Summer 2005 Newsletter
| Another SSS (Select Six walk for Six miles) | |
| Weekend At Cheddar | |
| Bluebell Walk Through Badby Woods | |
| Farewell Walk from Badby | |
| Portland Revisited | |
| Visit to Manor House Gardens Stevington |
Another SSS (Select Six walk for Six miles)
Sunday 1st May
Six of us: Stella, Norman, Janet, Chris, Paul and I set off on a less strenuous walk than the day before. The paths not quite as steep as up the side of the gorge but going up nearly as high. The views over to Weston-super-Mare were just as stunning and the weather was becoming just as hot but more humid.
Part of our route took us along the Mendip Way, which led to some earth workings, a place of scientific and historical interest. This is where we had our elevenses (or was it twelveses?) overlooking Cheddar Head Farm at the top end of the road that led through the gorge. Up here you could not imagine what lay below to the West and how narrow the road and gorge would become.
On and up once more we got closer to the source of some annoying noise, some bike race in the distance. We walked along the 'Middle Down Drove Track', one of many ancient tracks that led over the ridge and towards the coast. Just before we descended into Cheddar we found a vantage point for our lunch.
Suitably refreshed we strolled down into Cheddar where our paths split, some directly on to the hostel the others via a footpath to the church. Here we went our different ways which for me was home via Hemel Hempstead to lend a hand to the new parents and the suffering mum to my new grandson.
Thanks Stella and Janet who worked out the route.
Elke
Weekend At Cheddar
Friday 29th April to Monday 2nd May
Saturday
Norman led sixteen of us through the village of Cheddar to start the climb
up to the top of Cheddar Gorge. After only a few minutes we came to a sort
of tower, several members of the group climbed up to admire the view which
after early cloud had now cleared. Janet was asked if it was worth the
effort and replied that it was, but there were not many takers.
We continued on up the side of the Gorge, by now the sun was out and it was
very warm. At the top we stopped for coffee: there was a marvellous view of
the Gorge. It was a long way to look down, so not for the faint-hearted to
peer over the edge. Buzzards could be seen and goats were spotted on the
other side. Norman was heard to comment that he didn't realise it would be
such a steep climb, the reply was "well, it is a Gorge"!
The walk continued along the side of the Gorge and then descended through
some woods, which were liberally sprinkled with wild flowers, including
violets, bluebells, anemones, primroses and beautiful orchids. At the
bottom, we crossed the road into the National Trust land of Black Rock and
walked along the bottom of the valley until we reached a meeting point of
several paths. At this point Louise left us and headed back on the West
Mendip Way for Cheddar suitably armed with map. On the way through this
valley a water trough was spotted and Mary was unceremoniously picked up by
Roger and nearly dumped into it.
The rest of the group continued on the Samaritans' Way South West through a
valley called Velvet Bottom. The valley went up in terraces and this was
left from the lead mining, where dams were built to form lead-settling
ponds. Further on, round marks could be seen in the ground which at one
time were buttle (I think this is what they were called) ponds again to do
with the lead mining process. We looked for the Roman fort marked on the
map for our lunches top but as it was not very prominent, we settled by a
pond to eat our lunch with a family of coots to admire.
After lunch we continued the walk, uphill to the wireless station and
onwards to the Black Down Moor. This turned out to be quite boggy but we
skirted the edges and were rewarded when several newts were spotted. We
passed Charterhouse Farm and what did we find on the road down to the farm?
Another water trough. Mary was again nearly dumped in it but Roger
refrained from this indignity. (Wisely! -Ed.)
Further on we stopped for a tea break and to again admire the view. The
Cheddar Reservoir could be spotted in the distance looking almost perfectly
round. Norman had spotted the boats earlier and I am sure he was planning a
visit! It was very relaxing and one or two nodded off as slight snores were
heard and some were now quite red, having caught the sun.
The walk now continued downhill towards Cheddar through trees again with
wild flowers dotted around. In Cheddar, the group parted, some to take
afternoon tea, others to sample the local cider and Cheddar cheese.
Thanks to Norman for leading an excellent walk.
Saturday Evening
It had been arranged that the majority of us would have a meal at the
Gardiners' Arms. We all arrived at different times, Roger, Karen, Lynda and
I having gone ahead ordered our drink with Lynda sampling a pint of the
local ale, but by the time the rest of us had paid for our drinks this had
disappeared and she was starting on the G & T's!
Most of us enjoyed our meal, I won't repeat the conversations as most of it
would be censored *****. When we left the pub, we walked down to the
village and found the village fishpond where the trout could be seen leaping
to catch the flies. Watch out Mary, an even bigger water trough! Roger
pounced. Marion was heard to say to Mary, would you like me to hold your
bag!! Luckily he refrained just at the last minute.
Thank you Chris for sorting out the pub for a very pleasant evening.
