy to reach your local bus stops, the village centre, and nearby shops and leisure facilities on foot!

Benefits to Walking

There are a range of benefits to walking including:

  • Better health
  • Good for your mental health
  • Lower stress levels
  • Saves money
  • Great way to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine!

There are a range of footpaths and bridleways near to your home, which you can view on the map below or by visiting  www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/rights-of-way-map-where-to-walk-ride-or-cycle

Sturminster Newton Walkabouts

Dorset Council have identified 8 different walks all starting and ending in Sturminster Newton!   Come and explore the beautiful and varied landscape around this stunning part of North Dorset. These walking routes are mainly on Public Rights of Way, with some on paths with access permitted by the landowners. They vary in length from 1.5 to 5.5 miles. For more information, visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/sturminster-newton-walkabouts

Walking Groups

Looking to meet new people, learn new walking routes, or simply add more walking to your daily routine? There are a range of walking groups including:

Walk to School!

Your home is in walking distance from both a primary and a secondary school!

  • William Barnes Primary School (and Stepping Stones Pre-School) is a 20-minute walk to the south
  • Sturminster Newton High School is an 8-minute walk to the west

For more walking to school initiatives, visit www.livingstreets.org.uk/walk-to-school

Cycling

Cycling from Corallian Heights is quick and easy. Did you know that it is approximately a 4-minute cycle into the village center?

Benefits of Cycling

Why not cycle to work, for leisure or for fitness? Or all three! Cycling has many benefits including:

  1. It saves you money
  2. It’s an easy way to build physical activity into your daily routine
  3. It’s good for your mental health
  4. Cycling can play a huge part in tackling air pollution
  5. Brings fresh air, freedom and fun to your commute

Nearby Cycle Routes

The North Dorset Trailway starts in Sturminster Newton and heads south towards Shillingstone and Blandford Forum. This is a 9-mile track along an old railway line and it takes around 4-minutes to cycle from your home to the start of this trail!

It is around a 45-60 minute cycle to Blandford, all off-road! You can walk and cycle on this route and explore your local area! For more information, visit www.northdorsettrailway.org.uk

You are also close to some National Cycle Routes! NCR 250 runs along the North Dorset Trailway, and NCR 25 runs nearby towards Blandford and Gillingham. For details, visit www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/national-cycle-network

Dorset Cycles – your local bike shop!

Your nearest bike shop is based in Stalbridge, only a 38-minute bike ride or a 40-minute journey on the CR4 Bus! They have over 45 years’ experience of looking after bikes and their owners. They offer:

  • Repars and services
  • Spare Parts and Accessories
  • Wheel Building.

For more information, visit www.stalbridge.info/dorset-cycles-of-stalbridge.html

Cycle UK Journey Planner

Planning your next cycle journey? Why not try out Cycling UK’s Journey Planner? All you need to do is enter where you’re travelling from and to, and select whether you want your route to be off-road, quiet, fast, etc. Let the Journey Planner do the rest! Visit www.cyclinguk.org/journey-planner.

Adult Cycle Training

Are you new to cycling? Has it been a while since you were last in the saddle? Cycle training isn’t just for children; there are adult courses available too!

Dorset Council have teamed up with local cycling trainers who are there to refresh your skills and boost your confidence when cycling. You can request a cycle training voucher through the council to access up to 6 hours of cycle training for just £37.50!

What do you need? Just yourself, a cycle helmet and your bike!

Who to contact? Dilys Gartside:

  • Mobile: 07751 044365
  • Email: Cyclewisesouthampton@gmail.com

For more information and to request the cycle voucher visit: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/adult-cycle-training-vouchers

Bus

Benefits of taking the bus

  • The walk to and from the bus is a great way to incorporate some physical activity into your daily routine
  • Relax and read a book whilst you travel to your destination
  • Season tickets offer unlimited travel on services and can prove cheaper than running a car

Your Local Bus Services

Regular bus services provide Corallian Heights with links to facilities and services in the local and wider surrounding area, as well as to further afield destinations like Blandford, Gillingham and Yeovil.

Your nearest bus stops are at Green Close and High School. You can see the locations of these bus stops on the local map above.

CR3 is operated by South West Coaches, and runs Mondays – Saturdays. This serves the High School bus stops. Take the CR3 into Gillingham. Take this bus if you require trains from Gillingham Station. View the timetable here

CR4 is operated by First Bus and runs Mondays-Fridays. This serves Green Close and High School bus stopsThis runs between Yeovil and Blandford via Sturminster Newton. The timetable can be viewed here.

You could always get the First Bus App! This allows you to buy tickets online, track your bus and view your next departures and timetables. Visit www.firstbus.co.uk/buy-tickets/ways-pay/first-bus-app

For support planning a bus journey, you could always use www.travelinesw.com (or download the app!)

Rail

Your Local Rail Services

Gillingham (Dorset) Railway Station (GIL) is located approximately 8 miles to the north of your home. To get to the station, you can:

  • Cycle (around 50 minutes)
  • Take Bus Route CR3 (a 29-minute bus journey from High School Bus Stops which are shown on the local area map).

Gillingham Station also benefits from 34 cycle spaces and step free access to Platform 1.

Services run from Gillingham to Salisbury, Basingstoke and London Waterloo, and west to Yeovil and Exeter. The service is generally hourly, and is operated by South Western Railway.

Visit www.southwesternrailway.com/ for station details, ticketing information and timetable details.

You can also view live departures from Gillingham Station by following this link: www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/gillingham-dorset/

Railcards

Did you know purchasing your train tickets a few weeks in advance can save you up to 75% on journey costs?

There are also a range of railcards available, which can save you up to a 1/3 off rail travel! This includes a 16-25 Railcard and a Senior Citizens Railcard. Visit www.railcard.co.uk to see which railcards you may be eligible for!

Take your bike too!

If you’re a keen cyclist and fancy getting the train, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-the-train/train-travel-with-bicycles/ for more information. This is a free resource tool with all the information you need to plan a stress-free journey.

If you don’t fancy bringing your bike on the train, you could always park it at Gillingham Station.

Car travel

Sometimes, we have no choice but to drive. Follow these simple tips to help you save fuel and reduce your emissions!

  1. Keep your car in good working order, including the tyres.
  2. Reduce unnecessary weight
  3. Reduce air resistance
  4. Keep air conditioning and heating to a minimum
  5. Brake and accelerate gently
  6. Plan your trip to drive the shortest route
  7. Drive in the correct gear (high gear for low revs)
  8. When possible, leave the car at home and walk, cycle or take public transport instead!

Electric Cars

In addition to the charging points available at your home the following electric charging points are available in your local area:

  • Station Road Car Park (5-minute drive)

And if you’re not at home, you can find your nearest electric charging points by visiting http://www.zap-map.com/live

Car Sharing

Car sharing is a great way to have access to a car without owning one. You also get the opportunity to engage with people making the same journey as you in your local area. Why not try it out?

Liftshare is a free car share scheme with a database of over 700,000 people to share a car with. You can find both passengers and drivers to share with. Liftshare is a great way to travel and meet new people! Request a ride or advertise your journey for free online at www.liftshare.com/uk.