The Wednesday Walk 15th April 2009

The Plan
Meet at Wendy's for Michael's walk.

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trisha, Sue, Beatrice, David

The Walk
I must begin by stating that I am under threat of excommunication unless I mention that we saw a wide variety of flowers in bloom: bluebells, primroses, daffodils and others I've forgotten the names of, but never mind because we saw them and that's what matters. Oh yes, we also encountered a lot of yellow gorse. Good, that's me guaranteed tea and delicious cream scones for the next week or so.

The walk: we drove to Turnerspuddle and parked at our usual spot by the farm. Then we walked along the lane to the start of Michael's Walk. That's where you can see the plaque nestling in a sea of greenery with bluebells just starting to bloom in the surrounding woodland. Very peaceful and idyllic, perfect for the remembrance of Michael. We walked on through the woods before crossing the main road and veering back towards Bere Regis alongside the watercress beds. The weather was nice at the start of the walk but got a bit cool towards the middle of the day. I won't say enything here about the pub, you can read all about it later.

After lunch we went to the shop next door for an ice cream and then made our way back along the shorter route to Turnerspuddle. That's when it started to rain so we had to break out the foul-weather gear for a while. But it soon cleared up again. After the walk we went back to Wendy's where we were treated to hot scones with jam and cream. Delicious. Thanks, Wendy.

The Pub

Ah yes, the pub. Well, what a disappointment that was. We went to the Royal Oak as we've eaten there before, but half of it was closed up, and the other half wasn't serving food. No food! So we walked on to the Drax Arms (past the village store which was closed down) and found their specials board advertising a nice home-made pie. Oh joy! But then we were told they were only serving snacks today. Oh heck! So we had a mixture of baguettes, panini and spud. It was okay, but not like the real thing. Is this the recession biting home in Bere Regis, we ask ourselves, or were we just plain unlucky today?

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The Wednesday Walk 8th April 2009

The Plan
Meet at Beatrice and Tony's again for a walk to Cranborne.

The Leader
Tony

Who Turned Up
Tony, Beatrice, Trudy, Wendy, Trisha, Sue, Jackie, David

The Walk
We met at Beatrice and Tony's and drove to the layby at Lower Holwell on the B3078 Cranborne to Alderholt road. We then walked along Mill Lane back to Cranborne for tea and coffee at the garden centre. The tea was all right, but Tony reported the coffee was not up to scratch which, at £1.85 for a cup, was a poor show. I suppose they could be equally scathing about us in view of the mess our walking boots made on their carpet. We then walked down to the Fleur de Lys pub with the idea of having lunch there. However, Trisha was put off by the dirty curtains and Tony discovered the ladies toilets were overflowing, so we walked on to the Sheath of Arrows. It was much better.
After lunch we walked back through the fields and woods on the opposite side of the main road. As Wendy rightly pointed out, our path was emblazoned with bluebells, wood anemones, violets, primroses etc. Spring is here. The sky was a bit more overcast than during the morning but we still enjoyed a very pleasant walk. We finished off with tea and cake (courtesy of Trisha) at Bea and Tony's place.

The Pub
The Sheath of Arrows at Cranborne. On arrival, the first thing we noticed was that it was much busier than the Fleur de Lys, which was hint that this is a popular pub. We soon discovered why. The food was excellent. Sue was hungry, but her all-day breakfast left her very satisfied. A certain member of the group had a chicken and mushroom pie which he rated at 10 out of 10. Trisha had some very tasty scampi. And the prices were very reasonable. This is a place worth visiting again.

The Wednesday Walk 1st April 2009

The Plan
To meet at Tony and Beatrice’s and walk from Ashmore

The Leader

Wendy

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trisha, Ros, Sue, Beatrice, Tony and David

The Walk

April the First, yes, but there was no fooling with the weather today. We had near perfect walking conditions: blue skies, little wind and temperatures in the mid teens, which ensured we didn't get too hot.

We drove to Ashmore - highest village in Dorset - and parked by the duck pond at the village centre. Then we set off for Compton Abbas airfield. It was a bit hilly but very pleasant walking for all that. The airfield was quite busy which gave us something interesting to watch while having lunch in the cafe.

After lunch we crossed the main road and took a detour (that means a longer walk!) on the way back to Ashmore. Maybe that was why we stopped for a rest to admire the view down towards Fontmell - one of Michael's favourite views. We noticed that the ground is now getting firm again after the winter rain and snow, and the brown leaves are starting to fall, a sign that spring is just around the corner.

The Pub

Not a pub this week. We lunched in the Compton Abbas airfield cafe. The food there is good and the prices are very reasonable. Example: a good helping of beef and stout casserole with new potatoes and vegetables, followed by apple crumble and ice cream, all for less than ten pounds. And we had the advantage of being able to watch the aircraft coming and going. The beer was good also.

