<< Our Photo Pages >> Combs Ditch (Chariston) - Misc. Earthwork in England in Dorset
Submitted by TimPrevett on Sunday, 10 May 2026 Page Views: 83
Multi-periodSite Name: Combs Ditch (Chariston)Country: England
NOTE: This site is 0.3 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Dorset Type: Misc. Earthwork
Nearest Town: Blandford Forum Nearest Village: Thornicombe
Map Ref: ST8578001800
Latitude: 50.815570N Longitude: 2.203215W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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This originally prehistoric earthwork covers several kilometres. Entries for The Megalithic Portal’s database have been split into six stretches with the northern point of each stretch given as the location for each, running north to south for each respective stretch.
This is for the stretch running from where the A354 Blandford road bisects the earthwork (visible HERE) as the line of vegetation at right angles either side of the arterial vehicular route), to where the next footpath cuts across its course.
Combs Ditch is a substantial linear earthwork whose origins lie in the Iron Age, when it functioned primarily as a territorial or agricultural boundary.
Archaeological evidence indicates that it was later modified during the Roman period and may have continued in use into the early medieval era, when it appears to have taken on a more defensive character.
The earthwork consists of a bank and ditch, with the ditch positioned on the north-east side of the bank. This arrangement is often interpreted as defensive, suggesting that the bank was intended to face potential threats approaching from that direction.
According to Historic England, the bank varies between 5.4 and 8.5 metres in width and stands between 0.4 and 1.3 metres high, while the ditch ranges from 4.8 to 8.5 metres wide and averages around 0.9 metres in depth.
Excavations carried out in 1965 concluded that the boundary began as an Iron Age agricultural feature and was subsequently strengthened with more pronounced earthworks during the late Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.
Combs Ditch goes in a line north west of the A354 Blandford Road, with a detached surviving curved earthwork at that northern extremity. No public access and no footpath overlooks this part north of the A354.
Heading southwards, the A354 road bisects the feature, with its course denoted either side of the road by a line of trees and dense undergrowth. You might be able to glimpse this with care when driving the main road.
South of the A354 it continues on a broadly north-west to south-east alignment for approximately 3.5 kilometres. The course of the earthwork closely follows the southern edges of Little Coll Wood, with the visible remains terminating within Great Coll Wood.
Modern footpaths run alongside the earthwork for much of its length and cross it at five points, from north to south at grid references ST 86034 01421. North of this point the ditch and embankment are overgrown and hard to observe.
At ST 86304 01023 it is similarly overgrown and hard to appreciate, even in winter with reduced leaf cover on the deciduous trees and shrubs.
Heading south to ST 87087 00645, the path hugs the side of the ditch, and was several inches deep of unavoidable sloppy mud for a considerable stretch on 2nd February 2026.
Appreciating the size of the ditch becomes easier here. At this grid reference the embankment can be identified with differences in the line of vegetation. A slight walk in to the field on the west gives a view in the direction of Duropolis.
At ST 87386 00571 and south to the next footpath bisecting, the woods as of February 2026 have had limited clearance with easier viewing from the east side in Little Coll Wood.
Across an open field on the east of the earthwork to ST 88188 00285, there are varying degrees of height and width of the ditch and embankment. At the grid reference it is possible to observe overgrown cross sections of the parts bisected. There are a couple small boundary stones at the top end of this wood, they took a bit of looking for even with the minimal February vegetation.
This final southern section in the northern part of Great Coll Wood, both the ditch and embankment are the most appreciable, and gave me the most enjoyment and satisfaction of all the parts observed 2nd February 2026.
Towards where the feature disappears and ceases to be observable, it is filled with cleared wood and branches.
For most of the route, these paths follow or sit slightly back from the north side of the earthwork, adjacent to the ditch. In the final few hundred metres, however, the path shifts to the south side, running alongside the embankment itself.
