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The Plan
A
walk from Cowgrove
Who Turned Up
Wendy,
Sue, Trisha, Diane and Tony, Beatrice, David
The Walk
It
was yet another glorious day for a Wednesday walk. We met in the car park at
Cowgrove and walked down Abbott Street and All Fools Lane – more of a footpath
than a lane - in order to visit a small craft shop. Continuing to the bottom of
All Fools Lane brought us onto Roman Road. We then had a short road walk until
we picked up the riverside walk that led us to Eye Mead, where we crossed over the
River Stour by the footbridge. From there we crossed the fields until we found
our way out at the Wimborne By-Pass roundabout near Lambs Green. By now the
heat of the day was beginning to tell and the two men were glad to get to the
pub for a cool drink.
After
lunch we walked along Willet’s Road until we reached Merley. We then strolled
into Wimborne where we needed ice creams to cool us down. Our route back to the
cars took us pass the allotments and alongside the River Stour. During the day we
saw numerous flowers including buttercups, daisies, campion and others too
numerous to mentions (or remember!). As Diane's excellent pictures show, it was a very picturesque walk, well worth repeating. But, by
now, the heat of the day was sapping us and we were glad to get back to Beatrice and Tony’s to relax with tea and
cakes. Many thanks B&T.
The Pub
The
Lambs Green. We have eaten here before. They do a reasonable meal for £6.
Next Week
We
will postpone Trisha’s Studland walk because the schools are on holiday next week.
Instead we will meet at David’s at 10am for a walk to West Moors.
A
walk along the shore to Mudeford
Who Turned Up
Trudy
H, Wendy, Sue, Ros, Diane and Tony R, Beatrice and Tony H, David
The Leader
None
needed
The Walk
What
a glorious summer day! Just the sort of weather we needed to enjoy a walk along
the shore. We tried to find some free street parking near the start point… but
failed. The yellow lines at the sides of the roads seem to have been breeding
in the area. So we paid to park in the public car park at Avon Run. We walked
along the promenade and the beach until we were beyond Highcliff Castle. Along
the way, no one volunteered to jump into the sea and enjoy a swim… but Diane
came close to it. A brisk walk up the cliff side then took us within spitting
distance of the pub.
After
lunch we walked back to the castle and then followed the cliff path through the
nature reserve and on past Steamer Point. The sun never stopped shining for us,
and for the people out enjoying the beach and the sea. We returned to Trudy’s
house for tea and cake… many thanks, especially for the excellent cake, Trudy!
The Pub
The
Globe at Highcliff. The group split into two: those favouring eating outdoors
and those preferring to stay in the shade inside. The Globe does a nice line in
reduced-price meals which the walkers took advantage of.
Next Week
Trisha’s
walk to Studland has been put back one week in favour of a Pamphill walk. Meet
in the car park at Pamphill (in the road facing the Kingston Lacy church) at
1030.
The
Plan
A Cranborne walk
The
Map-reader
Tony
Who
Turned Up
T
ony R, Beatrice,
Sue, Trisha, Trudy H, David
The
Walk
After last week’s
rain we were pleased to see a pleasantly dry day. Our walk began at the lay-by near
Mill Farm, along the Cranborne-to-Alderholt road. Wendy was not available to
lead us this week, but we had a map of the walk and Tony volunteered to
navigate from it. The morning walk was very easy although the path was a little
muddy in places, a legacy of the rain we’ve had. We followed the track parallel
to the River Crane with ease. We noticed that most of the fields between us and
the river were bright yellow with rape seed. Coming close to Cranborne, we cut off
through a rape field down to the village.
After lunch we took
the route north of the Cranborne-to-Alderholt road. Our path took us through
Holwell Farm where Tony picked up a tiny vole. Eventually, we turned off at
Rushmore Farm, taking the route directly back to the main road, as per the map.
We then had to tackle a main road with no footpath. We decided that on any
future walk we would look for an alternative path that would join the main road
closer to our cars. However, it was a pleasant walk in some beautiful
countryside.
Tea and cakes were
kindly provided by Beatrice and Tony.
The
Pub
The Sheaf of Arrows,
Cranborne. There were no pies but the home-made faggots were excellent. We were
pleased to see Wendy and Lou at the pub. We wish you a speedy recovery from
your operation, Lou. All that house building work will have to be put on hold
until your hand is back to normal.
Next
Week
Meet at Trudy H's house at
0945 for a walk to Mudeford. No leader will be needed for this walk.
The
Following Week
Trisha will be
leading a Studland walk.
A
shore walk to Mudeford
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy,
Trisha, Diane and Tony R, David
The Walk
The
plan went straight out the window when we saw the rain this morning. After yesterday’s
warmth and sunshine, we were disappointed to see another wet day. But there was
no point in sitting around, so we drove into Wimborne and spent an hour looking
around the Priest’s House Museum. We then drove straight to the pub for lunch.
