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.

The Wednesday Walk 26th October 2016

The Plan

A Fordingbridge walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

We elected to make this a stile-less walk. We drove to Frogham in the New Forest and took a circular route over Hyde Common that brought us right back to our cars. Along the way we stopped at the church of the Holy Ascension in Hyde (built 1855) to visit the grave of Barbara Wort. We then drove to Fordingbridge for lunch After lunch we left the cars by St Mary’s Church in Fordingbridge and walked down Frog Lane. When we got to the end of the lane we were met by a notice telling us the route ahead was blocked by work on a footbridge. So we circled round back along a different route to the cars. Once again our thanks go to Trudy for the photographs.

The Pub

The Ship in Fordingbridge. We opted for the two-course special at £7.75 and – as on previous visits – we were pleased with the food. Even better, we managed to finish Trisha’s cryptic crossword before the meal was ended. Well done all round.

Next Week

Meet at Kingston Lacy at 1030

The Wednesday Walk 19th October 2016

The Plan

A guided tour of Brownsea Island

Who Turned Up

Ros (leader), Trisha, Wendy, Trudy B, Beatrice and Tony H, David

The Walk

As an October day, it was ideal weather for a Brownsea walk. We parked near the ferry at Sandbanks and caught the 1030 boat to Brownsea. Ros then led us on a walk around the island, taking in places we had never seen before. That’s the beauty of having a guide who knows the place back to front. We stopped in Heart Wood to see how many hearts we could line up. The idea is to get two or three trees in alignment from one precise spot to make the seemingly random markings come together as a heart. We also walked through the children’s natural play area and then passed the remains of the old vinery where a well has been recently discovered. We continued on past the remains of Maryland village. It was established in the mid-nineteenth century to house workers for a new pottery company, but the clay proved to be unsuitable for porcelain. They turned to making drainage pipes, but that was financially unviable so – to quote an expression – it all went to pot. The villagers stayed on working the island’s estate but, when Mrs Bonham-Christie bought the island in 1927, she closed down the local employment. The workers moved to the mainland and the village was abandoned. In WW2, decoy lights were set up here to lure German bombers away from Poole and Bournemouth and, consequently, the village was destroyed.

We walked on with the aim of having a picnic lunch near Pottery Pier. In the event it was a bit breezy by the shore, so we found a nice sheltered spot a bit farther on. After our al-fresco picnic lunch, we continued on through the scout camp and ended up at the café near the visitor centre. Ros very kindly treated us all to tea and cakes. Thank you, Ros, we hope you enjoyed your special birthday this year.

It was a very pleasant walk and we must thank Trudy once again for her photographs.

Next Week

Meet at David’s at 1015 for a Fordingbridge walk.

The Wednesday Walk 12th October 2016

The Plan

Wimborne to High Hall

Who Turned Up

Morning: Beatrice and Tony H, Trisha, Wendy, David

Lunch: Beatrice and Tony H, Trisha, Wendy, David, Sue and Jackie

Afternoon: Trisha, Tony, David

The Walk

We met at Beatrice and Tony’s house in Wimborne. The sky was clear but the air was showing signs of autumnal coolness. However, we were all wrapped up warm as we set off across the Cranborne Road towards Long Close Farm. We turned north parallel with the main road, past Wilksworth Farm and on past High Hall. This is a seventeenth century smaller version of Kingston Lacy. Today it is used as a wedding venue. We left the High Hall estate by the Grange road and continued on to the pub where Sue and Jackie were waiting for us.

After lunch, three of us walked back into Wimborne. We took the footpath to the east of Smuggler’s Lane and crossed the road to come out by Dumpton School. A welcome cup of tea and slice of apple cake were waiting for us at Beatrice and Tony’s house. Many thanks both of you.

The Pub

The Stocks. A pleasant olde worlde pub we have visited before and never been disappointed. The food is good and the atmosphere friendly.

Next Week

Meet at 10am, parking in Brownsea Road, Sandbanks. We will aim for the 1015 ferry to Brownsea Island. BRING A PACKED LUNCH.

The Wednesday Walk 5th October 2016

The Plan

The Winterbornes

Who Turned Up

Wendy, Trisha, Jackie, David

The Walk

The blue skies of summer are still with us but the warmth of recent weeks is receding. Never mind, we still have good conditions for a country walk through the Winterbornes. You all know that the Winterborne name comes from a stream – or borne – that only runs in winter.

We parked at Winterborne Tomson alongside the ancient St Andrew’s church and went inside for a browse around. It is a fascinating piece of history. A grade 1 listed building, it was erected in the 12^th century. It’s a flint and stone structure with a barrel vault roof which curves around the apse. The small font dates from the fifteenth century, and the oak pews date from the eighteenth century. These pews were built as family boxes, but we did wonder how children might see over the screens. Maybe they weren’t meant to. All of the eighteenth century part of the church was provided by William Wake, who was Archbishop of Canterbury. He grew up in Shapwick. There is a medieval gallery at the rear and we wondered if it might have been built for the choir. The building was in a state of disrepair by the early twentieth century. To fund the repairs, a collection of Thomas Hardy manuscripts was sold.

We set off from Winterborne Tomson towards Anderson Manor. From there we headed north along a dusty track. We followed a circuitous route that took us through fields and along country lanes. We returned to our starting point via Winterborne Kingston and Winterborne Muston.

We then had our late lunch before heading back to Broadstone for tea and cakes courtesy of Wendy. Many thanks, Wendy. Sadly we have no photographs this week as our very competent photographers are on holiday.

The Pub

The Botany Bay. Beatrice and Tony joined us here. The pub has been done up of late. The food was good and the service friendly.

Next Week

Meet at Beatrice and Tony’s between 1015 and 1030.