The Wednesday Walk 30th December 2015

 What Happened Today

It was to be out last meeting for the year 2015. The original plan was to walk across the heath to Meyrick Park, but that idea was knocked on the head in view of Storm Frank which was due deliver gale force winds and lots of rain. Instead, one group of ladies met to play Mah Jong until lunchtime. Then a group of eight met at the Meyrick Park Golf Club for lunch.

The lunch group were: Trudy B, Sue, Wendy, Tricia, Jackie, Diane and Tony R, David.

We met at the Meyrick Park Golf Club and ate in the Pulse Bar. And a very good meal it was too. The club occupies park of Meyrick Park, as you might expect, but do you know how that park began? I’ve nothing to tell you about a walk, so I might as well tell you about the park.

Until 1802, Bournemouth was just common land. However, as a result of the Inclosures Act of 1802, hundreds of acres were put into private ownership. Three commissioners were appointed to divide up the land and determine who got which bit. The landed gentry were well represented by the commissioners, but the commoners who used the land were concerned they would lose out. They persuaded William West, a farmer at Muscliff Farm, to create a petition on their behalf and present it to the commissioners. As a direct result, five areas of land were set aside for the benefit of the commoners. Today, those areas of land are called King’s Park, Queen’s Park, Redhill Common, Seafield Gardens and… you’ve guessed it… Meyrick Park. The five areas were put in trust by the Five Parks Charity.

I’m sure you feel wiser for knowing that.

Thanks are due to Trudy B for providing the Mah Jong entertainment and tea after lunch.

Next Week we hope to complete the today’s planned walk.

The Wednesday Walk 2nd December 2015

The Wednesday Walk 2^nd December 2015

The Plan

A Sandford Walk

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Jackie, Trudy B, David

The Walk

Thanks to Jackie, we had the use of a convenient car park in front of a now disused school in the Sandford Road. From here we walked into Sandford Woods and took the usual route across Sandford Heath and thence back to the Claypipe Inn.

After lunch we crossed the main road with the intention of walking down past the Admiralty Research Establishment in Station Road. But our interest was drawn to a seemingly new path across the heath, which we followed until we came out onto our usual route. Did you know that the Admiralty Research Establishment was closed in the late 1990s? Nothing here is now owned by the Ministry of Defence. It was originally set up as a Royal Navy Cordite Factory in the First World War and reactivated in the Second World War to manufacture gun propellants. When the manufacturing ceased after the war, part of the explosives site became a nature reserve. Other parts were converted into an industrial site.

Thanks go to Wendy for the tea and cakes, and thanks to Trudy for the photographs.

The Pub

The Claypipe in Sandford. We were pleased to see Trudy H and Sue waiting for us. Trudy was hoarse with a bad winter bug, and Sue was suffering from a bad back as a result of reaching for some toothpaste. We wish them both a quick recovery. We’ve eaten here before and not been disappointed. Today’s pie (steak and mushroom) was five pounds cheaper than the one served last week at the Alice Lisle, and it was a nicer one. No one went away hungry today.

Next Week

To be decided

The Wednesday Walk 25th November 2015

The Plan

A Blashford Lakes walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

The weather today was a bit hit and miss, a mixture of sunshine and brief showers. We parked at the car park between Northfield Lake and Kingfisher Lake. Then we took the usual route to the study centre and hide. There seemed to be quite a few twitchers out studying the birds today. After that short break, we trundled on to the Alice Lisle Inn. This pub is named after Lady Alice Lisle (1617 – 1685) who was accused of harbouring fugitives after the defeat of the Monmouth Rebellion at the Battle of Sedgemoor. She lived at Moyles Court and agreed to shelter John Hickes, a non-conformist minister, and Richard Nelthorpe, a Monmouth supporter, in her home. The following day, the men were arrested. Lady Alice was tried by Judge Jeffreys at the opening of the Bloody Assize in Winchester. The jury, under pressure from Jeffreys, found her guilty and she was sentenced to be burned. Because she was a lady, she was not burned but given a quicker death. She was beheaded with an axe. She is buried in a tomb on the right hand side of the porch at St Mary and All Saits Church in Ellingham, Hampshire.

After lunch we split into two groups of four, one taking the shorter flatter route back to the cars, while the other group climbed the hill on Rockford Common.
Many thanks to Trudy for the photographs.

The Pub

The Alice Lisle. We’ve eaten here before. The food is good but expensive. The beef and ale pie was tasty but came in at £12.95.

