A new cycle trail opens this month, shining a light on the rich food heritage of the Frome Valley.
The Valley to Market Trail welcomes cyclists to follow the eight-and-a-half mile route between Maiden Newton and Dorchester.
The Frome Valley with its meadows, pastures and fields, has been shaped by millennia of
farming and food production.
The trail will follow the historic footsteps of the valley’s farmers taking their produce to Dorchester market.
Tom Munro, Dorset National Landscape Manager said: “We chose the Frome Valley for this
food trail as it’s a gentle route.
"You don’t need to be a keen cyclist or have a high-tech bike to enjoy this family-friendly journey through some lovely Dorset countryside.
"Rather than focusing on places to buy food, we wanted to share the food story of the landscape as whole.
"The Frome Valley has kept people nourished and in employment for centuries, as it
still does today.”
Along the way, clues of the rich farming past are highlighted in a new trail leaflet.
Water meadows are just one example of what cyclists can see along the route – a farming
innovation in the seventeenth century.
The spring-fed river water and its steady temperature warmed the soil to encourage abundant grass growth for feeding sheep in the lean months of March and April.
The Valley to Market Trail has been funded by the UK Government through Dorset Council’s
Rural England Prosperity Fund to encourage people to explore lesser known parts of the countryside.
Tom added: “The River Frome is a chalk stream which is incredibly rare nationally and
globally and yet so many people don’t know about it.
"Great for wildlife as well as food production (think watercress) it is a real gem to have on our doorstep and well worth exploring."
During September, cyclists are encouraged to rest up at the Millenium Green in Frampton to
enjoy the temporary River Droplet art installation.
Created by artist Lorna Rees and architect Amanda Moore, the installation consists of 500 bottles of water taken from the adjacent River Frome.
The art installation will be brought to life with events and recordings that explore the story of watercress production and what makes chalk streams so special.
The official opening of the trail will take place at the new art installation at Millennium Green, Frampton on Sunday, September 15, from 10am until 4pm.
Free hot drinks and Dorset Apple Cake will be available to all cyclists trying out the new trail.
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