January's Walk
07 December 2011
7th December
All twentythree arrived at the car park as the sky filled in with rain but moments later the sky was once again clear blue skies. A very enjoyable walk led by Jim through mainly wooded area that was rather muddy but as we all had good footwear it was not a challenge. We ended on an unusually high point for the forest with grand views.
January's Walk
January's Walk
09 November 2011
December Walk
TOTTON U3A WALKING GROUP
A WALK IN THE NEW FOREST ON WED 7™ DECEMBER AT 10AM. PLEASE MEET IN THE DIBDEN INCLOSURE CAR PARK. DIRECTIONS: FROM TOTTON TAKE A 326 MARCHWOOD BY-PASS THROUGH TO APPLEMORE ROUNDABOUT. CONTINUE A 326 TO DIBDEN PURLIEU ROUNDABOUT. RIGHT HAND LANE TO B 3054 BEAULIEU ROAD. APPROX. 300 YARDS TURN RIGHT OVER CATTLE GRID INTO DIBDEN INCLOSURE CAR PARK.
LENGTH OF WALK: 3 MILES, APPROX TIME 2 HRS 15 MINS. WALKING IN MIXED WOODLAND AND OPEN COUNTRY. MEMBERS ARE RESPECTFULLY REMINDED THAT THE WALKS REQUIRE A DEGREE OF FITNESS RELATIVE TO THE TERRAIN AND DISTANCE.
ANY DIFFICULTY FINDING THE CAR PARK RING JIM ON 07523 348720
A WALK IN THE NEW FOREST ON WED 7™ DECEMBER AT 10AM. PLEASE MEET IN THE DIBDEN INCLOSURE CAR PARK. DIRECTIONS: FROM TOTTON TAKE A 326 MARCHWOOD BY-PASS THROUGH TO APPLEMORE ROUNDABOUT. CONTINUE A 326 TO DIBDEN PURLIEU ROUNDABOUT. RIGHT HAND LANE TO B 3054 BEAULIEU ROAD. APPROX. 300 YARDS TURN RIGHT OVER CATTLE GRID INTO DIBDEN INCLOSURE CAR PARK.
LENGTH OF WALK: 3 MILES, APPROX TIME 2 HRS 15 MINS. WALKING IN MIXED WOODLAND AND OPEN COUNTRY. MEMBERS ARE RESPECTFULLY REMINDED THAT THE WALKS REQUIRE A DEGREE OF FITNESS RELATIVE TO THE TERRAIN AND DISTANCE.
ANY DIFFICULTY FINDING THE CAR PARK RING JIM ON 07523 348720
04 November 2011
4th November
We all went dressed for adverse weather conditions and it turned out to be "nice for the time of year". The group photo is a bit of poetic license, you will note
Val' not playing the game! Said she was too hot?
The forest had wet surface condition but was still quite firm under foot.
Lunch at the Shoot Inn was very nice, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lunch Club finishes up there one bright day.
Dave
Just a reminder you can always click on a picture to see it larger.
Val' not playing the game! Said she was too hot?
The forest had wet surface condition but was still quite firm under foot.
Lunch at the Shoot Inn was very nice, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lunch Club finishes up there one bright day.
Dave
Just a reminder you can always click on a picture to see it larger.
05 October 2011
5th Oct 2011 High Corner walk
Good crowd of us turned out for a nice morning's walk 33 in all and not forgetting one little dog. Just right temperature. Very enjoyable thanks to Jim for taking over from Dave, a hard act to follow.
02 September 2011
September walk
Beautiful morning for a walk from Pigbush car park. 25 of us enjoyed the hot and sunny weather. The going was firm on a mixed terrain.
03 August 2011
01 July 2011
Ist July Eyeworth Pond Fritham
A well attended meeting at Eyeworth pond thirty-three in all and three dogs. A perfect day where only the lightest of clothing was needed but not too warm. Unusually the walk started to meander upwards for some time as a score of young fit trainees from the services were using it as a training course it must be reckoned as some testing of fitness. No doubt their task was far more demanding than our very leisurely stroll.01 June 2011
1st June 2011
Perfect day today, blue sunny skies but not too warm, ideal for a walk. Surprisingly only fourteen walkers but there were so many on holiday including our leader but Jim stepped in to guide us around the forest walk from Kings Hat car park. Thank you to Jim as it would have been a shame to have missed such a good morning.
