The Wednesday Walk 31st May 2017

The Plan

A Cranborne walk

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Sue, Trudy H, Ros, Beatrice and Tony H, Diane and Tony R, David

At lunch we were joined by Trisha and Marion

The Walk

My apologies for this being a short write-up. It was a humid day quite unconducive to any lengthy scribing. We parked at our usual spot on Hare Lane. From there we walked along Mill Lane back towards Cranborne. After lunch we took the path to the north of the B3078 and this time we were guided by a navigational app on Diane’s telephone. It worked well and took us back to our cars with no bother. Our thanks to Trudy for the photographs. Also thanks to Beatrice for the tea and biscuits, and to Sue for the very tasty cake.

The Pub

The Sheath of Arrows in Cranborne. Most of the walkser had the lunch time special menu which proved to be of good value. The exception was the pie eater who tried a pie from the main menu. It was well-filled but some of the beef was over-cooked.

Next Week

An Arne walk

The Wednesday Walk 24^th May 2017

The Plan

A Lamb’s Green walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

We met at Diane and Tony’s in warm sunshine, well-prepared for a summer weather jaunt. The walk began at Merley, took us past the Willett Arms and then onto Willett Road. It’s hard to believe this was a main road before the Wimborne by-pass was constructed. Today, Willett Road is a quiet country lane just about wide enough for one car. The road runs past Merley Hall Farm which is a tranquil nature reserve alongside the River Stour. It’s an area of open grassland and woodland with unmade paths through the woods.

After lunch we returned along the same route and camped in Diane and Tony’s back garden in the warm sunshine. There we enjoyed tea and birthday cake. Many thanks for the tea, Diane… and happy birthday, Tony. And thanks to Trudy for the photograhs.

The Pub

The Lamb’s Green. We’ve eaten here many times before. It was rather quiet there today. Without us the staff would have been idle. The steak and mushroom pie was excellent but, surprisingly, the chicken pie lacked a suitable amount of chicken. Sadly, Diane’s non-alcoholic drink was grossly over-priced. No excuse for that.

Next Week

Meet at Beatrice and Tony’s for a Cranborne walk.

The Wednesday Walk 10th May 2017

The Plan

A Compton Abbas walk

Who Turned Up

Trudy B, Sue, Trisha, Diane and Tony R, David

The Walk

We began the walk in brilliant sunshine at Ashmore village. From there we walked through Shepherd’s Bottom and West Wood to the airfield at Compton Abbas. The walk was a little bit hilly but it was morning and our legs were still in good form. Along the way we saw a sheep seemingly in the early stage of giving birth and we also saw a sheep being examined by a farmer for some sort of head problem.

After lunch we walked across the road to Fontmell Down and took the hillside path with a glorious view of the valley below. We crossed the road into Fontmell Wood and crossed over the road that would have taken us back into Ashmore. A steep climb then took us to… well, that’s a bit uncertain. What is sure is that we somehow by-passed Ashmore and had to backtrack into the village. Happily, the brilliant weather followed us all the way back to our cars.

Our thanks go to Trisha for the freshly baked scones at the end of the walk. Thanks also go to Diane for the tea, jam and clotted cream to accompany the scones, and also the photographs – excellent as usual.

The Lunch

We ate in the restaurant at Compton Abbas airfield. It was surprisingly busy for an eatery so far away from any town. As we sat eating our lunch there was some interesting activity on the landing ground outside. We saw a North American Harvard sitting in the sunlight close by the restaurant. Actually… is it a Harvard, or is it a T6 Texan? Have a look at Diane’s photograph. The RAF called them Harvards but I have a feeling the Americans called them Texans. Either way, it’s a magnificent example of a WW2 training aircraft. If you’ve ever watched the Hollywood film Tora Tora Tora (about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour) you’ll have seen T6 Texans standing in for the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero as there were no Zeros airworthy at that time.

Next Week

We plan on a Studland walk next Wednesday. We will meet at Canford Cliffs at 10.50 in order to catch the number 50 bus at 11.05. It should be a shorter walk than today!

The Wednesday Walk 3rd May 2017

The Plan

A Winterborne Clenston walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

The day was cool and overcast, but nothing too bad to deter a hardy group of walkers. We parked on the grass adjacent to the Winterborne Clenston Church, as we have so often in the past. Then we walked through Whatcombe Wood, Holloway’s Wood and Lee Wood, all of which shaded us from the cool north-easterly breeze. We stopped for lunch in Winterborne Whitechurch. Did you know that in 1086 in the Domesday Book, the village was called simply Winterborne and had only three households and six acres of meadow. The Lord and tenant-in-chief was Milton Abbey.

After lunch, we took the shorter route back to the cars, paralleling the Whatcombe Road.

The Pub

The Milton Arms at Winterborne Whitechurch.

Next Week

Meet at Diane and Tony’s for a Compton Abbas walk