Welcome to St Mary’s Hill Travel Plan Site
Hello! And welcome to your Travel Plan Website. As your Travel Plan Coordinators, we are here to help you with travelling in your local area, by providing the best options for you with up-to-date travel information for accessing services, local facilities and public transport. This page is designed for you as residents and we want you to find the best way to travel.
On this page, you can find information on:
- Your Local Area
- Walking in Blandford
- Cycling in Blandford
- Bus Routes and Timetables
- Train Services and Station Facilities
- Groups in your Local Area
- Local Travel News
This page was last updated: October 2025
Your Local Area
Your new home at St Mary’s Hill is well located to a number of local facilities and services, and approximately 1.3km, a 16-minute walk or 5-minute cycle, from Blandford Forum Town Centre.
The town centre has a number of leisure opportunities including Stour Meadows Park, Bryanston Park, Blandford Town Museum and Fashion Museum, Blandford Forum Rugby Football Club and Milldown Nature Reserve. Blandford Leisure Centre is located approximately 2.3km from St Mary’s Hill and provides a wide range of sporting facilities.
Your new home is conveniently located 500m (6-minute) walk from St Mary’s Primary School. The Blandford Secondary School is located 2.2km (9-minute cycle) from St Mary’s Hill and can be accessed via the X8 bus service.
Your closest healthcare facilities are located within walkable distances. Whitecliff Surgery is a 18-minute walk, Blandford Community Hospital is a 21-minute walk and Boots Pharmacy is a 15-minute walk. In addition to this, East Street Dental Practice is located within a 15-minute walk from St Mary’s Hill.
Walking in Blandford
Ramblers Wellbeing Walks
Rambler’s Wellbeing walks are free short walks taking place across England. There is no need to book, all you need to do is join !
The walks offer you the opportunity to meet new people and explore your local area, all while keeping yourself fit and healthy!
To find out more, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/wellbeing-walks
Stour Meadows Park
Stour Meadows is located north of your home and can be reached in under 10-minutes by walking.
There are a number of walks across the site with paths suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, making it a great location for all.
The mixture of riverside vegetation, grassland, mature trees and a pond create a refuge for wildlife. You may even get the chance to see otters which have set up home in the Stour!
Cycling in Blandford
Cycle Routes
As part of the development proposals at St Mary’s Hill, the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 250 situated on Ward’s Drove will be extended directly past the site to link onto NCN route 250 at Blandford St Mary roundabout, providing a direct cycle route to the North Dorset Trailway Network route.
Adult Cycle Training Vouchers
Dorset Council have teamed up with local cycling trainers who can provide cycle training to help you feel more confident and refresh your skills giving learners a discount on usual prices. Use the QR code or visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/cycling/adult-cycle-training-vouchers to find out more.
Offcamber Blandford – your local bike shop!
Based in Blandford Forum Town Centre and only a 16-minute walk or 5-minute cycle away. They have display bikes, accessories, and a workshop helping you to ensure your bike is safe.
You can also join Offcamber Cycle Club who offer club training rides, MTB cross country racing, recreational rides and road racing to adults (over 16). Become a member at www.offcamber.co.uk
Bus Routes and Timetables
Regular bus services provide St Mary’s Hill with excellent links to facilities and services in the local and wider surrounding area, as well as to further public transport services.
The local area is served by the CR4, CR7, CR8, CR9 and X8 bus routes providing regular services to a range of destinations including Blandford St Mary, Blandford Forum, Dorchester, Weymouth and Poole. Damory Coaches, Morebus and First Bus Somerset operate these services. The services, along with the operator websites are listed below.
Damory Coaches (CR7, CR8, CR9): https://www.excelsior-coaches.com/bus-timetables
Morebus (X8): https://www.morebus.co.uk/services
First Bus Somerset (CR4): https://www.firstbus.co.uk/somerset
The nearest bus stop to your new home is the St Mary’s Hill stop next to the Bournemouth Road access into the development. The X8 route is available from this stop. For all other routes your closest bus stops are the Tesco’s and Pigeon Close bus stop located approximately 2-3 minutes walk along Bournemouth Road
Train Services and Station Facilities
Poole Train Station is located approximately 20km southeast of your home at St Mary’s Hill; accessible within a 37-minute bus journey on the X8 route.
