The Wednesday Walk 30th November 2016

The Plan

A Sandford walk

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Tony H, Trisha, Jackie, David. (We were joined by Beatrice and Sue for the afternoon walk)

The Walk

The day was cold, but the sky was cloudless. It was a good day for a crisp winter walk. We parked in Woodlands Drive at Sandford and walked up to the heath on the opposite side of the Sandford Road. The atmosphere was very pleasant with no wind and frozen ground. The scenery as we walked across the heath was well worth the ramble on such a winter’s day.

After lunch, we crossed over to Station Road which runs down past what was once the Admiralty Research Establishment. This was opened during WW1 as the Royal Navy Cordite Factory manufacturing cordite for explosive devices. During WW2 it was reactivated to manufacture gun propellants. After the war, the explosives manufacturing was closed down and it became a research establishment. It finally closed in the 1990s. None of it is now owned by the MoD.

Thanks go to Wendy for tea and cakes at the end of a very pleasant walk. And thanks to Trisha for her excellent photography.

The Pub

The Claypipe. This was a big improvement after last week. We discovered that one of our walkers suffered badly for a couple of days after last week’s experience. We’re pleased to say she is back on her feet again. This week the food was good, tasty and reasonably priced. Added to which the staff were cheerful and friendly. So we all left the pub happy.

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for a Bere Regis walk.

The Wednesday Walk 23rd November 2016

The Plan

An Arne walk

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Tony H and David (plus Sue and Beatrice after lunch)

The Walk

We parked in the RSPB car park and went immediately to the new visitor centre and café for a cup of coffee. Then we took a shortened walk that took in the view point. Arne is a pretty little village but you won’t find it in the Domesday Book, despite its great age. The earliest record goes back only to 1285. The parish church consists of a single-cell chancel and nave and dates from around 1200. It was restored in the nineteenth century and again in 1952. The village was owned by the Shaftesbury Abbey until it was dissolved in 1539. It was always a small community and by 1894 it had a population of only 123 people. A school was opened here in 1832 but it closed in 1922 because of a lack of pupils.

From the view point, it’s easy to identify the islands in the harbour. The nearest two are Long Island and Round Island. Think L-for-Long (on the Left) and R-for-Round (on the Right). Looking at the more distant islands, think of Roald Dahl’s BFG (Big Friendly Giant). From left to right, the islands are: Brownsea (B) Furzey (F) and Green (G). See? Easy peasy.

We lunched in Stoborough and then came back to Arne for another short walk in the afternoon. Both walks were very pleasant.

Thanks go to Wendy for tea and cakes at her house at the end of the day.

No photographs this week. Our deepest sympathies go to Trudy in respect of her absence.

The Pub

The King’s Arms, Stoborough. We were not impressed. The fatty meat in the pie brought its rating down to 4/10, and the £11.50 price tag brought its value-for-money down to the same figure. The curry with three strips of meat was rated just as low. After the excellent value of last week’s three-course lunch in Corfe Mullen, we were left somewhat disappointed.

Next Week

To be decided.

The Wednesday Walk 16th November 2016

The Plan

An Upton Heath walk

Who Turned Up

Tony, Wendy, Trudy B, Jackie (morning only), Sue (lunch only) and David

The Walk

The original plan called for a Pamphill walk, but circumstances quickly kicked that idea into touch. Instead we drove on to Upton Country Park and left our cars in the car park at the entrance. Then we walked up through the heath.

Upton Heath is one of the largest remaining areas of heathland that once spread across Southern England. What’s left covers 205 acres, lies to the west of Poole and is largely protected. To be honest, the main reason it has never been developed is because it is wet, wild and quite unsuitable for building. However, abandoned sand pits and clay pits are the remains of the area’s one time industrial use in pottery and brick-making. In 2011 about a third of the heath was devastated by fire which spread over a kilometre and took the efforts of 200 firemen to bring under control. Dorset Wildlife Trust said that the fire occurred at the peak of the bird and reptile breeding season and it put back wildlife development by twenty five years.

Today, we enjoyed the area to the full with dry, if somewhat chilly weather and only scattered clouds. Our thanks go to Trudy for her excellent photographs which capture the charm of the heathland.

The Pub

Our intention was to eat at the Holmbush, but they didn’t have any food. Well, the sign outside said they had food, but the lady behind the bar said they didn’t. We were fortunate in having Sue meet us for lunch as she was able to ferry the group up to The Dorset Soldier in Corfe Mullen. Posh, the food here ain’t, but value for money it certainly is. Three courses plus coffee for £8 beats the socks off some more expensive pubs. Long may they continue.

Next Week

Meet at Wendy’s at 10am for an Arne walk

The Wednesday Walk 9th November 2016

The Plan

Blashford Lakes

Who Turned Up

Trudy B, Tony H, Trisha, Ros, David

The Walk

It was a cold, breezy day but stayed dry for us to complete a six mile walk around the area of the Blashford Lakes. We parked in the usual car park, and we record here our usual plea for the many potholes on the access road to be filled in. The Blashford Lakes are actually flooded gravel pits, now used for drinking water storage and nature conservation as well as sailing activities. They are surrounded by birch and alder woodland as well as grassland. The reserve attracts wildfowl, especially in winter. There are six hide and it is possible to see bittern and woodland birds. We took the usual route to the study centre and then the first bird hide before continuing on to the pub. After lunch we tackled the climb up over Bigburn Hill and back down to Rockford. A very pleasant walk if a little daunting on the hills. Thank you, Trudy for leading the way and for your usual excellent photographs.

The Pub

The Alice Lisle. We’ve eaten here bore and we know the food is tasty, but it is expensive. A steak and ale pie with a minimal helping of mash and a few vegetables cost £13.

Next Week

To be decided

The Wednesday Walk 2nd November 2016

The Plan

A Kingston Lacy walk

Who Turned Up

Beatrice, Trisha, Wendy, Trudy B, Jackie, David

The Walk

The air was chilly (well, what can you expect in November?) but the sky was blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine. We met at the Kingston Lacy car park and spent the morning on a pleasant ramble around the estate. The autumn colours made the scene quite spectacular. Our walk took us past the Japanese garden and the Philae obelisk. This is one of two obelisks discovered in Egypt in 1815. William John Bankes had one of them transported to Kingston Lacy in the 1820s. It took nine years to get the 6.5 tonne monument from Egypt to England, with the help of the Duke of Wellington. Bankes noted two inscriptions on his obelisk, one in hieroglyphs and the other in ancient Greek. By comparing the texts, Bankes thought he recognised the names Ptolemy and Cleopatra. As a consequence, the obelisk was valuable in the eventual deciphering of hieroglyphs. The inscriptions record a petition by Egyptian priests at Philea and the responses by Ptolemy and Cleopatra. The Kingston Lacy obelisk is now a grade 2 listed building.

We had our lunch in the Kingston Lacy café and then had a shorter afternoon walk. A very pleasant day out. As usual, our thanks go to Trudy for the photographs.

Next Week

Meet at David’s at 10am for a Blashford Lakes walk.