How to Walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle

This is a relatively easy walk in Dorset, taking you from Wareham to Corfe Castle, following the Purbeck way.

You will walk through Heathland filled with heather and marsh, and alongside the River Frome which is one of the most westerly chalk rivers in England. There is also a little bit of woodland thrown into the mix.

Looking across the river Frome in Wareham, at the start of the walk to Corfe Castle. There are some brick buildings on the other side next to a hanging branch tree. There is a church tower rising up behind the tree.

A wet trail through the orange coloured heath, with green leafy woodland trees on the other side, partway through the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle.

A fallen tree across the narrow muddy trail, surrounded by green leafy bushes.

What to expect on the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle

Following the Purbeck Way, the walk is about 7 miles in length. For the most part, it’s not that hilly (apart from a bit towards the end).

One black sheep and lots of white sheep grazing on the large green grass field, on the walk between Wareham and Corfe Castle. — There is a lama (or alpaca) in this field

There is a bit of road walking, but it’s not too bad as it’s along quiet country roads. There are however some road crossings which are a little bit more chaotic.

Although I say the route between Wareham and Corfe is easy, this is debatable if it’s been raining. You see, I arrived here in the middle of stormy weather. This meant navigating through some flooding, and very very wet boggy heathland. It’s doable, but might take you a bit longer to complete, and you will probably have wet feet by the end.

A big puddle in the middle of the walking trail. It is surrounded by green bushes.

Waterlogged trails leading straight ahead across the orange coloured heathland, on the walk between Wareham and Corfe Castle.

A waterlogged track leading straight ahead through the heath. There is a small leaning tree ahead on the track.

Also, Corfe Castle doesn’t appear until right at the end of the walk from Wareham. Although I was hoping to get a view to it sooner, when it does appear, it’s pretty cool.

Looking across the green grass field, towards the ruins of Corfe Castle on the hill top, at the end of the walk from Wareham.

A narrow trail cutting across the side of the hill, with the ruins on Corfe Castle up the hill on the right.

Overall, I wasn’t blown away by this walk, which probably had something to do with my wet feet. I think during dry weather, when the heather is in bloom, it would be wonderful though.

The Blue Pool

A bit over halfway into the walk from Warham to Corfe, you will pass by the Blue Pool. The area is a Nature Reserve. The Blue Pool is a lake, which is actually a flooded disused clay pit.

Due to the clay particles, in different light the water changes colour from vivid blue, to turquoise, and sometimes just plain.

I have always wanted to go here, but decided to give it a miss today. Mainly because there were lots of Halloween decorations about….and children.

There is an entrance fee, which at the time of writing is £7.50 for adults. You don’t need to book in advance, and it’s open all year round at varying times. Check for up to date details here.

Is the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle easy to follow?

Although this is a marked trail (the Purbeck Way), and there is a lot of signage doing the right job of directing you, in some places it’s either missing or just directs you to nowhere. What I mean by this is, the arrow points you straight into a bush, in between two different walking directions. So you really have no idea which route to take.

A wooden trail signpost pointing left to walk to Corfe Castle. It is in front of straggly tree branches. — Some signs look like this

A waterlogged trail through the heathland. There is a wooden stump signpost of the left, and a few green leafy bushes either side of the trail. — Some look like this

I often had to refer to the guide directions from the Dorset Council website, which aren’t very thorough and didn’t always help.

Logistics

Start: Wareham, Dorset. BH20 4NS.
Finish: Corfe Village, Dorset. BH20 5EZ.

How to get there: Wareham is on the Great Western Railway line. It’s about 2h15min from London. The 40 Breezer bus runs between Corfe village, Wareham, and Swanage.
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 3h

Difficulty: Easy (unless it’s been raining)
Terrain: Road, grass, dirt trail, bog and marsh, some steps
Dog friendly: No stiles. A field with lots of sheep and a lama.

Amenities: Wareham has a bunch of stuff such as Sainsbury’s, places to eat, car park in the station and in town. Corfe has a village shop, a few pubs and cafe/tea rooms, public car park, and lots of bed and breakfast style accommodation. There is a tea room at the Blue Pool (you need to pay entrance to the Blue Pool though).
Time of year: I did the Wareham to Corfe Castle walk during Autumn

Map for the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle

You can find my more detailed route map for the walk between Wareham and Corfe Castle on Alltrails. There you can also download a GPX file.

