The Wednesday Walk 27th January 2016

Today was a washout.
It had been raining all night and was still raining when we met at Pamphill.
We went to the farm shop and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a chat before setting off for lunch.
Our intention was to eat at the Lamb's Green but it was closed. So we drove on to the Dorset Soldier and enjoyed a two-courses-for-£6.50 meal there.
It was still raining when we left the pub.

NEXT WEEK
Meet at Kingston Lacy at 10.30

The Wednesday Walk 13^th January 2016

The Plan

A Wareham Forest walk

Who Turned Up

Jackie, Wendy, Sue, Tricia, Trudy H and David.

Trudy B and her sister joined us for lunch and completed the afternoon walk with us. Welcome to Dorset, Trudy’s sister.

We were also pleased to see Tony and Beatrice over lunch.

The Walk

It was a colder day than we have been used to, but sunny enough to make an enjoyable ramble. We started the walk at the Sika Trail car park on the Bere Regis Road, almost opposite The Silent Woman pub. A pub called The Silent Woman? Yes, really. It was originally called The Angel but was referred to in Thomas Hardy’s novel, The Return of the Native, as The Quiet Lady. So the owners changed the name sometime in the 1920s to The Silent Woman. I do not intend to include here any jokes about silent women. I might not survive the reaction! Incidentally, the area around the pub is called Coldharbour. With its Angel pub, it was a place where a traveller could find a harbour against the cold.

Our route took us across Coldharbour Heath and Carey Heath. We did have some reservations about how much flooding and mud we might encounter along the way but luck was with us. There was nothing we could not cope with. After passing beneath Carey Road, we joined the Wareham Forest Way, crossed over the fast flowing River Piddle, and continued into Wareham.

After lunch - with Trudy B and her sister now a part of the group – we walked back through the town, past St Martin’s church, which holds an effigy of Lawrence of Arabia. We crossed the main bridge over the Piddle River and went on through Northmoor Park. From there we joined the forest path that took us back to the cars. It was a pleasant walk.

Thanks must go to Jackie for the tea and Dorset Apple cake back at her house. Our overseas readers should know that Dorset Apple cake is a delicious local food not to be missed when visiting our county.
Thanks also go to Trudy H for the photographs.

The Pub

The King’s Head in Wareham. We were all pleased to see Beatrice and Tony join us for lunch. We wish you well on your road to recovery, Beatrice.

The food was good. The pie eater was under strict orders not to have a pastry-topped pie here because of raised cholesterol levels, but he did manage to find a tasty fish pie on the specials board.

The Wednesday Walk 6th January 2016

The Plan

Talbot Heath and Meyrick Park

The Leader

Trudy B

Who Turned Up

Trudy, Wendy, Sue, Jackie, David

The Walk

It was a much better day than last Wednesday, when we had to curtail our plans. This time we parked in Langside Avenue in calm, sunny conditions. The walk took us out onto Talbot Heath which was a bit muddy in places but generally easily tackled. At the far end of the heath we walked out into Branksome Hill Road and then Glenfurness Avenue before entering Mayrick Park and the golf course. Two walkers then took the shorter route to the club house while the other three took a more roundabout route.

After lunch we took a slightly different route back to Langside, passing through Pug’s Hole and again crossing Talbot Heath. Pug’s Hole is believed to have been named after a smuggler known as Pug who is said to have hidden his contraband here. That would have been some while ago, of course. The wood is a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees and attracts birds such as nuthatches, coal tits and goldcrests. Talbot Heath - which we crossed in each direction - is today only a small remaining fragment of an area which once stretched from Christchurch to Dorchester. It is dominated by heathers and gorse. Wildlife here includes lizards and adders. Birdlife includes stonechats and dartford warblers. Along the way, we passed by some tall radio masts and wondered at their purpose. Military maybe? They don’t look like civilian phone or television masts.

The Pub

The Pulse café within the Mayrick Park Gold Club. As last week, the food was good and the service friendly.

Next Week

Probably a Wareham walk.