Next Week

Unless otherwise informed, meet at Wendy’s at 10.30 for a Sandford walk.

The Wednesday Walk 4th November 2015

The Plan

Stourhead if the weather is good, Kingston Lacy if it’s bad.

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Sue, Jackie, Tricia, Trudy B, Beatrice and Tony, David

The Walk

There wasn’t much decision-making needed regarding which walk to opt for. The rain started shortly after we gathered in Wimborne. We drove to Stapehill for a cup of coffee and then continued on to Kingston Lacy. For the benefit of our very welcome overseas readers, Kingston Lacy is a large estate not far from Wimborne. The original house was built in medieval times and stood to the north of the current house and was used as a hunting lodge. It was leased to the Lords de Lacy, who were the Earls of Lincoln. By the fifteenth century it was leased to the Duke of Somerset whose daughter, Lady Margaret Beaufort, was the mother of King Henry Vll and was brought up in Kingston Lacy. By the sixteenth century the house was in ruins. Sir John Bankes bought the land in 1636. During the civil war, Sir John was killed and his other property, Corfe Castle, was ruined. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the Bankes family regained their properties but chose not to rebuild Corfe. In 1663, Ralph Bankes commissioned Sir Roger Pratt to build him a new house on his land near Wimborne. Today, we know it as the National Trust estate at Kingston Lacy. Our walk took us around the perimeter of the estate in the morning. After lunch we walked to the kitchen garden, a piece of land being carefully restored and used very productively. Along the way we encountered periods of drizzle, rain and sunshine, an eclectic mixture.

Many thanks to Beatrice and Tony for the tea and cakes right at the end of a pleasant day despite the weather. And thanks to Trudy for the colourful pictures.

The Pub

The Coach and Horses in Wimborne. Look guys, we know it’s daylight at mid-day, but your pokey little windows don’t let in much light, so please can you make sure all your ceiling lights work? Okay? Thank you. The food ranged from good to not quite so good. Most of us opted for a deal amounting to two meals for £9.99. That’s good by anyone’s standards. The steak and ale pie rated 8/10 for quality, but a full 10/10 in the value for money stakes. The battered fish wasn’t so well received. Too much batter and not enough fish.

The Wednesday Walk 28th October 2015

The Plan

Winterborne Clenston to Winterborne Whitechurch

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Tricia, Trudy H, David

The Walk

Firstly, let me apologise for a gap in the recent flow of blogs. The blogmaster has been on holiday in Somerset.

Today, the forecast was perfect for a country walk, dry but not too hot. We parked, as usual, in the grass parking area beside Winterborne Clenston parish church. This church, built of stone and flint, dates from 1840 and stands on the site of an earlier church. The nearby manor dates back to the late fifteenth, early sixteenth century. The Winterborne river runs through the village, as you would expect from its name. In 1312, the patron of that earlier church was Roger de Clencheston. That’s how the village got its full name. Bet most of you didn’t know that.

Our walk took us through Oatclose Wood and across Whatcombe Common and down into Winterborne Whitechurch, a walk of about one and a half hours. Along the way, we gave way to a party of horse riders, the only other people we saw on the entire route. We saw the dyke known as Combs Ditch, probably an Iron Age fortification but one that was modified in Roman times. An excavation in 1864 turned up four bodies here, along with arrowheads and a bucket urn. In 1086, in the Domesday Book, the village we now call Winterborne Whitechurch was recorded as simply Wintreborne. It was in the hundred of Combsditch and the tenant-in-chief was Milton Abbey. Until 1933, there was an anomaly in which the Winterborne Whitechurch church stood outside its own parish. This was because the village was part of the parish of Milton Abbas.

After lunch, we took the shorter route back to the car, through Lower Whatcombe and through the fields parallel to the Whatcombe Road. All-in-all it was a very pleasant walk. Thanks to Wendy for guiding us, and for the tea and biscuits when we got back to her house. And a big thank-you to Trudy for the photographs.

The Pub

The Milton Arms at Winterborne Whitechurch. This pub has been recently refurbished and has a clean, pleasant interior. There were no pies on the menu, so all four walkers opted for one of the chef’s specials. It went by the name of Smoked Haddock Monte Carlo. It had a base of sauté potatoes, then a layer of spinach, smoked haddock on top of that, and a poached egg atop the haddock. Finally, the whole was smothered in a rich creamy sauce. As ever, the secret is in the sauce and this chef has got it right. There was some greenery on top of all that, but it seemed to be more for decoration than taste. This was a very tasty meal, enjoyed by all. We asked how it got its name and were told that the chef had been taught the recipe in Monte Carlo. Seemed like a reasonable explanation.

