Colmers Hill
Colmers Hill is a unique landmark, recognisable from miles around. A circular walk to it its top takes 30-45 minutes, rewarding visitors with panoramic views of the Jurassic Coast and Dorset’s rolling hills.
An Essential Walk, on 2 or 4 Legs!
As you explore Bridport, wherever you go, you’ll catch tantalising glimpses of Colmers Hill, but nothing beats experience it up close on Symondsbury Estate. With its conical shape crowned by pine trees, it’s instantly recognisable and just begs to be climbed.
Although the slope is steep, the panoramic views from the top make it worth the effort. It’s a great walk for energetic dogs, but please remember to close gates and keep your dogs on leads when passing through fields with sheep. Pick up our Walking Map in the Visitor Centre for the best route.
Colmers Hill in Pictures
The Story of Colmers Hill
Colmers Hill derives its name from the “Colmer Tenement”, farmland leased to the Colmer family by the Duke of Somerset from around the 1650s, and later by the Earl of Ilchester. This tenancy must have included the distinctive, conical hill formed from Bridport sands that we now know and love as Colmers Hill. In 1910, 18-year-old William Philip Colfox (grandfather of Sir Philip John Colfox who owns Symondsbury Estate today) purchased Colmers Hill from the Earl of Ilchester, incorporating it into Symondsbury Estate.
It’s thought that, shortly after, he and other local landowners were inspired by his friend, James Best, a former forestry worker in India, to start planting trees on hilltops – and that, as a result, his handyman, John Sprake, planted Austrian Pine trees (Pinus Nigra) on the summit of Colmers Hill. They grew quickly – and thus an icon was born! In 2006, Sir William ‘John’ Colfox (father of Sir Philip John Colfox) added Maritime Pines to celebrate the birth of his grandson, John, six years earlier. While Colmers Hill’s distinctive shape is eye-catching on its own, it’s the addition of the trees that makes it so recognisable from miles around. Today, it stands as a muse for photographers and artists from all over the world.
