The Wednesday Walk 29th March 2017

The Plan

A Highcliffe Walk

Who Turned Up

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

The Walk

We parked at Friar’s Cliff as usual and walked along the seafront and past Steamer Point. This is a designated nature reserve covering about 24 acres of predominantly deciduous woodland. It takes its name from a steamer that was pulled up into a gap in the cliff and wedged between two trees in 1830. The boat was inhabited as a sea-lodge for many years. Around the beginning of the twentieth century it fell into disrepair and there is no longer any trace of it. During WW2, Steamer Point was the site if a radar research station. Radar systems and radar guided anti-aircraft guns were developed here. Site 16 is still visible today and was an anti-aircraft gun emplacement. We continued the walk into Highcliffe for lunch.

After lunch we headed back in the reverse direction and detoured into the churchyard of St Mark’s Church to see the graves of the Selfridge family. The whole graveyard was covered with primroses.

Our thanks go to Trudy H for the photographs.

The Pub

The Globe. We’ve eaten here before and today’s lunch was well up to standard. Two walkers enjoyed the chicken and ham pies and would have eaten a second one if they could have got away with it.

Next Week

Meet at St Catherine’s Hill at 1030.

The Annual Holiday 2017

THE WEDNESDAY WALKERS ANNUAL HOLIDAY

Newquay 20^th to 24^th March 2017

The group consisted of: Beatrice and Tony, Sue, Trudy B, Trudy H, Fionnuala and David.

This year we elected to take our group holiday in Cornwall. On Monday morning (20^th March) we were picked up from homes. The coach driver had the right idea - no service station stops. Instead he made the first comfort break at the shopping outlet at Wilton. It's in the converted mills where they once made Wilton carpets. The second stop was at the Otter Nurseries at Ottery St Mary. Much nicer than stopping at service stations.

The hotel was ideally situated overlooking Fistral beach just beyond Newquay with magnificent views of the bay. To add to that, the hotel laid on a real Cornish cream tea to make us feel welcome. All the food we had at the hotel was excellent, even if it did amount to three cooked meals a day. We coped with that very well. And the staff were all very friendly and helpful. If we asked for something not quite as it was on the menu, we were given it with a smile. Our group gathered in the bar at 6.30 in the evening for the first of our free drinks, and we took our refills into dinner. We expected the drinks to be cheap quality as they were free, but we were wrong. We enjoyed them and went back for more. After dinner we had more free drinks in the ballroom where the night's entertainer regaled us with fifties and sixties songs for the older generation.

On Tuesday we went out on a morning trip to St Agnes. There’s not much to see in St Agnes, but we went on to the Cornish Cyder Farm and had a more interesting time there. They had some old Austin Healey cars on display as the farm is linked to the Healey family. The Healey of Austin Healey was a Cornishman. We went into the restaurant for a cup of coffee and sat at a table numbered 30. Most of us realised that because there was a glass jar on the table numbered 30. It was filled with sand to make it sit steady. We watched with interest when one of our group thought it was filled with brown sugar and poured it into his coffee mug. Enough said. We came back to the hotel for a cooked buffet lunch. Yes, more food! After that most of th group went off on a trip to the Cornish Gold outlet.

On Wednesday we went to Padstow, or Padstein as they call it with so many Rick Stein restaurants in the town. After Padstow, we went to the big Cornish Market at Holmbush. The evening went the same as before, with free drinks, an excellent dinner, and more entertainment in the ballroom. 

On Thursday we were taken to St Austell town. We don't know why because there's nothing much to see in St Austell, but it was on the itinerary so the driver had to go there. He wisely cut that stop short and, on his own initiative, took us down to Charlestown. That was much better as most of the group had never been there, and there were no other holiday-makers there at that time. Once again, we went back to the hotel for a buffet lunch and then the day turned wet, the only real wet period we had. Some of the group had a walk in the rain in Newquay. The evening followed the same routine, drinks, good food and a singer in the ballroom.

And that was it. The next day we set off home again. As before, the driver kept away from service stations and we made our first stop at the Jamaica Inn at Bolventnor.  It was once a remote inn on Bodmin Moor. Now it’s been expanded and is a big tourist attraction. Overall, we were lucky with the weather, apart from that one wet afternoon. All-in-all it was an excellent trip, and a welcome break that everyone enjoyed. Our thanks must go to Beatrice for organising the trip with her usual aplomb. 

Did you know....?
When Cornish names begin with Tre- Pol- or Pen- the emphasis is on the second syllable. So it's PolDARK with the stress on the DARK, and not POLdark.

The Wednesday Walk 15th March 2017

The Plan

An Upton Heath walk

Who Turned Up

Trisha, Sue, Wendy, Trudy B, Trudy H, Tony, David

(Beatrice and Jackie joined us for lunch)

The Walk

Instead of using the car park at Upton House, we parked alongside the road in Woodpecker Drive. This quickly gave us access to the heath on the opposite side of Longmeadow Lane. It was a beautiful spring day as we set off across the heath towards the Wareham Road. We didn’t bat an eyelid as we ambled past of group of bullocks with suspicious looking horns and they didn’t bother us. The greenery was enhanced by the yellow gorse and we saw several butterflies on our path.

After lunch we took a different route back across the heath to the cars and, by now, the sky was a clear blue with  no wind.
Our thanks to Trudy for the photographs.