12 May 2011
U3A WALKING TOUR – MARLBOROUGH DOWNS
U3A WALKING TOUR – MARLBOROUGH DOWNS
FRIDAY-MONDAY, 29TH APRIL-2ND MAY 2011
What an auspicious day to start our 5th walking tour – THE ROYAL WEDDING DAY. Some had bemoaned the fact that they would miss all the best bits, but we arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Swindon to find many of the group already ensconced in the bar, having arrived early to watch events unfold.
Our hotel was one of a French chain, Campanile, and proved very comfortable, despite the rooms being somewhat small and Spartan. We hunted high and low for a wardrobe and drawers for our clothes, but only discovered a bright green tube with four coat hangers high above our heads – a vertical challenge for the shorter members of our group!
Our afternoon’s walk was to Barbury Castle – not a castle as we know it, but one of many hill forts in this area, with commanding 360º views of the rolling countryside, looking very colourful in its Spring green with vivid splashes of yellow in the fields of rape. We enjoyed a bracing walk to the top and around the circular site in a stiff breeze, then retraced our steps and continued eastwards on part of the Ridgeway. We returned to our cars, accompanied by the song of many skylarks.
Meals proved to be mainly very good, with delicious home-made soup each evening and a choice of main course, with a dessert to follow. The waiting staff proved very helpful and we all enjoyed socialising for the evenings with Dave’s quizzes, one of which was particularly challenging for him to adjudicate, as there appeared to be so many answers.
Saturday was sunnier but still windy and we had a superb day’s walking. The morning was spent exploring part of the Kennet and Avon Canal from Crofton Pumping Station and the beautiful countryside surrounding it. Lasting impressions include the bright green of newly unfurled leaves on the trees and the prolific May blossom. I daresay many of the men especially found the beam engine at Crofton fascinating.
After lunch at the picnic site at Crofton we drove to our afternoon walk along a disused railway and back through farmland. Again, the May blossom was breathtaking among the bright green hedgerows. Today, I for one saw my first kite, a memorable sight. We had had a really great day’s walking, sightseeing and companionship.
Sunday the wind was even stronger, but served to keep the weather dry and mainly sunny – good for walking. Today, we visited Coate Water reservoir first, completely circling the lake and enjoying all the wildlife, especially the nesting Herons, Mallard and Canada Geese with their chicks, and Great Crested Grebes. The trees surrounding the lake were magnificent, especially the chestnuts, decked out like Christmas trees with ‘candles’ provided by the beautiful pink and cream flowers.
After our picnic lunch by the lake we visited Windmill Hill, a Neolithic hill fort, thought to be a seasonal site. We approached initially via a very overgrown path, which Dorothy valiantly led us along, destroying the nettles with her walking poles as she waded through. Then we enjoyed a pretty walk through meadows then uphill to the top, again giving us the reward of glorious views for our efforts, walking back along a track through huge fields, some populated with handsome black cattle. The wind harried us all the way back and we were glad to reach the shelter of the meadows once more and return to our cars.
Monday and our last day – where had the time gone? Again, the same mix of sun and wind. We headed for Silbury Hill, where we parked and set off to walk through the meadows to Avebury and the stone circles. No-one has been able to discover why Silbury Hill became such a huge mound, but it is known that it was added to over time, with stone coming from many different areas. The Romans also settled there during their time in Britain.
Avebury and its Henge of stones over 5,000 years old is fascinating and we all split up, walking among the stones, some of us contemplating how on earth such enormous rocks could have been carried to the site and erected, to stand for so many hundreds of years. What a truly great monument to the people who inhabited our green and pleasant land so long ago.
We all returned together to our cars for a final farewell. We have so many warm and happy memories to store up for those short winter days and long evenings when sun and warmth seem so far away.
