The Wednesday Walk 27th May 2015

The Plan

A New Forest walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

What a perfect day for a walk. Dry and sunny, with just enough high cloud to keep the temperatures below twenty degrees. We parked in Minstead village as usual and set off past Home Farm, along Seaman’s Lane, turning onto the forest track that took us to the A31 underpass by Malwood Castle. We continued past Malwood Farm to the Sir Walter Tyrrell pub.

After lunch, we walked down to the Rufus Stone. Actually, it’s not a stone these days. The original stone monument was replaced in the nineteenth century by a metal memorial. What’s the story behind it? In August 1100 (the year not the time) King William the second (known as William Rufus because of his ruddy complexion and red hair) organised a hunting trip in the New Forest. Walter Tyrrell - a Frenchman who was the king’s best archer - let loose an arrow at a passing stag. According to the legend, the arrow bounced off a tree and hit the king in the chest. William broke off the arrow, but it had punctured his lung and he died. Sir Walter panicked and fled to France. The king was buried in Winchester. Was it an accident or a deliberate attack on an unpopular king? After all this time, who knows?

Back to our walk. We crossed back beneath the A31 and stopped for an ice cream at Furzey Gardens. We then continued on until we passed by the Minstead village church. Arthur Conana Doyle died in 1930 and was first buried in Windlesham rose garden. He was later reburied, along with his wife, here in Minstead churchyard. Thomas White was also buried here in the nineteenth century. His gravestone originally proclaimed him to be a faithful husband. When his wife discovered the word ‘faithful’ was incorrect, she had the word removed by a mason. That’s how the gravestone stands today and that is Thomas’s only claim to fame.

And that brought us back into  Minstead village where a team of workmen was refurbishing the village pub. All except one man. His mates had discovered it was his birthday so we found him clapped in irons in the stocks on the village green.
Our thanks to the two Trudys for the photographs.

The Pub
The Sir Walter Tyrrell. Good meals all round and an excellent pie.

Next Week

Meet at David’s at ten o’clock.