An alternative road to the Blandford highway follows the river and rail through Shillingstone, an interesting village that had a year or two since (and may still have) a maypole; a beautiful village cross; and a much restored Norman and Early English church containing a pulpit presented by a Londoner who sought sanctuary from the great plague.  The road then goes by Broad Oak and over Sturminster Common to Okeford Fitzpaine, Banbury Hill Camp being passed on the right about half way.  Okeford has a church interesting to the antiquary.  It has a Decorated west window that is said to have been turned inside out.  Part of the ancient screen and rood-loft still remain, together with a piscina in the chancel.  It is said that the upper part of the pulpit was at one time used as a font.  The old font, restored, for many years formed part of the wall of the churchyard.  The road continues up the long tongue of Okeford Hill with wide retrospective views.  At the summit a by-way turns to the right along the ridge, which gradually increases in height until it reaches its summit three miles away at Bulbarrow Hill (902 feet) just above Rawlsbury Camp.  The magnificent view up Blackmore Vale and northwestwards toward Yeovil is worth the journey to see.  Rawlsbury is a prehistoric circular entrenchment with a double wall and ditch.  Stoke Wake village is just below and Mappowder is about two miles away by the fields, but much farther by road.  This last is an old-world hamlet eight miles from a railway, where curfew is still rung in the winter.  In the church is an interesting miniature effigy that probably marks the shrine of a crusader’s heart.

Continuing over Okeford Hill the road presently drops to Turnworth House at the head of a long narrow valley leading down to a string of “Winterborne” villages (or more correctly—­Winter_bourne_).  The situation of the mansion and village is very beautiful and very lonely.  Few seem to wish to brave the long ascent of the hill and one can pass from Okeford to Turnworth many times without meeting a solitary wayfarer.  Turnworth Church is Early English, rebuilt on the exact lines of the old fabric and retaining the ancient tower.

The first of the Winterbournes—­Strickland, lies a long mile beyond Hedgend Farm, where we turn sharp to the left and traverse a very lonely road, sometimes between close woods and rarely in sight of human habitation until the drop to the Stour brings us to Blandford Forum, a pleasant, bright and clean town built within a wide loop of the river that here begins to assume the dignity of a navigable stream, crawling lazily among the water meadows, with back-waters and cuts that bring to mind certain sections of the Upper Thames.  The two fine thoroughfares—­Salisbury and East Streets—­which meet in the wide market place are lined with buildings, dating from 1732 or later, for in 1731 a great fire, the last of a series, destroyed almost the whole of the town and its suburbs.  The old town pump, now a drinking