Sunday
The group separated on Sunday and Roger, Karen, Lynda and I headed into the
Mendip Hills. After parking by a nature reserve, we walked through
Burrington Ham hoping to see the Rock of Ages which related to the popular
hymn, but somehow missed it. We continued to Dolebury Warren, on the way
hearing our first cuckoo, and after walking through here we found an
enormous fort with views from this over to the Bristol Channel. We
continued on the walk making our way to the woods known as Rowberrow Warren,
stopping in the middle for lunch. Further on a deer was spotted being
chased by a dog but the deer was well in front and disappeared into the
distance. Coming out of the woods onto Black Down Moor, cyclists were
spotted, Lynda got quite excited noting their posteriors! We walked up to
the trig point on Beacon Batch which is the highest point in this area,
where we finished the walk, thank you Lynda for leading, very enjoyable.
Off to Weston-Super-Mare we then went and after parking at one end of the
front we walked along the beach. Unfortunately, we could not see the sea as
the tide was out over some considerable distance and all we could see were
the mud flats and sand. Donkey rides were taking place on the beach, Roger
suggested I should have a go but decided it would not be fair on the donkey!
To finish the day, we sat and ate fish and chips, mmm there is nothing quite
like fish at the seaside. Lynda and I got quite excited as motorbikes kept
flying by with men in leathers, we were convinced they were Hell's Angels
but were told otherwise.
I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and a big thank you to Stella for
organising it and providing us with the information.
To the next time.
Julie
Bluebell Walk Through Badby Woods
Sunday 8th May
This event got off to a worrying start for Nicky and me as we arrived at
Everdon to find nobody there..... We waited around for several minutes and
began to wonder if we'd got the time wrong or even the day wrong!! Soon,
however our questions were answered as Chris turned up followed by Elke and
Marco, Stella, Clare and Ruth. And so off we went down through the village
and past the church, but not before Elke had pointed out a building on the
corner made from handmade bricks. One of these also included a cat's paw
print.We made our way across some open fields and then up through a blooming field of oil seed rape. This wasn't a walk for hay fever sufferers! From the top here we had good views across to Snorscomb. Carrying on we discovered that the farmer had been very busy putting in new fences, tracks, gates and, I'm pleased to say, planting new hedges. Skirting the edge of a small wood there was a rain shower, which as it turned out, lasted just long enough for everybody to put their waterproofs on! And so we made our way on up to Preston Capes where we stopped in a field for a well earned coffee break. The low hut in the field just in front of us proved to be an object of discussion as we tried to decide what it was used for. In the end, I think we decided it was probably for feeding lambs.
After this break we headed up and over a ridge heading towards Fawsley Hall, looking back there was a great view of the Manor House at Preston Capes. Also, on this particular part of the route (and much to Stella's annoyance) the signs didn't seem to know if Knightley Way should be spelt with an "e" or not. As we made our way to the hall on foot, it seemed that everybody else was heading that way by helicopter! We stopped at the church here for lunch and enjoyed the sunshine with pleasant views over the grounds and lake.
Suitably nourished, we took a brief look inside the church (lots of men with the first name Lucy buried there!) before making our way up the hill towards Badby Wood. On the way the rain decided to pay us another brief visit. Just over the ridge we entered the wood and glimpsed our first bluebells through the trees, but by now other things were beginning to enter our thoughts.....These were the thoughts of jam, cream and scones! We entered Badby and headed straight for the hostel where Elke had laid on cream teas for everyone. We were also joined by John who'd cycled there and by Colin, the (last?) temporary warden. Needless to say, we all eagerly tucked in and thoroughly enjoyed this treat. It was a good job we did because just as we were finishing, the heavens opened up and we had to dive into the hostel for cover. We waited inside for a while to let our scones go down and for the rain to stop, and bidding farewell to John and Colin headed back to Badby Wood to see some more bluebells. This time we went up the other side of the wood until we came out at the top above the Dower House. We walked past these ruins and yet again the rain came down fast and furious. It was then down to the road and up the hill the other side where there were great views across to Weedon and Daventry. We also met a family of sheep in the field here who looked very guilty about being there and probably weren't meant to be munching their way through the crops! After that it was down hill through fields all the way back to Everdon.
Thanks very much to Elke for organising the walk and especially for the scrummy cream teas.
Andy
Farewell Walk from Badby
Sunday 15th May
'Why have we never walked in this area before' was one of the comments made on this walk. Even Ruth and John had joined the regular crowd consisting of Stella, Norman Dinah, Eugene, Marco and myself on this walk past Fawsley Hall to Charwelton.
The sun was shining and it was getting warmer as we approached Church Charwelton. The village had a medieval feel about it and the church was full of interest. A viewing window was open on either side of the building which allowed you to view the interior. Past some bumps hiding the real medieval village we walked across a grassy field with lovely mowed footpath. A herd of young bulls eyed us up pushing each other 'You go and look... no, you go first' they seemed to say and then disturbed by a landrover and having plucked up courage they charged forward luckily through a gap between Ruth and myself and the rest of the group and then charged back between us and Dinah who was some way back. Phew!!!
