The Plan
A walk from Upton Country Park to Broadstone
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy, Sue, Trudy and David
The Walk
It's summer holiday time again and most of the regular walkers are away from home. Last week, Wendy was unable to find a single walker to accompany her so she watched the tennis instead. This week, three people were able to join her to enjoy the hot weather and walk across the heathland between Upton and Broadstone. Regular walkers will know that much of the path is along the route of the old Somerset and Dorset Railway but I will say no more about that. We diverged from the main track to make the walk more interesting, with the aim of abandoning the afternoon walk in favour of the Wimbledon match between Federer and Berdych.
Lunch
Not a pub. Today, we had lunch at a new cafe at the top end of Broadstone main street. We sat out in the sunshine and enjoyed a large all-day breakfast which had the effect of confirming the afternoon plan. Despite the fact that the cafe is unlicensed, none of us was really fit for another lengthy walk, so we went back to Wendy's for tea and biscuits and the tennis.
Next Week
Meet at Wendy's for a walk from Lytchet Matravers to Lytchet Minster (or vice versa)
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Wednesday 16 June 2010
The Wednesday Walk 16th June 2010
The Plan
To walk the Wareham Walls
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy and David... and Jackie joined us for lunch
The Walk
Such an interesting walk on such a glorious day... what a pity only two people got to enjoy it. We parked outside the police station in Wareham in the belief they would not want to tow away David's old Volvo. They didn't! Then we walked through the car park and up onto the old town walls where they overlook the River Piddle. If you are reading this in the USA, Marion, it really is called the Piddle. We then started a clockwise walk around the town on top of the old medieval earthen walls. When we got to Bestwall we branched off along a footpath that took us out towards Swineham Farm and the lakes. We skirted round the lakes and came back along the path that runs alongside North Bestwall Wood. Once back in the town we headed across the main bridge to Stoborough and had lunch at the King's Head.
After lunch we took a path away from the main road that joined up with the Purbeck Way and brought us back into Wareham alongside the River Frome. This is where we saw a group of lesser-spotted school children playing on a raft. Altogether, it was a really pleasant walk. Along the way we saw (I am very reliably told) orange hawkweed, purple vetch, pink foxgloves, yellow buttercups, white cow parsley and some deadly nightshade. As we passed by the lakes we were directly beneath the flight path of a swan taking off. We saw more swans and cygnets on the River Frome.
Lunch
The King's Head at Stoborough. The food was good and Jackie joined us to add to the conversation. Thanks, Jackie, we appreciated your company.
To walk the Wareham Walls
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy and David... and Jackie joined us for lunch
The Walk
Such an interesting walk on such a glorious day... what a pity only two people got to enjoy it. We parked outside the police station in Wareham in the belief they would not want to tow away David's old Volvo. They didn't! Then we walked through the car park and up onto the old town walls where they overlook the River Piddle. If you are reading this in the USA, Marion, it really is called the Piddle. We then started a clockwise walk around the town on top of the old medieval earthen walls. When we got to Bestwall we branched off along a footpath that took us out towards Swineham Farm and the lakes. We skirted round the lakes and came back along the path that runs alongside North Bestwall Wood. Once back in the town we headed across the main bridge to Stoborough and had lunch at the King's Head.
After lunch we took a path away from the main road that joined up with the Purbeck Way and brought us back into Wareham alongside the River Frome. This is where we saw a group of lesser-spotted school children playing on a raft. Altogether, it was a really pleasant walk. Along the way we saw (I am very reliably told) orange hawkweed, purple vetch, pink foxgloves, yellow buttercups, white cow parsley and some deadly nightshade. As we passed by the lakes we were directly beneath the flight path of a swan taking off. We saw more swans and cygnets on the River Frome.
Lunch
The King's Head at Stoborough. The food was good and Jackie joined us to add to the conversation. Thanks, Jackie, we appreciated your company.
Wednesday 9 June 2010
The Wednesday Walk 9th June 2010
The Plan
To walk from Bickton to Fordingbridge
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trudy, Sue, Diane, Tony R and David
The Walk
The weather played games with us today. It rained as we drove to the starting point at the crossroads near Bickton, but stopped as soon as we got our walking boots on. It started raining again just as we got back to the cars in the afternoon. In between we had a warm, pleasant walk.
There was a lot to see on this walk. Herons, deer and swans with their young led to a short pause to admire the view. As we passed a trout farm we also saw hundreds of the fish thrashing around in the water. Although we are past the bluebell season, we did see a variety of flowers. To add to the list, the ladies of the church in Fordingbridge were in the process of laying out a carpet of flowers on the church floor.
We did make a minor error in navigation on our way towards Fordingbridge but that did nothing to lessen the enjoyment of the walk. On the way back, we crossed to the opposite side of the A338 Salisbury Road and enjoyed a quiet stroll through the countryside. There was a moment of consternation when the group got split up in the middle of the "Happy Birthday" field. Wendy had to wait until we got back to David's for a chorus of congratulations on her birthday. All-in-all, it was a pleasant day's walking.
The Pub
The Ship in Fordingbridge. We all opted for the two-course pensioner's special. The two men had the starter and main course. The four ladies all had the main course and desert. All six were well satisfied by the end of the meal.
Wednesday 2 June 2010
The Wednesday walk 2nd June 2010
The Plan
A walk from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to Alum Bay
The Leader
Trisha
Who Turned Up
Trisha, Jackie, Ros, Trudy and David
The Walk
This was most definitely a walk not to be missed. It turned out to be a brilliant ramble through beautiful countryside in perfect weather. The five of us who took part in the walk set out early to drive in one car to Lymington where we changed into rambling gear and bought senior citizen tickets across to the island. On the island side, we set off beneath a blue sky and warm sunshine along the bank of the peaceful River Yar. Following well set out paths and beautiful woodland we made our way across the island to Freshwater Bay. Here we stopped to enjoy our packed lunches on seats overlooking the shore. Suitably refreshed, we then walked up to the top of Tennyson Down where the views of the Dorset coast were quite glorious. We then made our way on down to the place overlooking The Needles where British rockets were static tested before being sent out to Woomera in Australia. From there we continued down to the Alum Bay Amusement Park where Jackie kindly bought us all an ice cream. Then we used our senior citizen bus passes to get a bus back to Yarmouth. The weather was too good to be wasted so we walked around Yarmouth and enjoyed a cream tea in a restaurant overlooking the water. Finally, we caught the 1755 ferry back to Lymington. Altogether, it was a marvellous day out in brilliant weather. Like I said, a walk not to be missed.
The Pub
We each brought a packed lunch.
Next Week
Meet at David's at the usual time for a walk from Bicton to Fordingbridge.
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