The Wednesday Walk 25th September 2013

The Plan
A Sandford walk

The Leader

None. We made it up as we went along.

Who Turned Up

Trisha, Sue, Beatrice and Tony H, Diane and Tony R, David

The Walk

A very good day for a walk, sunny but not too warm. We drove to Sandford and parked in a cul-de-sac near a gate into Sandford Woods. We then skirted alongside Gore Heath where we were surprised by the colours of the gorse and the flora. We turned back through open fields and woodland bathed in sunshine until we got to Youngs Farm and then took the paths that led us out into the Organford Road.
After lunch we crossed the main road and walked down Station Road past the old Admiralty Research Establishment. A walk through the woods brought us back out onto the Wareham Road and thence back to the cars.
Thanks to Sue for the tea and delicious cakes which nicely finished off our day.
Sorry we have no photographs of today's walk as no one brought a camera. Instead, I've added in a little culinary delight to whet your appetite, something taken from a recipe on Facebook.

The Pub

The Clay Pipe at Sandford. We have eaten here before and found the food to be reasonable quality and fairly cheap.

Next Week

Meet at Canford School at 10.30 for a walk into Wimborne.

The Wednesday Walk 18th September 2013

The Plan

A Dorchester Walk

The Leader

Wendy

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

With rain on Tuesday and rain on Thursday, we were lucky to have this intervening dry spell on our walking day. We drove to Dorchester and parked, as usual, near the ambulance station (easily found). We then walked alongside the river, past the hangman’s cottage and past the Sun Inn (where we have eaten before). We continued across open fields and farmland to Charminster and, after asking the advice of a local, chose to use the Gamekeeper as the better of the two pubs.
After lunch we took the route that passed by Wolfreton Manor House (now an old people’s home) and back through sun-blessed fields and pathways until we reached our start point. Along the way, some of our number were diverted into gathering rose hips. We finished off with tea and cakes at Wendy’s… thank you, Wendy.
A very pleasant walk.

The Pub

The Gamekeeper in Charminster. It has changed hands and had been renamed and completely refurbished. We had the choice of the dining room or the bar… and opted for the bar. The service was good, the environment was good and the beer was good. The gammon and chips were very tasty but quite expensive at £9.95, which probably explains why we were the only patrons in the bar area.

The Wednesday Walk 11th September 2013

The Plan

A breakfast walk from Pamphill

The Leader

No volunteers

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk
The forecasters predicted a dry morning and wet afternoon so it made sense to enjoy another breakfast walk. We met in the car park at Pamphill at 9am and walked down Abbott Street. We then branched off along the narrow lane called All Fools Lane until we came to Sandy Lane. We then cut across the fields along a path that took us to Poplar Farm. From here we took the Cowgrove riverside path to Eye Bridge. It was then a short but steep walk back up to the car park.

Breakfast

We had planned to eat at the Cowgrove café but it was too busy. The tables were taken up by mid-morning coffee-drinkers, leaving no room for hungrey breakfast walkers. We resorted to plan B and drove into Wimborne to eat at Wetherspoons Man-in-the-Wall. Breakfasts here are big, relatively cheap and can be accompanied by beer or wine. No problem.

We dispersed at mid-day to rest through the afternoon prior to a barbecue at Diane and Tony’s this evening.

Next Week

Meet at Wendy's at 0945.