Read about day 2 Corfe to Swanage here.

Tips for the walk

Avoid walking to Corfe from Wareham after heavy rain. It can get impossibly boggy.
Have a route map or guide with you, as the route isn’t always well signposted.

If you fancy checking out some other walks in the area, then I recommend this one to Old Harry Rocks.

Route Description: Wareham to Corfe Castle

If starting from Wareham Station, head to the road and turn right, following the sign to the town centre. Further along, there is a walking path forking to the right of the road. Go along it. Then when you reach the road again, turn right, and this will lead you into Wareham Town.

A road with a Wareham railway sign pin red next to it, at the start of the walk. There is a white walled pub on the other side of the road.

A road on the left, and walking path on the right. The road and path are split by the green ahead. There is a red post box in between the road and path.

Keep going to reach the bridge. This is where the walking route from Wareham to Corfe Castle starts. Although, it’s not signposted yet.

Looking across the rirver from in Wareham, at the start of the walk to Corfe Castle. There are bring and stone buildings on the left side of the river.

Walk alongside the River Frome

Cross over the bridge, and go through the gate on the left. This will lead you onto a riverside path which you follow for some time now.

A walking path leading straight, on the right, and the river Frome on the left, at the start of the walk out of Wareham. There are old buildings on the other side of the river.

A narrow dirt trail leading straight ahead, with bushes to the left and a leaning tree on the right.

This is where I first got an idea of what was ahead of me. The path was nice and flooded. Luckily it was only a small section. It would later get much worse though.

This section alongside the river I thought was quite lovely. With all the little boats to my left, and marshland to my right. I needed a pee though. I had actually needed it on the train ride up here, but didn’t want to leave my bags unattended so held it in. I found a section of bush, not fully hidden from the boats, and did what I had to do, hoping there was no one in any of them.

Looking over the bushes to a blue and white small yacht on the river, on the first part of the walk to Corfe Castle from Wareham. The water is calm.

If you are into history, there are a few information boards along here, telling you stuff. I didn’t read them though. I knew the rain would be coming back, and wanted to cover as much ground as quickly as possible.

Follow the Purbeck way to Corfe Castle

Past the Yacht Club, and car parking area, you will be on a gravelly road. Keep going to the end towards the house, then turn left. You should see a signpost pointing right for the Purbeck way towards Corfe Castle. This is the first sign. I was quite relieved to see it, as I wasn’t completely sure I was doing it right.

A gravel parking area, with five cars parked on the left, and bush sand trees on the right.

A wide gravel path lined with bushes, and a house on the other end, when walking out of Wareham.

A wooden trail signpost pointing right to walk to Corfe Castle along the Purbeck Way. The sign post is inferno of dishes and orange fern.

Follow the sign up the track, and through a tree tunnel to reach the next houses, where you turn right. This leads you to the main (but quiet) road. You should see another sign here pointing right to walk to Corfe Castle.

A wide gravel road lined with bushes and trees, forming a tree tunnel.

A patch of long unkempt grass in front of the road, with a sign in the middle of it.

Keep going along the road, passing another sign (so far so good), to reach the main road junction. This is where it started to get tricky.

A road leading straight ahead, lined with some bushes and trees, and a wooden trail signpost on the right side.

A big road junction, with green bushes and trees on the corners.

The useless signs

At the time of writing, there is no signage at this junction. Well, it is sort of there, but the arrows have been pulled out.

A wooden trail signpost in front of a bush, with Ivey growing up it.

I inspected the angles of the holes and decided that it wanted me to go into the field and turn right.

I quickly checked the guide on the Dorset website, and it tells me to follow the road. I decided I liked the field better, so did that.

Looking past a wooden gate to a big grass field with three horses grazing in the distance, on the walk from Wareham to Corfe.

Through the field and the gate at the end is the next problem. There is the option to go left through Stoborough Heath, or straight on the road. The sign points to walk to Corfe Castle into a bush between the two, or back the way I came towards Wareham.