After that we went back to Diane and Tony’s and enjoyed tea and cakes… thank
you, Diane.
The Pub
The
Lamb’s Green. We’ve eaten here a number of times in the past and usually found
the food to be reasonably good. This time we discovered that a visit to the
lavatory can be a source of crossword inspiration… but only the gents.
Next Week
Meet at Beatrice and
Tony’s for a Cranborne walk.
The Plan
Rockbourne
to Whitsbury
The Leader
Trudy B
Who Turned Up
Trudy
H, Trudy B, Wendy, Sue, Diane and Tony R, Beatrice and Tony H, David
The Walk
The
day was forecast to be dry with temperatures up to eighteen degrees. Well, they
got the ‘dry’ bit right. Not so sure about the temperature thought. We parked in
the Rockbourne village car park and set off along the path alongside Manor
Farm. The old manor house has the look of a medieval monastery building, with
the church alongside it. Our cross-country route took us through woodland and
across fields and past the stud farm where Desert Orchid was trained. Along the
way we saw pheasants, a couple of deer – one of which ran straight through an
electric fence in front of us – as well as several racing horses. We also saw
numerous woodland bluebells.
The
afternoon walk was somewhat longer than the morning, ending up with a path
parallel to the rear of the village houses. At a guess, our total distance was
somewhere between six and seven miles. It was a pleasant day with beautiful countryside and no rain. Special thanks go
to Sue for her jam sponge at the end of the day.
The Pub
The
Cartwheel at Whitsbury. The food was good and the home-made chicken pie scored
nine and half points out of ten.
Next Week
Meet
with Diane and Tony at 10am for a Mudeford walk.
The Plan
Garston
Wood
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy,
Beatrice, Trudy H, Sue, Diane and Tony R, David
The Walk
The
weather did not look too good, but we decided to go ahead with the planned walk
at Garston Wood. At least it gave us the choice of curtailing the walk if
things got too wet. In fact, the morning walk was pleasant with only the odd
spot of rain… nothing to deter a party of hardy perennials. I am indebted to
Wendy for supplying me with a list of the flowers on show: bluebells, wood
anemones, primroses, violets, early orchids, ajuga (bugle), wild garlic,
euphorba, yellow archangel and celandine. On top of that Tony spotted a variety
of birds. While walking through the wild garlic we disturbed the plants enough
for them to give us a good sample of their aromas.
After
lunch we came back to the Garston Wood car park. This time we met persistent
rain so we cut short the afternoon walk and returned to Beatrice and Tony’s
house. Our culinary thanks this week must go to Beatrice, Tony and Trudy, who brought
along a home-made cake of huge proportions.
The Pub
The
Inn on the Chase. The food was good. The pie-eater appreciated the help-yourself
vegetable selection. The only problem was a mix-up with the order.
Next week
Meet
at Sue’s at 0945
If
the weather is:-
from
“Caribbean sunshine”
to “English sunshine”
we
will go to Ringstead Bay.
If
the weather is:-
from
“dry but overcast"
to “just the odd shower”
we
will go to St Catherine’s Hill.
If
the weather is:-
from
“persistent light rain”
to “absolutely piddling down”
we
will go to the cinema at Tower Park.
Totally dependent upon the weather.
The Leader
Wendy
Who Turned Up
Wendy, Sue, Trudy H, Beatrice and Tony, Trisha, David
(With Diane and Tony R joining us for lunch)
The Walk
After that early warm summer weather we have now reverted to typical April showers. Unfortunately, today’s showers were forecast to be the most frequent and the heaviest this week. With that in mind we elected to stick close to base. We drove to Kingston Lacy (National Trust) where we immediately made for the restaurant and a cup of coffee. One walker let the side down by eating a cholesterol-inducing cake, but what can you do? When we came outside again we discovered a guided tour was about to begin. We followed the guide for about twenty minutes and then branched off on our own. Well, we probably know the route at least as well as the guide. Trisha joined us at this part of the morning, just in time for the next shower. Despite the weather, we were able to enjoy some interesting flower and plant displays.
We returned to the cars and drove to the pub where Diane and Tony joined us for lunch. They had arrived home from sunny/snowy Spain the previous evening. With the rain pouring down outside we were in no mood to continue the walk, so we cancelled the afternoon plan and returned to Beatrice and Tony’s house. There we enjoyed tea and cake, for which we offer B&T our thanks.
The Pub
The Lamb’s Green. The food was good, no one went away hungry, although we did have to calculate the division of the bill ourselves.
Next Week
Meet at Beatrice and Tony’s at 0945.
