The Wednesday Walk 27th January 2010

The Plan

Walk the shore from Mudeford to Highcliffe

The Leader

Wendy

Who Turned Up

Brian, Wendy, Trisha, Sue, Beatrice, Tony H, David

The Walk

Winter has already lasted too long and we're not even at the end of January. We were all glad to get down to the shore and have a bracing walk and a lungful of fresh sea air. It was nice, also, to see Brian out with us again. We parked the cars at the western end of the promenade at Mudeford, surprised to discover that parking here is still free. You don't get too many things free these days. The first short leg of the walk took us to the promenade cafe for a cup of coffee. Well, it was a cold morning and some of our walkers do have a real taste for coffee. Then we walked along the lower path at the head of the beach before climbing up to Highcliffe Castle. The air was cold and misty, but it was dry. As usual, we continued into Highcliffe for lunch.

After lunch, we returned along the cliff top path through the nature reserve at Steamer Point. We finished off by driving back to Brian's for tea and biscuits. Many thanks, Brian.

The Pub

The Globe at Highcliffe. We've eaten here many times before and always found it good value. Today, they were doing two meals for £10. No pies, but it was still a very good value deal. And we almost managed to finish Trisha's crossword.

The Wednesday Walk 20th January 2010

The Plan
A cross-country walk to Dewlish

The Leader
Trudy

Who Turned Up
Trudy, Wendy, Beatrice, Ros, Tricia, Sue, David

The Walk
The snow has all gone only to be replaced by rain. After a bright day yesterday, today we were treated to a cold mizzling drizzle. We drove on past Milbourne St Andrew to a parking spot near Crowthorne Farm. Fortunately, we all came kitted out with wet weather gear as we needed it when set off across the muddy fields. Even the woodland paths were thick with clingy mud. But we were a determined bunch: determined to enjoy the chance of a walk without the risk of falling on snow or ice. We even saw snowdrops pushing their hardy way up into daylight. The rain didn't let up all morning and we arrived at the pub in a state of saturation.
After lunch, the heavy clouds had passed on by and we set off with a lighter step ... until we got to the top of the hill leading out of Dewlish and had to tackle the sticky paths again. Sue had elected to stay at the pub for an extra cup of coffee, leaving six of us to tackle the return walk. After half an hour, the group split again. Ros, Trudy and Tricia decided to take a longer route back to the cars while Wendy led Beatrice and David on a more direct path.
Despite the rain, it was good to be out in the open country again, breathing in all that fresh air. We finished off with tea and cakes with Beatrice and Tony (who had been busy redecorating at home).

The Pub
The Oak at Dewlish. This was where Michael used to enjoy the faggots. Joy of joy, they still had home-made faggots on the menu. As the faggots were available, no pies were consumed, a point to go on record. The prices were reasonable and the food was well prepared. Someone asked how the sausages could be called Dewlish sausages when there was no butcher in Dewlish. The rest of us ate up and said nothing.

Next Week
Meet at Brian's at ten o'clock (later than usual) for a Highcliffe walk.

The Wednesday Walk 13th January 2010

The Plan
A walk across Canford Heath

The Leaders
Wendy and Trudy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trudy, Mark (Morning walk) Ros, Beatrice, Tony, Sue (Lunch) and David

The Walk
Most of us hadn't had a decent walk for two weeks because of the weather. Today changed all that. We met at the car park on Gravel Hill, beside the entrance to Canford Heath Nature Reserve. At the start of the walk it was still a bit chilly but we were all warmly wrapped and prepared for a brisk trot across the heath. The snow was already beginning to melt but the evidence of the past two weeks was still around. Parts of the track were steep and slippery and we had to detour around one downward slope. The atmosphere of being way out in the wilds was made even more enjoyable by the knowledge that we were only a few miles from home.
We crossed the heath to Wallisdown where Sue was waiting to join us for lunch.
After lunch we took a different path back across the heath, starting with a walk across the golf course. By now the thaw was really setting in and we found the paths to be very slushy. At times we were walking in a stream. But the pleasure of being out in the middle of the heath was still with us. All-in-all it was a very pleasant walk. To add to the enjoyment, we drove home on roads that were now completely clear.

The Pub
The Miller and Carter, Wallisdown. This was once well known to us as The Mountbatten Arms. The new name sounds odd but the meal was good. The lunch deal in the bar was £6.50. No pies, but the selection was generally well appreciated.

Next Week
Meet at Beatrice and Tony's for a Dewlish walk.

The Wednesday Walk 6th January 2010

The Plan

The original plan was to walk to Highcliffe along the shore. This idea was put aside when Hampshire became snowbound.

The Leader

Trudy

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trudy, Mark

The Walk

The weather on Wednesday morning was unusual. The entire country was snowbound except for a small area around Bournemouth. Hamphire having become another Isle of White, the planned walk to Highcliffe was cancelled and an alternative plan to walk closer to home was hastily put together. In the event, shortly after breakfast the snow began to encroach on the outer extremities of the Bournemouth hinterland and quickly turned heavy. The northern wastes of Ferndown soon became arctic. Broadstone still being within the weather protected area, Wendy, Trudy and Mark were courageous enough to venture out, but they soon found themselves in the wild white yonder. True to the spirit of Captain Scott, they walked over Turbary Common in a snow blizzard. They reported seeing wild ponies, squirrells, rabbits and a woodpecker. We can only imagine how cold those poor animals felt. The walkers also reported seeing gorse in bloom.

The Pub

The walkers had coffee in the Mountbatten Arms and then hastened back to Trudy's for a bowl of soup. A wise decision.

Next Week

We have a choice, depending upon the weather. We may go for Dewlish, Highcliffe or Canford Heath. A decision will be made closer to the time.