Food trail takes cyclists on ancient market route

The Frome Valley is known for its chalk streams and water meadows

A new food trail for cyclists is being launched to highlight farming and food production in a rural Dorset valley.

The 8.5-mile (14km) Valley-to-Market Trail, from Maiden Newton to Dorchester, passes meadows, pastures and fields shaped by millennia of agriculture.

It follows the route the valley's farmers would have once taken with their produce to Dorchester's market.

The food produced in the valley helped build the historic Charter Market which dates back to 1305 and continues to the present day.

The trail is being launched by Dorset National Landscape with a special event on Sunday between 10:00 and 16:00 BST at Frampton's Millennium Green when cyclists can get free hot drinks and Dorset apple cake.

The valley is notable for its water meadows - a 17th-century farming innovation, utilising the spring-fed river water and its steady temperature to encourage abundant grass growth for feeding sheep in the lean months of March and April.

Cyclists can rest at an art installation at Frampton's Millennium Green

Its chalk streams are also perfect for the production of watercress, which is grown locally and shipped around the world.

Dorset National Landscape manager Tom Munro 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."

During September, cyclists can also enjoy a temporary art installation at Millennium Green.

Water Droplet, also commissioned by the Dorset National Landscape, aims to highlight the special qualities of the chalk stream habitat.