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.