Next Week

A walk around Stourhead. The details will follow later.

The Wednesday Walk 30th September 2015

The Plan

Tarrant Keynston to Charlton Marshall

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Sue, Jackie, Diane, Tony R, David

The Walk

Another beautiful gin-clear day with just a touch of chill in the air when we were in the shade. We parked, as usual, in the lay-by just beyond the church and took the usual route alongside the River Tarrant, past the old church and across the meadows to Charlton Marshall. A pleasant walk. From there it was a brief walk along the old railway track to bring us out at the Charlton Arms. We were ready for that pub, but it wasn’t ready for us. It was closed for refurbishment. So we back-tracked along the railway line and came out at the Woodpecker in Spetisbury.

After lunch, we took the short route back to the car.

The Pub

The Woodpecker, Spetisbury. The pub was busy inside so we had to sit outside, alongside the roar of the traffic. The quality of the food ranged from “okay” to “very nice” depending upon what we chose. But was it worth waiting an hour to be served? No. By the time we got the food we were all feeling a bit cheesed off with the service. Not a good advertisement for The Woodpecker even if some of the dishes were “very nice”.

The Wednesday Walk 16th September

The Plan

A walk to Highcliffe

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trisha, Jackie, Tony R, David

The Walk

There were only five of us this week. Had someone warned the others that the weather was due to turn bad? We parked at the Steamer Point car park and walked along the path that runs past the now-disused coastguard training base and continued to Highcliffe Castle. We stopped in the café there for tea and coffee.

          Highcliffe Castle was built between 1831 and 1835 by Charles Stuart, 1^st Baron Stuart de Rothesay on the site of a Georgian mansion house. The castle was designed in a Gothic Revival style by William Donthorne and incorporated large quantities of carved medieval stonework salvaged from the Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Peter at Jumieges and the Grand Maison des Andelys. Lord Stuart de Rothesay was born in 1779, the eldest son of General Sir Charles Stuart. He was educated at Eton and in 1801 he entered the diplomatic service, serving in Vienna, St Petersburg, French occupied Spain, and Portugal. While in Spain, he helped the Duke of Wellington and accompanied him on the run-up to the Battle of Waterloo. After Napoleon’s defeat, Charles escorted the exiled King Louis back to Paris and became the British ambassador there. He was made Baron Stuart de Rothesay in 1828.

          I’m sure you’re glad to know that. You can impress any visitors by repeating it next time you are at the castle.

Suitably refreshed after our tea and coffee, we walked on to the pub in Highcliffe. There was a slight drizzle as we reached our destination. By the time we left, the rain was getting a bit out of hand. Within ten or fifteen minutes we were experiencing a very heavy downpour and we all got soaked. We were glad to get back to the car.

There are no photographs this week because it was too wet.

The Pub

The Globe Highcliffe. We’ve eaten here many times before and always found the quality of the food good. But there’s more to it than quality. The pie-eater awarded nine out of ten for the quality of his steak and merlot pie. But only seven out of ten for the size of the pie. And five out of ten for the size of the meal as a whole. And a few vegetables would have been nice.

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for a walk from the Silent Woman.

The Wednesday Walk 9th September 2015

The Plan

A walk to Lamb’s Green

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

Once again, the weather was perfect for walking: dry, not too warm and not at all cold. In other words, typical early autumn weather. We met at Diane and Tony’s house and began our walk from there, making our way through the estate to the Willett Arms pub.

          This pub is in the Oakley area of Wimborne, which is a conservation area because of the large number of Lady Wimborne Cottages here. Oakley Hill, Oakley Lane and Cruxton Farm are all listed as containing buildings of local importance. The cottages date back to the late nineteenth century when they were built by Lord Wimborne to house workers on his estate. They were called Lady Wimborne Cottages because of their attractive design. Today, many have been extended but they still keep to the original design and the extensions use appropriate building materials.

          The Willett Arms (I mention it only because it’s the largest landmark in Oakley. We did not visit it today) once served travellers on the Southampton and Dorchester Railway as well as travellers on the Poole Road. When the railway line closed, the pub lost a lot of trade. Today, the old railway track is rejuvenated as part of the Castleman Trailway and brings walkers and cyclists back to the pub.