The Pub

The Holmbush. The staff were very friendly, but what a strange mixture of dishes. The pie-eater rated his food a full ten out of ten. It was a piping hot turkey and stuffing pie cooked to perfection. The mashed potatoes and gravy added to the flavour. However, those who had chips with their meals were less impressed. The chips were tepid and not up to an acceptable standard.

Next Week

No walk. You all know why.

The Wednesday Walk 8th February 2017

The Plan

A Wareham Forest walk

Who Turned Up

Jackie, Trisha, Wendy, Ros, David

The Walk

The day started so well with clear blue skies and no wind. Perfect for a country walk. We parked at the Sika Trail car park and set off along a pleasant forest walk

That took us to Sandford. After lunch the cloud closed in. It stayed dry but the bright edge was gone from the day. However, we retraced our way back through the forest and enjoyed the tranquillity of the scenery.

Our thanks to Jackie for tea and biscuits at the end of the walk.

The Pub

The Sandford. Most of us chose the carvery. It was okay but not quite up to the Bridge House standard. Best of all, though, we got to complete the Telegraph crossword.

Next Week

Probably meeting at Kingston Lacy but wait to see what the weather is like.

The Wednesday Walk 1st February 2017

The Plan

Avon Heath Country Park

Who Turned Up

Trisha, Sue, Wendy, Jackie, Tony H, David

The Walk

We timed this well, starting the walk shortly after the morning period of rain had passed over and finishing before the afternoon one arrived. It was a walk postponed from last week because of bad weather. We parked in the service road alongside the A31 and close to the footbridge over the dual carriageway which took us right into the park. Critics will notice that we avoid car parking charges when we use this starting point, but we excuse ourselves on the basis of being pensioners. Fair dos? We followed an interesting footpath until we met a lady strimmer (a lady who was strimming the vegetation… okay?). She was able to point us in the direction of the visitor centre. After lunch we easily retraced our steps back through the park to the footbridge.

The Pub

The St Leonards. This is the pub with the fighter pilot’s wall. It’s annotated with the signatures of pilots of various nationalities who flew and fought from nearby aerodromes during WW2. Here, you’ll see the names of some well-known pilots including Guy Gibson (of dambuster fame), ‘Catseyes’ Cunningham, ‘Sailor’ Malan, Douglas Bader (the legless fighter pilot) and Johnnie Johnson. The food was good and served quickly. No complaints.

Next Week

Meet at Jackies at 1015.

The Wednesday Walk 11th January 2017

The Plan

A Boscombe shore walk

Who Turned Up

Sue, Tisha, Trudy B, Wendy, Jackie, Ros, Beatrie and Tony H, David

The Walk

It was one of those sunny but chilly days when a decent walk is guaranteed to put the spring back into your step and a glow in your cheeks. We planned to park in Knyveton Road – and most of us did – but the road was much busier than usual and some people had to park farther back. The farther back they went, the closer they got to Langtry Manor in Derby Road. It was built in 1877 by Edward the Seventh for his mistress, Lillie Langtry. Now it’s a hotel. Once we had all gathered at the bottom of Knyveton Road, we set off down through Boscombe Gardens to the shore. This when we became aware of how huge is the sewage system repair work being carried out here. A diversion pipe line runs for 2.4 miles through the gardens and along the cliff top. It had to be done in winter while the holiday area is relatively quiet. The walk along the shore was pleasant with less wind than expected.

After lunch we took an equally pleasant walk back along the cliff top, albeit we were following the trail of the temporary sewage pipeline. We walked out along Boscombe Pier and gave some attention to the musical walkway with bells and bowls put out for visitor’s use. This pier goes back to 1889 when it was opened by the Duke of Argyll, who had connections with the builder. It cost £3,813 to build the pier and it had a landing stage on each side where steamers could tie up. A pier head was added in 1926 but was partially demolished during WW2 to prevent German invasion barges landing here. The Mermaid Theatre was built at the end of the rebuilt pier, but it closed in 1989.

A pleasant walk and we thank Trudy for her photographs.

The Pub

The Spyglass and Kettle. The food was good and plentiful, and two crosswords came close to completion. What more could we ask?

The Wednesday Walk 4th January 2017

The Plan

Whitecliff to Poole

Who Turned Up

Beatrice and Tony H, Wendy, Trisha, Trudy B, David… and Sue for lunch

The Walk

The heavy frost of the previous day had given way to a cool, but pleasant atmosphere, just right for a winter walk. We met at the Whitecliff car park and walked along the shore to Poole. We stopped at a quayside café for a refreshing cup of coffee before continuing up through the town to the pub. Did you know that the area we now call Poole was settled before the iron age? Of course it wasn’t called Poole then. The earliest recorded use of the name Poole came about in the twelfth century. That was when it began to emerge as an important port linked to the wool trade. At its peak, sometime in the eighteenth century, it was one of the busiest ports in Britain. During the Second World War it was a main departure point for the Normandy landings. Of course, as locals, you all knew that but I thought I’d mention it for our overseas readers.

After lunch we walked through the park and so back to the cars. A short but pleasant experience. Our thanks to Trudy for the photograph of the sun sinking in the sky above Poole Harbour.

The Pub

The Foundry Arms, Poole. The pub was being refurbished but we were able to get a table big enough to take all of us together. Six of the seven walkers found the food to be either good or very good and the service was friendly. One walker was unlucky to have a meal that was not hot enough.

Next Week

Meet at the end of Knyveton Road at 1030 for a walk down to the shore.