The Wednesday Walk 21st December 2011

The Plan
A walk from Sandford

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Lucy (welcome to the group, Lucy) Sue, Trisha, Beatrice, Tony R, Jackie and David. We were joined at the pub by Tony H.

The Walk
It wasn't a brilliant day but it stayed dry and we even saw a few odd patches of blue sky. We parked the cars outside Sandford school: no problem as the children are on holiday. We then walked out over Morden Bog Nature Reserve. This being winter, the path was somewhat boggy at times, but it was  never beyond our ability to outmanoeuvre the worst bits. The walk was not overly long but very pleasant.
Tony was waiting for us when we got to the pub and he completed the afternoon walk with us.
After lunch we took a shorter route across the heath, past the old decoy building (used to decoy enemy aircraft from the nearby admiralty site during WW2). We then returned to Sue's house for tea and cakes. Many thanks, Sue.

The Pub
The Clay Pipe at Sandford. The food was reasonably priced and very nicely done. The chicken and mushroom pie was excellent and no one felt short-changed by the food quality or amounts on their plates.

The Wednesday Walk 7th December 2011

The Plan
A walk from Delph Woods to Lamb's Green.

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trudy, Sue, David. And Ros after lunch.

The Walk
A heavy shower in the middle of the morning did not deter the four walkers who turned up at Delph Woods. By the time we set out the shower had cleared although the air was still chilly. We made our way from the car park up to the track of the oldS&D railway line and set off past the golf course. The ground was a bit mucky underfoot but this is winter so we couldn't complain. We cut through to the Higher Blandford Road at Corfe Hills School and then turned off the road again at Rushcombe Bottom to follow the woodland trail. It wasn't the only Bottom on this walk: we also passed a Happy one. We took a short detour along Wayman's Way to see if we could walk through Happy Bottom, but the route didn't allow it. After a short backtrack, we followed our usual route to Lamb's Green. The last bit of Lamb's Green Lane was flooded - as is usual at this time of the year - but nothing to stop us getting to the pub.
Ros joined us shortly after we left the pub. The afternoon route took us past Ashington and along Willett Road, where we had a fine view as far as the Minster in Wimborne. From Willett's Arms we followed the railway trail back down to Delph Woods. The last bit of the route proved to be a bit hit-and-miss but we eventually found our way back to the cars. A very pleasant walk.

The Pub
The Lamb's Green. We've had some very good meals here in the past. Today the chicken pie scored 9 out of 10 (light-as-a-feather flaky pastry, thick pieces of juicy chicken and a nice sauce). Unfortunately the fish scored only 5 out of 10 (more batter than fish and too many bones). Our coffee expert says the coffee did not come up to scratch.

Next Week
Don't forget that next week Wednesday will be onTuesday. The annual Christmas lunch will be at the Pure Drop at 1200 for 1230. There will be a prior walk across Ferndown Common. For details, contact Wendy.