          We crossed the main road in front of the pub and carried on walking along the Willett Road, which was the main road before the Wimborne by-pass was built. Today, it’s very quiet and, in places, a bit overgrown. We took a short detour through the woods before continued to the Lamb’s Green pub on the Wimborne Road.

          After lunch, we took the same route back until we came to the Willett Arms. There the group split into two. One group of four made their way straight back to Diane and Tony’s house and enjoyed cake and a welcome cup of tea. The other three walkers, took a more circuitous - somewhat curious - route arriving back half an hour after the others.

Many thanks, Diane, for the refreshments.

The Pub

The Lamb’s Green. We’ve eaten here before and always found the food well prepared. Today, they advertised a Pie Day. Only one walker ordered a pie and gave it a well-deserved 9 out of 10. He also benefitted from a £5 discount voucher, a reward to tackling the pub’s on-line survey.

Next Week

Meet at David’s at 0945 for a 10amon-the-road start. We shall be walking along the shore to Highcliffe.

The Wednesday Walk 2nd September 2015

The Plan

Tolpuddle to Milborne St Andrew

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

My apologies for a lack of blogs over the past couple of weeks. Your blogmaster has been on holiday in his native Cornwall, celebrating his seventieth birthday. But you didn’t want to know that, did you?

What of today’s walk? After a week of inclement weather, we were pleased to see the prospect of a pleasant day ahead of us. We drove through Tolpuddle, turned up White Hill and parked close to the bridge over the main A35 road. We then walked across Tolpuddle Common towards Milborne St Andrew on a direct route, passing close to Manor Farm, but by-passing Weatherby Castle.

We all know about Tolpuddle, don’t we? That’s were a group of men were sentenced to be transported to the Antipodes for organising a trade union. Wrong. Trade unions were legal in those days. They were transported for swearing an oath of allegiance to the union, under a law designed to prevent mutiny in the Royal Navy. You probably knew that already.

And what about Milborne St Andrew? What do we know about it? In 1086, in the Domesday Book, it was recorded as Meleburne. At that time it had ten households, four ploughlands and one mill. There were originally two settlements here. St Andrew was to the south of the main Dorchester road and Deverel was to the north. In time, they coalesced into one village. In the late nineteenth century, the neighbouring settlement of Miborne Stileham was brought into the conurbation.

After lunch in the village, we returned to our cars via Weatherby Castle. This is an iron age hill fort enclosing about seventeen acres. Its structure comprises two concentric enclosures. Bits of Roman artefacts have been discovered here. The route back to the cars was a bit up-and-down and we were all glad to get back to Sue’s house for a welcome cup of tea and a slice of delicious home-made cake. Many thanks, Sue. Thanks, also, to Diane and Trudy for the pictures.

The Pub

The Royal Oak in Milborne St Andrew. Your pie-eating blogmaster must bow to circumstance here and confess to awarding the pub’s pie an amazing… wait for it… ten out of ten. Yes, it was absolutely the best of pies.

Next Week

Meet at Diane and Tony’s house at 1030 for a walk to Lamb's Green.

The Wednesday Walk 5th August 2015

The Plan

A new Forest walk

Who Turned Up

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

                        

The Walk

We parked the cars at the Burbush car park on Slap Bottom, a couple of miles beyond Burley village. The weather looked overcast but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. In the event, the morning stayed dry for out walk over Turf Hill and back down into Burley village. A pleasant walk.

Burley has a long association with witches, which is why you will see witchcraft shops in the village. In the nineteen fifties, a self-styled white witch called Sybil Leek could be seen walking round the village with her jackdaw on her shoulder. She later moved to America, hopefully not to Salem. Burley was also once a favourite haunt of smugglers. During renovation work, a secret cellar was discovered in the Queen’s Head pub. It contained pistols, coins and other unusual items. Another interesting story about Burley concerns a dragon’s lair beacon just outside the village. The dragon – it is said – flew from here to Bisterne where it was supplied with milk. One man lay in wait at Bisterne, determined to kill the dragon. His dogs attacked the creature and put an end to it. The dragon-slayer protected himself by covering his shield with glass – so it is said. There now, doesn’t all that put a new light on the village of Burley.

