The Wednesday Walk 24th March 2009

The Plan

A walk across St Catherine's Hill

The Leader

Trudy

Who Turned Up

Trudy, Ros, Trisha, Sue, Wendy, Beatrice and Tony H, Diane and Tony R, David

The Walk

We were lucky today - a nice antidote to the fog of last week's walk. The weather was especially organised to stay dry until we had completed this walk. Thank you, weathermen. We even saw some signs of blue sky and sunshine, and it was warm, with temperatures somewhere between 15 and 18 degrees. In short, spring has finally (belatedly) arrived in Dorset. We parked the cars at the usual spot just off the Fairmile Road and set off towards the Avon Causeway. The ground was a bit marshy in places, but we had a generally pleasant walk until we came across some gorse burning and made a detour to avoid being overwhelmed by smoke. Because of the temperature, several walkers had discarded their outer coats by now. We were early arriving at the pub but were content to sit outside and wait. The railway attractions outside the pub occupied the attention of the male walkers.

After lunch we took a different route back to the cars. Along the way we came across a pony carriage (see Trudy's photo). Once again the going was good, just a small area of marshy ground, and the air was nicely warm. Once again we made a point of avoiding the smoke from the bonfires. We finished off with tea and muffins at Trudy's house. Thanks, Trudy.

The Pub

The Avon Causeway. It was not very busy, whcih was surprising as the food was very good. Even the tea and coffee came in for special commendation. Yes, Sue agreed that it was the best cup of pub tea she had tasted.

Next Week

Meet at Bea and Tony's for a walk to Damerham.

The Wednesday Walk 17th March 2010

The Plan

A Worth Matravers Walk

The Leader

Trudy

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Patricia, Sue, Beatrice, Trudy, Diane and Tony R.

The Walk

(Pictures and text by Trudy)
We parked in the woods past Kingston and made our way to Hounds Tout, a nice flat walk which normally would have given us beautiful views of the coastline. But, oh dear, as you can see the pictures tell a different story! Thick swirling fog and a cold wind is all we got. The flat walk ended abruptly and we were faced with a very steep descent at the bottom of which we all had rather wobbly legs! Further along the path we remembered another occasion when we got absolutely soaked and tried to shelter under the trees. Onward up the hill we struggled and got to Worth Matravers where we discovered that the tea rooms are still up for sale (in case anybody fancies having a go).

After lunch we headed back past Rempstone Farm, and down the hill. Then we thought we would try a different way to Kingston. Another long way up and at the top we could not find the path. The fog was thick and we were a little lost, but eventually found the lane that brought us back to the cars.
At Sue's we were treated to lovely lemon cake and bisciuts with a well deserved cuppa, than you Sue we needed that!
We saw lots of sheep, snowdrops, crocusses, daffodils and dozens of squawking crows fighting for partners and nests.

The Pub

We went to the Square and Compass, a very old pub, there was a welcoming logfire and luckily a table for all seven of us. The menu was very complex (ha ha ha) just meat pasties or cheese and veg pie and I mean really just that. No garnish or other embellishments (perhaps David had a lucky escape!!) A certain person had a pasty AND a pie oh and a Mars bar!

Next Week

Meet at Trudy's for a walk across St Catherine's Hill

The Wednesday Walk 10th March 2010

The Plan

Ringstead Bay to Osmington Mills

The Leaders

Wendy and Trudy

Who Turned Up

Wendy Trudy, Trisha, Sue, Diane and Tony R, Beatrice and Tony H, David

The Walk

I was asked to make this entry poetic, so here goes:

There were primroses, snowdrops and all,

And daffodils growing so tall.

And when I looked down to the sea,

A seal was winking at me.

Well, it wasn't actually. It was winking at Diane with an expression that said, "See! You knew I was here all along and no one believed you!"

Okay, we've now got the terrible poetry out of the way and we can get back to prose. Today we had glorious blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine. There was a cold breeze with it, but we couldn't have everything, could we? We drove to the high-up viewpoint overlooking Ringstead Bay with some glorious views along the Dorset coast and the sea sparkling in the sun. Then we set off along the trail that took us down to the shore cafe (closed - along with the public conveniences) and then along the cliff path to Osmington Mills. We came across one or two small patches of muddy terrain but generally it was a very pleasant dry walk.

After lunch we walked back to the cafe (still closed) where three of our number elected to wait because the climb back up the hill was too steep. The "hardy six" struggled up the path back to the cars. While Tony drove down to collect the three people at the bottom, David telephoned Beatrice to say he was on his way. He didn't get a reply (Beatrice had forgotten to bring her phone) but he was subsequently called back by someone called James who wanted to know what the call was all about. Oops! Wrong number. Walkers are asked to deny any knowledge of David's call should they ever discover who James is.

It was a very special day for one young lady in our group. Back at Wendy's, Trisha blew out the candles (and one firework!) on her birthday cake. All done without setting fire to Wendy's kitchen. We all enjoyed the cake with our tea, thanks to Wendy and Trisha.

The Pub

The Smugglers at Osmington Mills. A great place to eat. The atmosphere was just right for a pub with such a name and the food was excellent, especially the pie! They even provided free apples at the door.

The Wednesday Walk 3rd March 2010

The Plan
A New Forest walk

The Leader
Trudy

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

The Walk
The weather was not as perfect for walking as the previous two days, but it was good enough for a fresh walk in the forest. We drove to the crossroads at Mockbeggar and set off over the heath. Snowdrops were still well in evidence and the first signs of spring were bringing out new growth everywhere. We saw numerous ponies but no deer. At one point we had some discussion about whether an animal we came across was a bull or a steer. Tony had to explain the difference and the evidence to look for in order that the ladies could determine the answer got themselves.
After lunch we strode up a steep hill to cross the highest points of the heath on our way back to the cars. Once again, it was cool but dry and we saw some evidence of blue sky. Tea and buscuits were taken back at David's house.

The Pub
The Alice Lisle. We were the first customers to arrive and ordered a variety of dishes including Welsh Rarebit... or Welsh Rabbit if you prefer. Does anyone know the difference? The food was good (especially the pie). On this special occasion we were also able to drink the health of one senior citizen's new-born baby grandson.

Next Week
Meet at Wendy's for a walk at Ringstead Bay