A narrow dirt trail leading to a wooden gate, which is surrounded by a mass of green bushes and trees.

A wooden trail sign post pointing back to walk to Wareham, and into the bush on the left to walk to Corfe Castle. There is a road behind it with a blue car parked.

I checked online again, and it did say I would be walking through Stoborough Heath, but not yet.

I decided this time to do what it told me and stuck to the road. Glad I did, as more signs soon appeared letting me know I was going the correct way.

A wooden trail signpost pointing left to walk to Corfe Castle along the Purbeck way, and right to walk to Wareham. The sign is partially hidden by bush branches.

More road and a flooded trail

Keep following the road, then when you reach the big road junction, cross over it and along the residential road straight ahead.

A road leading straight ahead lined with bushes on the right and a hedge on the left.

Looking across the road, to a green verge on the other side with various road signs. — Go straight across here

Not too far along, you should see a grassy tree corner on the left, with a sign pointing along a trail. Follow it.

A road leading ahead towards a house on the right, and an unkept green area on the left.

This bit of trail becomes very narrow. It was also flooded for me. The flooding was all a bit of fun at this point….

A very thin waterlogged trail with bushes on the left and a wooden fence partially engulfed by bushes on the right.

The trail then opens up, taking you under straggly trees to reach the road again. Cross the road, and go through the gait on the other side.

A narrow dirt trail leading through a wooded area, full of leaning straggly trees.

Standing under the woods, looking towards a wooden gate, with the road on the other side.

Through here, you should see a trail stump signpost ahead. Follow the arrow on it to the left.

An area of green with a waterlogged patch ahead, and a wooden stump sign.

The boggy marsh

Upon turning left, I was presented with more flooded trail. Now it was starting to be less fun. I tried straddling it, which worked at first, but then there was no side to straddle on. It then became a case of placing my feet where they would be least submerged in water. This is where I realised my waterproof hiking boots have holes in them.

A thin waterlogged trail surrounded by bushes, when walking between Wareham and Corfe Castle.

A waterlogged strip of trail, lined with bushes.

The narrow trail becomes wider, and soon you will be in more open bog territory.

Walking through the heathland, with patches of wet bog. — You can see the rain in the distance where I am heading

When you reach the junction with the trail signage, turn right, then a short way along at the next trail signage, turn left.

A wooden stump trail sign in the bush, surrounded by boggy ground. — Turn right here

A green grass trail with puddles of water. There are bushes on both sides, and a wooden stump trail sign on the right. — Turn left here

Now keep going to reach the trees in the distance.

Looking across the boggy heathland, with patches of bushes, on the walk towards Corfe Castle from Wareham.

This section I found impossible. But at this point I had no choice. The boggy wet ground was doable, with a bit of jumping around. It was the big puddles that were the issue. With no way to get around them, my only option was to walk straight through. So I did.

A waterlogged boggy trail through the heath, on the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle. There a bush spotted about, and trees ahead in the distance. It's an overcast cloudy day.

A big puddle across the trail, surrounded by small bushes, and some trees ahead.

My boots would now remain wet for the rest of my time out here.

Dry land and the railway

As you approach the trees, the grassy path will lead between some hedges, and then across a more open space, and through the gate on the other side.

A narrow dirt trail through the grass, with a green hedge on the left and bushes and trees on the right.

A green grass area, with a wooden fence on the right and trees ahead. — Walk past this fence on the right, to reach the gate past it

You will then reach a dirt type road/path. Follow it as it curves right then left, through lots of trees, to reach the next road.

A wide dirt road curving to the right then left, surrounded by straggly trees, with some orange fern on the right.

A wide dirt road leading ahead, lined with straggly trees and green bushes.

A dirt road leading to the right, with orange fern and tall trees on the other side, when walking towards Corfe from Wareham.

Turn right and keep going to reach the railway line. Make sure no trains are coming, then cross over it.

A railway track cutting diagonally across, with green grass on this side, and trees and bushes on the other side. — This is looking back, after I crossed over the railway

At the road ahead, follow it to the left. This will lead you to a junction with a shed. There is a trail stump here, with arrows pointing you along the path with the shed to your left. This will lead you to a gate leading to Creech Heath.

