Stour Gate, Blandford St Mary

Welcome to the Stour Gate, Blandford St Mary Travel Plan Site. As your Travel Plan Coordinators, we are here to help you utilise the best of your local area, by providing you with up-to-date travel information for accessing facilities, local services, and public transport services.

On this page you can find information on:

  • Local shops and centres
  • Pedestrian walking routes
  • Local cycle network
  • Travel by bus
  • Travel by rail
  • Car Travel options

Much of the information is provided through direct links to other websites, this ensures that the information we provide is up to date.

Your local area

Stour Gate is located within Blandford St Mary, close to a wide variety of facilities. Blandford Forum Town Centre is located around 500m of your home via Bournemouth Road and West Street and also offers a wide range of services and shops.

The map below shows the local amenities and facilities in your area.

Walking

Public Rights of Way

Blandford Forum and Blandford St Mary have many Public Rights of Way (PRoW) located within providing both recreation and walking access to some of the local facilities.

A full PRoW map can be accessed at: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/-/rights-of-way-map-where-to-walk-ride-or-cycle

Dorset Health Walks

Dorset County Council encourages ‘Health Walks’ which are free and friendly group walks offering you the perfect opportunity to get active and meet new people.

For more information on Health Walks as well as locations of nearby walks in Blandford visit: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/north-and-mid-dorset-health-walks

Ramblers

Ramblers is a walking charity dedicated to removing barriers so everyone can enjoy walking in green spaces and to preserving paths, tracks and trails across England, Scotland and Wales.

The closest group to your new home in Stour Gate is the North Dorset Ramblers find out more here: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/ramblers-groups/north-dorset-group And for more information on Ramblers and other nearby groups visit: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/

Benefits of walking

  • Its free.
  • Increasing your cardiovascular fitness
  • Lowering anxiety and stressBoosting your energy and improving your mood
  • Strengthening your bones, improving your balance and boosting your muscle power

Cycle Travel

National Cycle Routes

National Cycle Network routes 253 and 25 run in the vicinity of your new home through Blandford St Mary. Route 253 runs in a loop off Route 25 travelling through Blandford Forum, Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Sturminster Newton and Okeford Fitzpaine. Route 25 is a 59-mile route that connects Longleat to Bournemouth. Visit https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ to find out more.

Adult Cycle Training

Dorset County Council offers adult cycle training for those that want to take up cycling or would like a refresh to boost their confidence. Additionally, the council offers a voucher scheme allowing for bespoke one to one tuition at a reduced rate. For more information visit: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/cycling/adult-cycle-training-vouchers

Your local bike shop, Offcamber is located 480m away (6-minute walk or 2-minute cycle) on Salisbury Street in Blandford Forum: https://www.offcamber.co.uk/

Bus Travel

The closest stops to Stour Gate are ‘The Brewery’ stops located just outside Stour Gate along Bournemouth Road. There are a variety of bus services available from ‘The Brewery’ offering travel to destinations such as Blandford Forum, Shaftesbury, Dorchester, Poole, Weymouth, and Yeovil. 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

Don’t forget to check times before you travel!

Travel Offers

Great News! The government’s bus fare initiative has been extended until March 2027! All fares on participating bus services are capped at £3. Why not make use of this initiative and travel by bus more often? For further information on the initiative including details of which routes it applies to visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/3-national-bus-fare-cap

If you are of female state pension age (whether you are male or female) or have a disability, you are entitled to a concessionary bus pass. To apply, please visit: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/travel/public-transport/bus-passes-and-concessionary-travel/apply-for-a-bus-pass

Why take 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

Rail Travel

Your closest railway station is Poole Station (POO) approximately 13.7 miles from Stour Gate and accessible with a 37-minute journey on the X8 bus service. South Western Railway operate this station and provide services to:

  • London Waterloo (2h 10m)
  • Weymouth (39m)
  • Bournemouth (13m)
  • Winchester (1h 8m)
  • Dorchester (28m)

Poole Station has step-free access, waiting rooms, an ATM, Wi-Fi, customer help points, a manned ticket office, toilets and 90 sheltered cycle storage spaces.

Senior Railcard

If you’re over 60, purchasing a Senior Railcard will give you up to a 1/3 off Standard and First Class Anytime, Off- Peak and Advance fares. Visit https://www.railcard.co.uk/senior/ to learn more.

Why take the train?

  • Taking the train means you can work on the go or relax, without the stress of driving and parking
  • It’s good for the planet; trainline will show you how much CO2 you saved based on your journeys!
  • It can be faster than travelling by road

Car Travel

Liftshare – Join for free!

Save money by sharing costs with other people – you can typically save around £1,000 a year by carsharing. And you don’t even need to be travelling to the same exact destination!

Reduce stress, congestion, pollution and cut your carbon footprint at the same time.

To sign up, visit https://liftshare.com/uk

Electric charging points in Blandford

Below is a small list of the closest available electric vehicle charging points to Stour Gate:

  • Tesco Superstore Stour Park
  • Morrisons Blandford Forum
  • Hall & Woodhouse

Visit https://www.zap-map.com/ for more information on available charging points in your local area including a live map.

Green driving tips

  • Check your tyres regularly
  • Buy a fuel efficient vehicle
  • Slow down when possible
  • Most importantly, try and walk, cycle and take public transportation when possible!