After lunch, we took a slightly longer route back past Burley Hill House and across Church Moor. We felt a few spots of rain as we crossed Bisterne Common and the last ten minutes of the walk saw some heavier rain. Never mind, we’re a hardy bunch of walkers.
Our thanks to Trudy B for the walk and to Trudy H for the photos.

The Pub

The Burley Inn. The beer: expensive (£4.10 for a pint of bitter shandy). The service: a bit dozy to start with but it got better. The food: very tasty, especially the chicken and leek pie.

The Aftermath

Many thanks, guys, for your kindness in a Wednesday Walker celebration of my upcoming 70^th birthday. It was much appreciated. 

  

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for a walk in the Dorchester area.

The Wednesday Walk 5th August 2015

The Plan

A new Forest walk

Who Turned Up

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

                        

The Walk

We parked the cars at the Burbush car park on Slap Bottom, a couple of miles beyond Burley village. The weather looked overcast but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. In the event, the morning stayed dry for out walk over Turf Hill and back down into Burley village. A pleasant walk.

Burley has a long association with witches, which is why you will see witchcraft shops in the village. In the nineteen fifties, a self-styled white witch called Sybil Leek could be seen walking round the village with her jackdaw on her shoulder. She later moved to America, hopefully not to Salem. Burley was also once a favourite haunt of smugglers. During renovation work, a secret cellar was discovered in the Queen’s Head pub. It contained pistols, coins and other unusual items. Another interesting story about Burley concerns a dragon’s lair beacon just outside the village. The dragon – it is said – flew from here to Bisterne where it was supplied with milk. One man lay in wait at Bisterne, determined to kill the dragon. His dogs attacked the creature and put an end to it. The dragon-slayer protected himself by covering his shield with glass – so it is said. There now, doesn’t all that put a new light on the village of Burley.

After lunch, we took a slightly longer route back past Burley Hill House and across Church Moor. We felt a few spots of rain as we crossed Bisterne Common and the last ten minutes of the walk saw some heavier ran. Never mind, we’re a hardy bunch of walkers.

The Pub

The Burley Inn. The beer: expensive (£4.10 for a pint of bitter shandy). The service: a bit dozy to start with but it got better. The food: very tasty, especially the chicken and leek pie.

The Aftermath

Many thanks, guys, for your kindness in a Wednesday Walker celebration of my upcoming 70^th birthday. It was much appreciated. 

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for a walk in the Dorchester area.

The Wednesday Walk 5th August 2015

The Plan

A new Forest walk

Who Turned Up

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

                        

The Walk

We parked the cars at the Burbush car park on Slap Bottom, a couple of miles beyond Burley village. The weather looked overcast but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. In the event, the morning stayed dry for out walk over Turf Hill and back down into Burley village. A pleasant walk.

Burley has a long association with witches, which is why you will see witchcraft shops in the village. In the nineteen fifties, a self-styled white witch called Sybil Leek could be seen walking round the village with her jackdaw on her shoulder. She later moved to America, hopefully not to Salem. Burley was also once a favourite haunt of smugglers. During renovation work, a secret cellar was discovered in the Queen’s Head pub. It contained pistols, coins and other unusual items. Another interesting story about Burley concerns a dragon’s lair beacon just outside the village. The dragon – it is said – flew from here to Bisterne where it was supplied with milk. One man lay in wait at Bisterne, determined to kill the dragon. His dogs attacked the creature and put an end to it. The dragon-slayer protected himself by covering his shield with glass – so it is said. There now, doesn’t all that put a new light on the village of Burley.

After lunch, we took a slightly longer route back past Burley Hill House and across Church Moor. We felt a few spots of rain as we crossed Bisterne Common and the last ten minutes of the walk saw some heavier ran. Never mind, we’re a hardy bunch of walkers.

The Pub

The Burley Inn. The beer: expensive (£4.10 for a pint of bitter shandy). The service: a bit dozy to start with but it got better. The food: very tasty, especially the chicken and leek pie.

The Aftermath

Many thanks, guys, for your kindness in a Wednesday Walker celebration of my upcoming 70^th birthday. It was much appreciated. You can see it at: https://www.facebook.com/david.hough.73/videos/vb.100000160236119/1173652672650063/?type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for a walk in the Dorchester area.

The Wednesday Walk 29th July 2015

The Plan

Salisbury to Old Sarum

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Sue, Trudy B, Trudy H, Beatrice and Tony H, Diane and Tony R, Colin and David H. Once again we were pleased to be joined by Ray and Olga for lunch.