A wooden stump sign in front of a fern bush, with two arrow signs pointing ahead for the Purbeck Way, There is a path on the left, and a green barn behind a wooden fence to the left of it.

A red sign saying 'authorised vehicles only' and a green trail arrow pointing ahead on the wooden fence next to it. — It’s OK. You are not a vehicle, so you can keep going past here

Creech Heath

This is the next boggy section of the walk between Wareham and Corfe Castle.

Through the gate you will be on a grass path, and then a short wooden walkway. Past here, it might be a little confusing. Look ahead and left and you should see some wooden things, which mark the trail. As you can see from my photo below, it was all bog.

A wooden walkway on the heath, on the route between Wareham and Corfe Castle.

A waterlogged boggy patch on the heathland.

Follow it, and you should reach another wooden post with a trail sticker arrow, pointing you to the right to another short wooden walkway.

A thin waterlogged trail leading through the tall grass of Creech Heath.

A wooden stump sign in the tall grass of the heath, with a green arrow pointing right.

A flooded area in Creech Heath, with a wooden walkway ahead.

These are to elevate you from the bog and marsh. Too bad there aren’t more of them.

Keep following the track, and soon you will see a wall of trees ahead in the distance. Head towards them.

Walk to the Blue Pool and the halfway point in the walk

At the end, go through the gate, then straight through the small section of woods to the houses and road on the other side.

A dirt trail leading towards a wooden fence and gate, completely engulfed by bushes and trees.

Looking through the mass of tall tree trunks.

Walk through the little housing area, then at the main road, turn right. This is the halfway point in the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle.

A row of uniform brick houses on the right.

Stay following the road all the way to the entrance sign for the Blue Pool. Then follow it in.

A road leading straight ahead, with bushes and trees on both sides, and a red telephone box just visible on the left side of the road ahead.

A big wooden sign pointing left to walk to the blue Pool. There is a wooden trail sign on the right of it, pointing left to walk to Corfe Castle.

When you reach the Blue Pool car park, follow the path to the right, which will lead you to the entrance of the Blue Pool.

A road leading straight ahead, lined with trees, with their branches hanging over forming a semi tree tunnel.

A widę gravel path leading ahead on the right, and a big blue sign on the left saying 'the blue pool'. The path is lined with green leafy bushes and trees.

A road lined with a fews bushes, and a small shed ahead.

You can go in if you want, but to continue towards Corfe Castle, take the dirt path to the left of the entrance of the Blue Pool.

A metal pole with arrows pointing straight ahead along a muddy trail. There is a metal fence on the right side. The trail is lined with trees.

Keep going straight through the gate, and when you reach the headstone type signage, follow the yellow arrow to the right and through another gate, onto the next heath.

A big gate across the muddy trail, with lots of tall trees on the other side.

A small stone trail sign on the left, with a yellow arrow pointing ahead towards a gate. There are trees behind the sign.

More boggy heathland

This is you third section of potential bog.

Follow the path through the gate, and at the fork with another headstone type signage, take the trail to the left.

A trail curving ahead to the right, lined with a few bushes.

A stone trail sign pointing along a thin wet trail through the heath.

Now walk across the heath to the woods on the other side.

A waterlogged boggy trail through the orange coloured head. There are a few green bushes ahead.

The woods

At the gate, there is an arrow pointing diagonal right. I wasn’t sure what it meant as there is only a path straight….I soon realised what it meant though.

A big puddle in front of a wooden fence and gate, surrounded by tall straggly orange and green grass.

A short way along, there is a wooden walkway to the right. You need to walk along that.

A puddle with a wooden walkway leading right through the tall grass. — Walk along the wooden walkway on the right here

You will then be led through some fern and woods, and along more ground bridge.

A wide trail covered in fallen leaves through the woods. There are patches of orange fern all around.

A wooden walkway through the woods with orange fern on the right and overgrown unkempt grass on the left.

When you reach the junction with the big tree, turn left and over the next bridge.

A big tree trunk in the middle of an open area. — Turn left here

A wooden bridge surrounded by green leafy bushes and trees.

The path will then lead you to the left, then when you reach the field, walk so that it is on your right.

A leaf covered dirt trail under the trees, with a big tree in the middle. There is a bright green field to the right.