In Carwelton we admired the old packhorse bridge before having lunch in the pub garden where Marco succumbed to one of the delicious ice creams on offer.
After lunch Ruth and John headed back the easier route while we walked on round Sharman's Hill and past Arbury Hill which was shrouded in a dust cloud. The reason was a motor cycling event covering all age groups who raced up and around the hill top while the rest of their families enjoyed the sunshine in their caravans.
On our return to the hostel we just had a refreshing drink before saying: GOOD BYE to Badby.
Elke
Portland Revisited
Friday 27th - Sunday 30th May
A large group (eighteen plus Shannon) returned to Portland, where the much discussed changes (to B&B) had not actually taken place , as the chef's kitchen, which had been two tiny members' kitchens, was converted, but the new members' kitchen, which had been the day room, had no gas. It will be more spacious, but the fridge by the door is not a good idea. So we had lots of storage, could use the chef's kitchen, but still had the run of the excellent dining room. And the excellent manager, Bonnie, can still run too, but she was beaten down the stairs by a most frantically disconsolate cat when the office alarm went off on the Friday evening.
Saturday dawned very blustery,, so it was decided to make it Do Your Own
Thing day. The Search and Rescue helicopter was seen manoeuvring at its
nearby base just after breakfast, and the call went up for Elke to come and
see - till we realised this was foolish - she was probably there already.
Henry's party went to Lyme Regis,
Stella and co. went off to do another part of the SW Coast Path, Mary and
co. went with Judy and Rosie to Monkey World (Dave took the opportunity to
stay at home in peace with the cat on Friday night and come down on Saturday
on his motorbike.) They all enjoyed Monkey World, and I counted them all out
and I counted them all back. Mary even adopted one while she was there.
No, she's not allowed to bring it home, but it might make less mess in the
car than Nigel and his tarts. Andy and I went inland where the wind was
more of a blessing when the sun came out, touring the Rhododendron Mile and
Bockhampton Woods (which include Hardy's Cottage) with my parents. They just
happen to know where the best cream teas are, which is why we went to
Moreton to see the church with the engraved glass windows, and the beautiful
ford over the river. Oh, and have a cream tea.
On Sunday we found that the weather forecast was correct, and the wind had
dropped overnight, though the cloud cover remained. We met up at Osmington
Mills and headed east towards Ringstead. I'd never walked this section
before, so I was careful to make no promises about hills, but, apart from
the initial slope, there was only one hill this time. After Ringstead
village there was a gradual climb up Burning Cliff (which ignited in 1836
when a landslip set the oil-bearing shale alight. Much of this section of
the coast path has fallen, in fact White Nothe, the furthest section of our
walk, is the only bit we walked that hasn't fallen -yet).Stella had heard of a chapel part way up the ascent and it was well worth the visit. We were mystified by the stripey canes in the turf, but a local told us that they marked the positions of wild orchids. Once on White Nothe we left the Coast Path proper and ate our lunch on a promontory with a fine view of Bat's Head Cave and the white cliffs towards Lulworth. Norman and Stella had not seen this view on their walk the previous day.
We went inland on our return journey, watched paragliders as we descended ourselves and by now it was really sunny. We looked for the ruin mounds of old Ringstead village (abandoned after pirate attacks) but as the path was re-routed, this was difficult. Back at the Coast Path, Elke wanted to look for fossils while walking back along the beach rather than on top of the cliff. Not knowing the beach, cliff or the tide, I advised against this, but everyone went just the same. The rescue helicopter overflew us and I began to suspect that Elke had engineered a rescue situation, but we all made it safely, though we couldn't find the way off the beach at Osmington Mills. Andy and I dragged Mary and co. , kicking and screaming, to Moreton to see the church with the engraved glass windows, and the beautiful ford over the river. Oh, and to have a cream tea. Later that evening we all went to the pub for our meal and I just had to have the scallops in bacon again like last year. Shame Roger wasn't there to entertain Rosie!
Quite a few of us stayed on for the Trawler Race and Oyster festival in Weymouth on the Bank Holiday Monday as the weather was excellent, and some lingered even longer. I hope Marco enjoyed the coastal scenery that I had promised him, and that we revisit again some time soon.
Nic
Visit to Manor House Gardens Stevington
Wed 15th June 2005
After a rather rainy day, the weather produced a wonderful summer's evening, just for Norman's birthday!
The gardens and house belong to Kathy Brown, writer of many books on gardens and designs. Apart from the fab gardens there was tea and cakes, music and Pimms - a great combination!
The whole evening made a lovely change, the garden was truly inspirational and left me thinking of my own modest (rather boring) garden! But, never mind!
It was lovely to be able to enjoy the pleasure of someone else's garden without the backache.
The garden is well worth a visit and is next open on July 31st.
Louise Raffel