The Walk

The weather forecast said warm and sunny, but when could we ever trust weather forecasters? We had a spot of rain on the cars as we drove north to Salisbury, but it stopped before we got to the Park and Ride. We used our passes to ride into the town centre and then walked the usual route through the shopping centre and out onto the riverside path. In the event, the day turned out to be a good one for a walk as it was not too hot while we were plodding our way up towards Old Sarum.

Old Sarum? What do we know about that? Well, it’s the site of the oldest settlement in the Salisbury area. The name is probably a corruption of the medieval and Latin forms of Salisbury. It appeared in the Domesday Book as Sarisburie. It seems to have become Sarum around the thirteenth century. The fourteenth century Bishop Wyvil described himself as Episcopus Sarum. But you probably knew that already. And you probably knew that New Sarum was the formal name of the present-day city of Salisbury right up until 2009.

With the monoliths at Stonehenge and Avebury not far away, there are indications of prehistoric settlements in this area dating back to 3000BC. An iron age hill fort was erected at Old Sarum around 400 BC, just a bit too soon for Wednesday walkers to have noticed it. The Saxons took over the fort in the sixth century and used it as a stronghold against marauding Vikings. Later, the Normans erected a motte and bailey castle here which encompassed a great cathedral. Later still, a royal palace was built for King Henry l. About three hundred years later, the cathedral was moved out into the surrounding plain. New Sarum, or New Salisbury, grew up around the site of that new cathedral and the buildings at Old Sarum were dismantled so that the stones could be recycled. Edmund Blackadder (Churches recycled and bishops unfrocked) Ltd is believed to have made a fortune out of selling the stones to Baldrick Builders (Cunning plans a speciality) Ltd of New Sarum. After that, the old settlement dwindled away until it became what it is today. However, it retained parliamentary representation as a rotten borough and it served the Pitt family.

Well, that’s enough of this week’s history lesson. Let’s go back to the walk.

After lunch the day was still overcast, but it was dry so we ambled our way back down across the fields of Stratford-sub-castle and back into the town. The rain came on just as we boarded the bus back to the Park and Ride.

Thanks this week are due to Diane and Tony for the tea and cakes.
And thanks to Diane, Colin and both Trudys for the photographs.

The Pub

The Harvester at Old Sarum. Most of us had a satisfactory meal but two of the chicken meals were not quite up to scratch.

Next Week

Meet at David's for a walk from Slap Bottom... honestly!

The Wednesday Walk 22nd July 2015

The Plan

A shore walk from Boscombe

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

We parked at the end of Knyveton Road and walked down through Boscombe Gardens to the pier. We all know that Bournemouth is a relatively new town, but did you know that Boscombe goes back several centuries? In 1273 there is a record of a place called Boscumbe, possibly derived from Old English words meaning a valley overgrown with spiky plants. Gorse, maybe? In 1574, a place called Bastowe (believed to be Boscombe) is included in a survey of possible enemy landing places. The survey map shows a Copperas House at Bastowe (or Boscombe, if you prefer). This refers to the manufacture of ferrous sulphate in the area. By the start of the nineteenth century, Boscombe was an extensive heath much used by smugglers. Possibly the most famous smuggler of this area was Isaac Gulliver. Ignoring any inclination to smuggle contraband goods into the area, we strolled innocently along the shore where adults and children were enjoying the beach and sea.

After lunch, we took the overcliff route back to our cars. It was still warm but clouds were forming on the horizon. Nevertheless, we stopped at the Clock Café in Boscombe Gardens for a cup of tea and a discussion about bloaters. To settle the argument, bloaters are a type of cold-smoked herring. They are salty and lightly smoked without gutting, and are particularly associated with Great Yarmouth. In fact they are sometimes called Yarmouth Bloaters. They are distinct from kippers in that they are cured whole. Kippers are gutted. Bloaters get their name from the fact that they swell or bloat while being cured. According to George Orwell in “The Road to Wigan Pier”, the emperor Charles V is said to have erected a statue to the inventor of bloaters. Good old Charlie!

Finally, we were pleased that the rain held off until we were on our way home.
Thanks to Trudy and Diane for the photographs.

The Pub

The Spyglass and Kettle, Boscombe Overcliff. This was our first visit here and we much preferred it to the Commodore. The food was good and the interior atmosphere was pleasant. Worth another visit.

Next Week

A Salisbury walk. Meet at Diane and Tony’s house at 0945