The Wednesday Walk 25th March 2009

The Plan:
To meet at Pam’s and walk to Keyhaven

The Leader
Wendy

Who turned up
Pam, Archie, Brian, Tony, Beatrice, Wendy, Ros & Trisha

The Walk
(Thanks this week to Ros for writing the blog in David's absence)
We were all pleased to see Trisha back amongst us again after her six month break with a knee problem. The weather was very windy today but dry with sunny spells. Our walk took us along the footpath towards Pennington. The Canada geese were enjoying the sunshine on the wetlands.

After lunch we headed back towards Keyhaven along the seashore. On one side of the gravel path was the sea with lovely views out towards the needles and the new Lymington to Yarmouth ferry. On the other side were the wetlands with only a few sea birds swimming around today as it was so windy. Archie took an unexpected tumble in the water while enjoying his many rolls in the grass!

We enjoyed a lovely cuppa and cake at Pam’s which rounded off a lovely day out.

The Pub
We had a very enjoyable meal at the Chequers Inn at Pennington. Popular on the menu were the sausages with the remainder enjoying baguettes, cottage pie and Caesar salad.

The Wednesday Walk 18th March 2009

The Plan
Meet at Beatrice and Tony's at the usual time for a walk to Damerham.

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Beatrice, Tony, Trudy, Pam, Ros and David

The Walk
Today was daffodil day: they were found in bloom all along our walk. We parked by the church in Alderholt and set off across country to Damerham. The weather was beautiful: not a cloud in the sky and hardly a breath of wind. Most of us came with warm clothes but had to discard them later. There were one or two muddy spots but, by and large, the walk was dry underfoot. This walk has numerous stiles, to the consternation of those walkers with the shortest legs.
After lunch we returned by a longer route which caused one or two problems. At one point the way was not clearly marked. In the confusion, Pam and Archie got separated from the group by a herd of horses who seemed intent on holding them both in isolation. Tony went boldly to the rescue and found a safe route for them. Despite the minor hiccups, it was a very pleasant walk. By the time we got back to Beatrice and Tony's house, most of us were feeling in need of a cup of tea and feet up!

The Pub
The Compass at Damerham. Six of the group had omelets which were served with chips. David had a pie which was totally devoid of potatoes. A potatoless pie!!! This was an Egon Ronay eatery. Does he not know that pies need potatoes? £8.95 for a pie (good as it was) without potatoes was a bit steep. But the omelets (with chips) went down well.

The Wednesday Walk 11th March 2009

The Plan
Meet at David's at the usual time. Ros will be leading us on a walk in the Forest. Lunch will be at the Red Shoot.

The Leader
Ros

Who Turned Up
Ros, Trudy, Pam (with Archie), Brian and David met in the morning. Wendy, Beatrice and Tony joined us at lunchtime.

The Walk
We parked the cars at the Linford car park. The access track to that parking spot badly needs resurfaced. The walk was a pleasant ramble through the forest. Part of the time we followed the major tracks, but at other times we had to take the minor trails which were sometimes boggy. Brian took a short cut to the pub while the other four took a longer route. He had his first drink finished by the time we arrived at the Red Shoot - obviously knew what he was doing! Wendy, Beatrice and Tony arrived soon after.
After lunch all eight of us set off for the return walk to Linford, a slightly shorter route than we took in the morning. It was a pleasant walk and a pleasant day: dry with just an occasional spot of sunshine.

The Pub.
The Red Shoot. We have eaten here several times before so we know the form by now. David was pleased to find they had a home-made special steak and kidney pie (excellent!). No one tried to stop him eating it. His beer was spot on. Tony had to get his changed as it was a bit smoky. We failed to sort out the last two clues in Wendy's crossword.

The Wednesday Walk 4th March 2009

The Plan
We will meet at Whitecliff at the usual time of 0945. Then we will take the bus from Sandbanks to Swanage. We will walk back along the front from Swanage town in order to have lunch at The Pines.

The Leader
Wendy

Who Turned Up
Wendy, Trisha, David. We were pleased to see you well enough to join us on a walk, Trisha.

The Walk
How lucky we were with the weather today! The forecasters predicted snow, sleet, gloom and despondency. In fact we had a lovely day along the shore at Swanage.

We caught the bus at Sandbanks, using our OAP free passes. From the bus station at Swanage we immediately went for a cup of tea. Well, we had to get our priorties right. Then we walked along the shore front until we got to the steep steps that lead up to the Pines Hotel. On the way, we saw a man swimming in the sea. As he headed towards the shore we speculated on whether he would walk up to us and say, "I am Pierre from Calais. Is this Angelterre?" In a French accent of course.

Trisha counted ninety steps up to the hotel. When we got to the top we were nicely ready to sit down and eat.

After lunch we walked back along the same route and continued out to the end of Swanage Pier. It was at this time we spotted heavy rain showers over Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight, but they didn't bother us.

Finally, we caught the 1525 bus back to Sandbanks. All-in-all it was a very pleasant day. No snowdrops, but Wendy did spot some other early flowers to make up for it.

The Pub

Lunch today was in the bar of the Pines Hotel. The food was good and reasonably priced. The poached salmon with plenty of potatoes and vegetables came to £6.50. Wendy's pork came out at the same price. The hotel do plan on layout changes so we would need to check before going there again.