The Wednesday Walk 27th July 2016

The Plan

Cranborne in reverse

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

After our previous errors of navigation, I suppose we should have been a bit more cautious. We decided to do the Cranborne walk, but in reverse. Not walking backwards, just forwards along a reverse route. Funny how familiar paths can look deceiving when seen in the opposite direction! Picking up the paths through the trees wasn’t easy and we had to do a bit of back-pedalling and searching for alternative ways. When we did get close to the right path we were thrown off course by a herd of cows. In consolation, the afternoon walk went without a hitch.

Our thanks go to Beatrice and Sue for the refreshments at the end of the walk. And thanks to Diane for the photos.

The Pub

The Sheaf of Arrows in Cranborne. The pensioners’ specials were good value, even if they did come to the tables in fits and starts.

Next Week

Meet in Wimborne at 0930 for a Salisbury walk.

The Wednesday Walk 13th July 2016

The Plan

Lytchett Matravers to Morden

Who Turned Up

Jackie, Wendy, Sue (morning only) Trudy B, Trudy H, Diane and Tony R, David

The Walk

We parked the cars in the church car park at Lytchett Matravers. It’s quite an isolated church and there’s a reason. I'll come to that in a moment. The name of the village comes from the Brittonic word ‘litchet’ meaning grey wood. Matravers comes from the surname ‘Maltravers’. Until the start of the Norman conquest, the manor of Lytchett was held by a Dane called Tholf. After the conquest, King William gave the manor to Hugh Maltravers. The Maltravers family held the manor for about three hundred years until the Black Death reduced the population in the second half of the fourteenth century. The surviving villagers deserted the original village site around the church and resettled further up the hill. And that’s why it’s a bit of a journey from the village to the church.

It’s not a long walk from Lytchett to Morden but we met a few hitches along the way. The navigational system went a little awry, necessitating one or two back-tracks. And the weather did not behave as the met forecasters said it would. For ten minutes it rained very heavily while we sheltered in woodland. Add to that, we met more stiles than we expected and we met more hills than we expected. We arrived at the pub about an hour later than planned.

After lunch we took a different route back to Lytchett Matravers. This time we made the journey in one and three quarter hours.

Thanks to Trudy and Diane for the photos. And thanks to Trudy and Jackie for the tea and cakes.

The Pub

The Cock and Bottle at Morden. They serve good food at reasonable prices and the service is excellent. When a pint of beer was knocked over, it was replaced at absolutely no cost. Worthy of commendation.

The Wednesday Walk 6th July 2016

The Plan

Tarrant Crawford to Charlton Marshall

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trisha, Trudy B, Trudy H, Jackie, Diane and Tony R (Tony pm only) David

The Walk

I love this walk, especially on a warm summer’s day, and this was a pleasantly warm summer’s day. Hardy’s Dorset was looking its best. We parked, as usual, by the small weir just beyond the church in Tarrant Crawford and walked along the hedgerow path to the tiny church. The path then took us past the ruined abbey and across the main road. The landscape was largely empty as we traversed the fields, past the old vineyard, across the strange raised walkway and on into Spetisbury. The rivers we crossed were slow moving and remarkably clear but we saw no fish.

Spetisbury is an odd-sounding name to the visitor. It comes from the old English words, speht (meaning woodpecker) and byrig (meaning fort). It is home to iron age fortifications called Spetisbury Rings which were destroyed by the Romans in the first century. More recently, in the eighteenth century, St Monica’s Priory was the home to various religious orders. Most of it is now destroyed, but the remains house the Spetisbury village hall. Spetisbury Manor was once home to the local squire and is now a retirement home.

From Spetisbury we walked the old railway track to Charlton Marshall and our lunchtime pub stop. This was where our attention was drawn to two bear-like creatures enjoying the warm weather. And some of the walkers decided to take advantage of the children's playground. After lunch we returned to the cars on a route very close to the outward walk.

Tea was served at Diane and Tony’s house, the cakes baked by Trudy B. Thanks to you all for the refreshments. Thanks, also, to Diane and Trudy H for the photographs.

The Pub

The Charlton Inn at Charlton Marshall. A pleasant environment, two cheerful and helpful waitresses, and satisfactory food all round. No one chose the pie, but the alternatives included over-65s meals at £5.

Next week

Meet at Jackie's house at 1030 for a walk from Lytchett Matravers to Morden.