For quick access to a short walk (30 minutes or less) along the river Stour, Langton Meadows and the adjacent Stour Meadows, are a great place to stretch your legs and spot some wildlife. Located less than 5 minutes from Old Red Lion House, this mixture of riverside, grassland and pond create a refuge for all manner of creatures including Kingfishers, Little Egrets, Goldfinches and Black-tailed Skimmers. You may of course also spot Blandford Forum’s resident otters although they are normally on the river early in the day so you might need to set an alarm!
To reach the meadows, turn left out of Old Red Lion Yard and follow the market road to take the second left down Greyhound Yard (beneath the Greyhound sign) . Follow this to the end and cross the car park; the meadows are on the other side of the flood wall and can be reached by ramp or a few steps. Going right you will be in the small meadow where streams leading off the river are full of fish in the shallows or follow the path left over the blue bridge across the river, Follow the path left along the river or take one of the paths to create a loop back to the bridge. Alternatively, cross the next footbridge you reach which goes to M&S food and the main road; turn left to follow it back into Market Place then back to Old Red Lion.