The wider prehistoric landscape is obviously all around. The notable Durotriges project site of Duropolis a couple kilometres or so west. There are around eleven Bronze Age barrows within sight of Combs Ditch, but I could not observe them during this walk. Nonetheless they underline the long-term significance of this boundary important landscape.
If you desire to cherry pick the best part, I suggest a walk from Winterborne Kingston east along the Roman Road course, and then picking up the footpaths for the edge of Great Coll Wood. This is the course I had hoped to take on this walk but substantial flooding persisting from the week before in Winterborne Kingston made starting the walk from there impossible. This most south-easterly stretch is the most visually obvious and therefore the most rewarding if more wanting to see the earthwork as opposed to also having a very good walk.
My walk started at a junction to the south east of Thornicombe, parking very considerately on the inside of a very wide bend near Gorcombe Farm.
My return from the southern end of the earthwork took a line to the north west directly 180 degrees away from the earthwork’s course, past Rendezvous Plantation, and downhill through a solar farm and back to the wide bend. There were flourishes of snowdrops to enjoy, and a considerable amount of water was flowing off the fields, necessitating something of a ford crossing at its lowest point.
More information on the Dorset Council website and Historic England website.
This originally prehistoric earthwork covers several kilometres. Entries for The Megalithic Portal’s database and this video have been split into six stretches with the northern point of each stretch given as the location for each, running north to south for each respective stretch.
Stretch 1- Combs Ditch (Whatcombe Down) ST 8508 0220 to ST 8577 0183 (stretch from Whatcombe Down to A354)
Stretch 2 - Combs Ditch (Chariston) ST 8578 0180 to ST 8637 0100 (stretch from A354 through Chariston)
Stretch 3 - Combs Ditch (East Down) ST 8637 0100 to ST 8708 0072 (Stretch through East Down)
Stretch 4 - Combs Ditch (Little Coll Wood) ST 8708 0072 to ST 8781 0051 (stretch through Little Coll Wood)
Stretch 5 - Combs Ditch (Field) ST 8781 0051 to ST 8819 0032 (Little Coll Wood through a field to Great Coll Wood)
Stretch 6 - Combs Ditch (Great Coll Wood) ST 8819 0032 to ST 8867 0002 (Stretch through Great Coll Wood until visible remains peter out)
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
804m WNW 300° Combs Ditch (Whatcombe Down)* Misc. Earthwork (ST8508002199)
993m SE 144° Combs Ditch (East Down)* Misc. Earthwork (ST8637001000)
1.7km SE 130° Combs Ditch (Little Coll Wood)* Misc. Earthwork (ST8708000719)
2.4km ESE 122° Combs Ditch (Field)* Misc. Earthwork (ST8781000510)
2.5km SSW 197° Duropolis Ancient Village or Settlement (SY8505099380)
2.8km ESE 121° Combs Ditch (Great Coll Wood)* Misc. Earthwork (ST8819000320)
4.1km S 174° Winterborne Kingston* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SY8617197690)
4.7km SW 233° Deverel Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SY820990)
4.8km NNE 33° Blandford Forum Stones* Standing Stones (ST884058)
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6.8km S 175° Broomhill Barrows* Barrow Cemetery (SY8637095070)
7.0km S 181° Woodbury Hill (Dorset)* Hillfort (SY856948)
7.4km NE 55° Buzbury Rings* Ancient Village or Settlement (ST919060)
7.5km NE 50° Tarrant Rawston Long Barrow* Long Barrow (ST91550667)
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7.6km E 91° Shapwick Round Barrow(s) (ST9336301635)
7.6km S 188° Rye Hill Sarsen Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SY8467394244)
8.0km SSW 195° Devil's Stone (Dorset)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SY837941)
8.4km NW 324° Ringmoor Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (ST809086)
8.6km NE 40° Blandford Race Down Round Barrow(s) (ST91360836)
8.8km N 359° Hod Hill* Hillfort (ST856106)
9.0km E 81° Straw Barrow Round Barrow(s) (ST94660312)
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