The Frome Valley with its meadows, pastures and fields, has been shaped by millennia of farming and food production. The Trail follows the historic footsteps of the valley’s farmers taking their produce to Dorchester’s market. Along the way, clues of the rich farming past are highlighted in the new Trail leaflet.

Water meadows are just one example of what you 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. Impressively large flocks of sheep were noted by contemporary writers feeding on this lush ‘early bite’.

The wealth of food produced in the valley undoubtedly helped build the historic Charter Market in Dorchester which dates back to 1305 and still thrives today.

Tom Munro, Dorset National Landscape Manager explains “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.”

The Valley to Market Trail has been funded by the UK Government through Dorset Council’s Rural England Prosperity Fund. The Trail encourages people to explore some of the lesser-known outstanding countryside of Dorset.

Tom enthuses “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.”

Chalk streams are perfect for the production of watercress, which is grown locally and shipped around the UK and across the world. The ‘River Droplet’ installation will be brought to life with events and recordings that explore the story of watercress production and what makes chalk streams so special.