From Poole Train Station, South Western Railways services run on a frequent basis to key destinations such as Bournemouth (10 mins), Weymouth (38 mins), Dorchester South (37 mins) and London Waterloo via Bournemouth (2 hours 9 mins).
The station offers a range of facilities:
- Ticket office
- 90 cycle storage spaces
- Customer help points
- ticket machines
- ATM machines
- Toilets
- Disabled access
If you’re a keen cyclist and fancy getting the train, then plan your journey with PlusBike. It’s a free resource tool with all the information you need to plan a stress free journey, click here.
Network Railcards
Network Railcards will give you up to a 1/3 off rail fares and will allow you to travel across 16 counties (inc. London). A variety of railcards which provide discounted train travel tickets can be purchased including:
- 16-17 Saver
- 16-25 Railcard
- 26-30 Railcard
- Disabled Persons Railcard
- Family and Friends Railcard
- Network Railcard
- Senior Railcard
- Two together Railcard
- Veterans Railcard
- HM Forces Railcard
For more information on the right railcard for you or to purchase one, please visit the website here.
Travelling by Car
Economical driving tips:
1. Check your tyres regularly.
2. Buy a fuel-efficient vehicle.
3. Slow down when possible.
4. Choose the right gear! – Gears enable you to use your fuel in the most efficient way.
5. Wherever possible, use the brake and accelerator pedals in a calm and controlled manner.
Dorset Car Sharing Scheme – Join for free!
Save money by sharing costs with other people – a commuter can typically save around £1,000 a year by carsharing. Reduce stress and cut your carbon footprint at the same time.
Dorset County Council’s scheme is part of the national Liftshare network. Find out more at: www.liftshare.com/uk/community/dorset.
Electric charging points in your area:
Pod Point Charging Station – Tesco Car Park
Genie Point – Morrisons Car Park
Mer – Langton Road Car Park
For more information visit: www.zap-map.com.
Top Tips to Travel Sustainably
1.Plan Your Journey – Make use of journey planning applications to check for convenient and sustainable travel options.
2. Walk and Cycle – Walking and cycling are the most sustainable modes of transport and are also a good way to keep fit and healthy.
3. Make Low Emissions a Priority – When purchasing a vehicle or choosing another mode of transport always consider fuel efficiencies and the amount of pollution it will emit.
4. Consider Car sharing- It is a great way to share the cost of fuel and car parking while also giving you time to relax on your daily commute.
5. Think Ahead – Bundle a number of small errands into one trip to save time and fuel.
6. Have Local Adventures – Next time you’re planning an outing choose somewhere local where it is possible to walk or cycle to.
7. Consider Public Transport – This is a great way to get around while reducing your fuel efficiency and lowering congestion on the local road network.
Groups in Your Local Area
Blanford Health Walks
Blandford Health Walks is run by a group of volunteers and offers the following walks:
- Tuesday Mornings – 10am from the Black Cactus Cafe
- Tuesday Evenings – 6.15pm (summer only) from The Ham car park, opposite the tourist information office
It’s ideal if you are new to walking or recovering from an illness, or even if you just want to improve your fitness and socialise! Further information can be found here on the website.
Ramblers Association
Come and be part of Britain’s biggest walking charity. The North Dorset group of the Ramblers Association is one of 7 groups in Dorset. Visit www.ramblers.org.uk/north-dorset for information on when the next walks are.
Offcamber Cycle Club
Offer club training rides, MTB cross country racing, recreational rides and road racing to adults (over 16). Become a member at www.offcamber.co.uk
Dorset Cyclists Network
DCN promotes cycling as environmentally-friendly transport as it improves health, reduces air pollution and helps to relieve road congestion. They offer regular rides and events in Blandford and work with local authorities to try and improve conditions for cyclists. For more information visit the webpage here.
Local Travel News
If you are hoping to avoid traffic and being late to your destination, we recommend accessing the following useful links to keep you up to date with any road closures or traffic accidents that could impact your journey.
The AA will show you incidents that have occurred within the local area. Helpful for letting you know which routes to avoid before you set off on your journey! Click here: https://www.theaa.com/route-planner/traffic-news
Dorset Live Traffic and Travel: https://www.dorset.live/all-about/traffic-travel
Cycle Streets: https://www.cyclestreets.net/journey/
Paul Basham Associates Travel Plan 