The Wednesday Walk 28th October 2009

The Plan
Meet and Beatrice and Tony's for a walk at Stourhead. Please be on time or early as we'll have a long drive to Stourhead.

The Leader
Trisha

Who Turned Up
Trisha, Jackie, Ros, Trudy, Sue, Beatrice, Tony, David

The Walk
Well done, Trisha on choosing and leading a good walk, and on such a warm day: up to nineteen degrees. We wondered whether we should have forsaken our boots in favour of sandals. It was quite a long drive to start the day but we took the scenic route via zig-zag hill into Shaftsbury. Then we drove on via Gillingham to Alfred's Tower car park near Stourhead. Once we were booted up, we walked up to the huge tower have a look at it. Unfortunately, we couldn't get inside. From there we set off through woods and coutryside towards the Stourhead Gardens. The sun came out for us and the trees were showing their glorious autumn colours. At one point we arrived just in time to get through a pathway before a farmer closed it to shuffle his sheep around.
After lunch we went into the gardens and walked beside the lake. We were glad we did as the autumn colours were quite spectacular. We took a route out of the gardens and up into the woods overlooking the lakes. By then we were clear of the holiday visitors and had the paths largely to ourselves. We also passed by an old Iron Age fort. One or two people began to wonder where we were headed and whether we were on the right track, but they should have had more faith in Trish's navigation because we arrived back at the tower, exactly where we started. The day was finished off with tea and cakes courtesy of Beatrice and Tony.

The Pub
Not a pub this week, it was too busy with half-term visitors. Instead we ate at the National Trust restaurant. The food was okay and reasonably priced, but the queue to the hot counter was a bit daunting. Because of the warm weather, we ate outside.

Next Week

Meet at Sue's for a walk from Worth Matravers.

The Wednesday Walk 21st October 2009

The Plan
Meet at Beatrice and Tony's for a walk from Ashmore to Compton Abbas

The Leader
Trudy

Who Turned Up
Trudy, Trisha, Ros, Beatrice, Sue and David

The Walk
After heavy rain yesterday, it was nice to see some dry weather. The blue sky was there (only just) and we looked forward to a very pleasant walk. Sue and David elected to do only the morning section so one car was left at Compton Abbas airfield. The walk began at Ashmore where the village pond had been drained for dredging. We set off on what we took to be the right route (following a green marker sign) but were turned back by a farmer who told us to use another route. We did, but have doubts about whether we should have insisted on going on our chosen path. Anyway, the walk was very invigorating (that's another way of saying we encountered steep hills up and down). It was nice to be out in open Dorset countryside, unchanged in the past hundred years or more. By the time we got to the airfield we were ready for lunch. After the meal, David and Sue departed and the three diehard walkers continued for the longer section.

For the afternoon walk, Trudy takes up the story: The field of poppies was wonderful (see photos). All told, we must have done four miles or more and came across workmen cutting trees. It was a bit dodgy picking our way through the debris but one of the loggers was very helpful in making a pathway. Then we thought we would do the short, sharp way back but it turned out to be much longer than anticipated as we could not find the turning off for the short cut. Anyway, we made it but Beatrice was suffering a bit by the end of the walk. The day ended back at Beatrice and Tony's where tea was complemented by Sue's home made sponge.

The Pub

Not a pub. We ate at the Compton Abbas airfield cafe. As usual, the selection was good, inexpensive and we had the benefit of a nice view over the airfield. Unfortunately there was nothing flying today. The pie was good.

The Wednesday Walk 14th October 2009

The Plan
To complete the previous week's Plan A. Meet in Wimborne for a Sturminster Newton walk.

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trisha, Beatrice and Tony, Sue and David

The Walk

What a perfect day for a walk. Just look at the blue skies in the photos and remember that there was not a breath of wind to spoil the effect. We drove to Sturminster Newton where we parked the car and immediately visited a cafe for coffee. Well, why not? One person had a hot chocolate layered with whipped cream and marshmallow but we're not revealing who! Once we got under way, the walk turned out to be rather special. The path was generally dry and took us past Cutt Mill where the mill pond was flat calm and so was the River Stour. Once past the mill, we took a wrong turn through a woodland copse but soon found our way back on course to Hinton St Mary. The memorial gardens in the village were not as well-kept as the last time the group walked here but an apple tree did provide a free sweet after a good lunch.

After lunch we made a detour into a second-hand store where someone bought a mug for fifty pence. Sue joined us at the pub and came with us for the second half of the walk. Well done, Sue. This time we walked parallel with the river with beautiful views across the Stour Valley. To finish off the day, we had tea and cakes (a generous mixture of low calorie and high calorie) at Beatrice and Tony's. Finally, we send greetings to our overseas readers: Marian in the USA and Diane in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Have you tried camel pie yet, Diane?

The Pub

The White Horse in Hinton St Mary. The food was very good and the pie was excellent. It was cosy, picturesque and friendly. We must try this one again some time.