The Wednesday Walk 30th January 2013

The Plan

A Blashford Lakes walk

The Leaders

Trudy B

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trudy B, Sue, Ros, Tony and Beatrice, David

The Walk

First of all, my apologies and commiserations with our readers who have been unable to see the blog pictures. The system changed around the time of the New Year and I am no longer able to upload pictured from my computer. Why the change? I have no idea. Until I find a way around it, we will have to limit the blog to parchment messages carried in by a runner with a cleft stick! A pity as Trudy B took some fine photographs today.
Today’s walk began at the car park on the land between Kingfisher Lake and Northfield Lake. We took the path that led us up to Snail’s Lane, crossed over and followed the track past the sailing club to the Study Centre. Here we made a short detour into one of the bird hides. From there we followed the track that took us to the pub.
At this point I should make an observation about the footpaths. Four walkers wore Wellington boots and the other three wore walking boots. The wellies definitely had the edge as the ground underfoot was largely sticky mud interspersed with small lakes. However, for all that it was wet underfoot, the day was dry and sunny and the air was much warmer than we have had of late. All-in-all it was a good day for a ramble in the forest.
After lunch we followed a similar route back to the car park. The wind had raised a notch or two by now but it was still a nice day for a walk.

The Pub

The Alice Lisle at Rockford. Lady Alice Lisle was a landed lady who was executed for harbouring fugitives after the defeat of the Monmouth Rebellion at the Battle of Sedgemoor. Her husband, Sir John Lisle was one of the judges at the trial of King Charles I. He was later accused of regicide. Which has nothing to do with the meal we had today. The food was okay, nothing special, and a bit expensive. The staff were friendly and honest… but the service was a bit off. Our order wasn’t sent to the kitchen when it should have been so we had to wait a period of one-cryptic-crossword in time before it was served. And two people had the wrong bill at the end.

Next Week

Meet at Sue’s at 10am for a Sandford walk.

Late Edit
Hallelujah! I've managed to find a way of uploading Trudy's excellent pictures. Let me know if you have any difficulty seeing them.

The Wednesday Walk 16th January 2013

The Plan
A walk across Ferndown Common

The Leader

Trudy B

Who Turned Up

Trudy B, Sue, Trisha, Beatrice, David, with Tony joining us for lunch and the afternoon walk.

The Walk

We met a Haskins Garden Centre for coffee before moving our cars to the nearby layby. We had a few doubts at this point as a large car transporter was loading up in the layby. An odd place for cars to be loaded up. Would our cars be waiting for us on our return? Or would they be on a ferry to the continent? We crossed our fingers and hoped.
It was a cold morning. The rest of the country was experiencing snow but we had yet to see the first downfall on East Dorset. Would it happen today? We set off across the common and, within a few minutes, a light flurry was settling upon us. We were, however, more concerned with the trail across the common which was, at times, covered in sheets of ice. Careful attention to where we put our feet was needed. Thankfully, we reached the Wimborne Road without any accidents.
After lunch we set off on a longer route that took us to Award Road and then back onto The Roughs after skirting past Trehane’s Nursery. The going was impeded by icy patches. At one point the path was a sheet of solid ice and Tony took the initiative to divert us across someone’s front lawn. We then continued across the common until we came back onto Angel Lane. To our delight, our cars had not been exported to Eastern Europe.

The Pub

The Pure Drop, Ferndown. The beer was cheap: £2.50 for a pint, which was a good start. We then discovered that we could have a free bottle of wine because our joint expenditure exceeded £15. Not bad. The food was good, the most expensive meal being a nicely-done pork steak in apple sauce at £8.45. Most walkers were satisfied with a meal at below £5.

Next Week

Meet at Beatrice and Tony’s at 10am for a Verwood walk

The Wednesday Walk 9th January 2013

The Plan

A walk from Canford Magna to Wimborne

Who Turned Up

Tony and Beatrice H, Trudy B, Sue and David

The Walk

The day turned out mild and dry but a little overcast. Our numbers were sadly depleted because of illness and we send our good wishes to the walkers who were unable to take part. Get well soon, all of you. We met at Canford Magna, near the entrance to Canford public school. I was surprised to read the school motto, Nisi Dominus Frustra, carved near the entrance. It is the same motto as my old school in Bath. That old school was, in the nineteen fifties, located in Weymouth House in the centre of Bath. An old building of value and antiquity. They pulled it down when I left to build a Marks and Spencer store! Anyway, today we set off past the Canford School rowing club and followed the track through the ornately carved railway bridge and on to the lodge gate that once stood guard over the driveway into Canford. From there it was a short walk to the pub.
After lunch we walked along the river bank past the remains of Flight Refuelling’s premises. Why do so many places of history get knocked down? The path did get a little muddy in places, but it was flat and easy walking to the footbridge back across the River Stour - a rather shaky footbridge when five walkers got on it.
All in all, it was a pleasant walk on a very mild January day.

The Pub

The Coach and Horses, Wimborne. This is where we had our Christmas lunch. The menu today was enticing and well-priced. The beer also was cheap compared to many pubs. The food was well up to scratch and no one went hungry. The pie eater opted to forego the pastry and had a very enjoyable pork stack with a gammon steak, pork steak, Cumberland sausage, black pudding, chips and all the trimmings for less than £9. Very good value.

Next Week

Meet at Haskins at 10am for a cup of coffee. We will walk across Ferndown Common to the Pure Drop.

The Wednesday Walk 2nd January 2013

The Plan

A walk to West Moors

The Leader

Wendy

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Beatrice and Tony H, Tricia and David
With Diane and Tony R joining us for the afternoon leg.

The Walk

It wasn’t exactly like a summer’s day but at least we got to walk in reasonably mild and dry conditions. We met at the Inn on the Tin car park and took the well-worn path to West Moors. Not a long walk, so we browsed around the village shops when we got there. Wendy took the photograph of the military device in the window of a junk shop. Can you guess what it is?
A clue: it’s Russian. Imagine NATO tanks advancing across the Steppes. What would the Russians be doing with this?
After lunch, Diane and Tony joined us for the walk back to our cars. Once again it was dry and mild if a little overcast.

The Pub

The Elephant and Castle at West Moors
We were delighted to see Brian and Pam join us for our first lunch of 2013.
Several walkers opted for the two-course deal but the inveterate pie-eater set a good example with one course that did not include pastry.

Next Week

Meet at Canford School at 1045