The River Tarrant is a 12 km long tributary of the River Stour in Dorset. The valley lies to the east of Blandford Forum. The river rises near Cranborne Chase, an area of chalk downland, and flows broadly from north to south before joining the river Stour. The eight Tarrant Valley villages/hamlets all bear the name of the river. Listed in order from the river's source they are: There were possibly one or two other Tarrant communities: A Roman road followed the valley and there are many tumuli on the hills on both sides of the river, evidence of long occupation.