Keep going straight for a bit, then look out for the signage with a trail to the right. Follow it right and through a gate.

A narrow dirt trail leading ahead through the grass and orange fern. There is a green trail sign pointing to the right onto the cross trail. — Turn right here

A wooden fence and gate with a views to a bright green field on the other side, on the walk towards Corfe Castle from Wareham. There is a hill in the distance covered in trees.

The hill

Through the gate you will be out in the open. Follow the path as it takes you right, and then left to start the walk up the hill.

This bit took me by surprise. It looked like a nice easy grass path. However, hiding beneath the grass was the wettest, boggiest bit of the whole walk between Wareham and Corfe. My feet were already pretty wet by this point, so it didn’t matter too much. Although instinct had me hoping about to find the less wet bits.

When you reach the gate, go through it and keep going straight up to reach the next gate.

This is the field with all the sheep and lama (or alpaca).

White sheep and a lama grazing in the grass field.

You now want to walk to the top left corner of this field. I wouldn’t say this hill was tough, but I was definitely feeling it due to my heavy backpack. I hadn’t packed light as I would be able to dump it all at my accommodation in Corfe for the next two days of walking the Purbeck Way

The final stretch of the walk from Wareham to Corfe Castle

At the top of the field, go through the gate, and follow the path ahead to the left.

This will lead you on a dirt path, surrounded by trees, and a hill to the right. I had hoped the trail would take me along the top of that hill, but it didn’t. The views would probably be better up there.

A thin dirt trail through the grass, with bushes to the left and leafy trees to the right.

A fallen tres across the dirt trail in the woods.

Keep going, passing by the occasional wooden stump with arrow signage, and a bent tree.

A wooden stump trail sign with a green arrow pointing ahead across a ground covered in fallen brown leaves.

A 90 degree bend inn a tree trunk in the woods.

You will soon get an opening to the right, where you get your first view to Corfe Castle. I was tempted at this point to walk straight to it. But that’s not what you do.

Looking past the tree leaves to a hill aheads with the ruins of Corfe Castle sitting on top, near the end of the walk from Wareham.

Keep going along the trail, following the arrows though the gate, then at the end with a proper signpost, follow the arrow pointing to Corfe Castle to the right.

A wooden gate across the narrow dirt trail, surrounded with bushes, and a tree hanging over it.

A wooden trail sign, pointing right too walk to Corfe Castle and back to walk to Wareham. The sign is in front of bushes.

This will lead you on a narrow trail in the open, with an unobstructed view to Corfe Castle to the left.

A narrow strip of trail through the grass, with a wooden and wire fence on the left.

Looking across the tree grass field to a big hill with Corfe Castle sitting on top, near the end of the walk from Wareham.

When you reach the field, go straight across to the gate on the other end. Through the gate, follow the path to the left. Now keep going all the way around the castle to reach the road.

Looking down a small grass field, with a couple of dirt trails, and a wooden fence on the other side. — Go through that gate at the bottom

A path leading ahead on the right, and a grass back on the left. The path is lined with wooden fence, and there is a wooden trail sign on the left side.

A walking path leading ahead, with bushes and trees on the right, and a wooden fence and green grass field on the left.

Corfe Castle and village

The National trust visitors centre is across the road if you want to go there, otherwise, turn right.

Looking across the road to the stone building of the Corfe Castle National Trust centre. There is a green hedge in front of the building. — The National Trust Visitor Centre

A road on the left, and wooden fence leading onto a trail up the hill on the right.

A short way along the road, you should see a path on the side of the hill on the right. Go along that, and this will lead you all the way up to Corfe Castle (with some steps). The entrance is here, although it was gated with no one about, so I’m not sure how you get in. I know that you do need to get a ticket at the visitors centre. Maybe someone from down there comes up and lets you in?

A trail on the right cutting across the hill, with a road below to the left.

A narrow path on the right, lined with a wooden fence, and a sort bridge ahead as you enter Corfe at the end of the walk from Wareham.

Anyway, once you reach the top, to go into Corfe village turn left and you have arrived.

A stone walkway across the bridge, leading into Corfe Village at the end of the walk from Wareham.

Read more: Corfe to Swanage Day 2