Thank you, Dave, for doing yet another excellent job of guiding us during the day and keeping us amused in the evenings. We all enjoy these carefree holidays so much, thanks only to your time, effort and patience. Thanks, too, must go to Bridget, for so ably supporting Dave in all he does, and last but not least to John for organising
Sue
FRIDAY-MONDAY, 29TH APRIL-2ND MAY 2011
What an auspicious day to start our 5th walking tour – THE ROYAL WEDDING DAY. Some had bemoaned the fact that they would miss all the best bits, but we arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Swindon to find many of the group already ensconced in the bar, having arrived early to watch events unfold.
Our hotel was one of a French chain, Campanile, and proved very comfortable, despite the rooms being somewhat small and Spartan. We hunted high and low for a wardrobe and drawers for our clothes, but only discovered a bright green tube with four coat hangers high above our heads – a vertical challenge for the shorter members of our group!
Our afternoon’s walk was to Barbury Castle – not a castle as we know it, but one of many hill forts in this area, with commanding 360º views of the rolling countryside, looking very colourful in its Spring green with vivid splashes of yellow in the fields of rape. We enjoyed a bracing walk to the top and around the circular site in a stiff breeze, then retraced our steps and continued eastwards on part of the Ridgeway. We returned to our cars, accompanied by the song of many skylarks.
Meals proved to be mainly very good, with delicious home-made soup each evening and a choice of main course, with a dessert to follow. The waiting staff proved very helpful and we all enjoyed socialising for the evenings with Dave’s quizzes, one of which was particularly challenging for him to adjudicate, as there appeared to be so many answers.
Saturday was sunnier but still windy and we had a superb day’s walking. The morning was spent exploring part of the Kennet and Avon Canal from Crofton Pumping Station and the beautiful countryside surrounding it. Lasting impressions include the bright green of newly unfurled leaves on the trees and the prolific May blossom. I daresay many of the men especially found the beam engine at Crofton fascinating.
After lunch at the picnic site at Crofton we drove to our afternoon walk along a disused railway and back through farmland. Again, the May blossom was breathtaking among the bright green hedgerows. Today, I for one saw my first kite, a memorable sight. We had had a really great day’s walking, sightseeing and companionship.
Sunday the wind was even stronger, but served to keep the weather dry and mainly sunny – good for walking. Today, we visited Coate Water reservoir first, completely circling the lake and enjoying all the wildlife, especially the nesting Herons, Mallard and Canada Geese with their chicks, and Great Crested Grebes. The trees surrounding the lake were magnificent, especially the chestnuts, decked out like Christmas trees with ‘candles’ provided by the beautiful pink and cream flowers.
After our picnic lunch by the lake we visited Windmill Hill, a Neolithic hill fort, thought to be a seasonal site. We approached initially via a very overgrown path, which Dorothy valiantly led us along, destroying the nettles with her walking poles as she waded through. Then we enjoyed a pretty walk through meadows then uphill to the top, again giving us the reward of glorious views for our efforts, walking back along a track through huge fields, some populated with handsome black cattle. The wind harried us all the way back and we were glad to reach the shelter of the meadows once more and return to our cars.
Monday and our last day – where had the time gone? Again, the same mix of sun and wind. We headed for Silbury Hill, where we parked and set off to walk through the meadows to Avebury and the stone circles. No-one has been able to discover why Silbury Hill became such a huge mound, but it is known that it was added to over time, with stone coming from many different areas. The Romans also settled there during their time in Britain.
Avebury and its Henge of stones over 5,000 years old is fascinating and we all split up, walking among the stones, some of us contemplating how on earth such enormous rocks could have been carried to the site and erected, to stand for so many hundreds of years. What a truly great monument to the people who inhabited our green and pleasant land so long ago.
We all returned together to our cars for a final farewell. We have so many warm and happy memories to store up for those short winter days and long evenings when sun and warmth seem so far away.
Thank you, Dave, for doing yet another excellent job of guiding us during the day and keeping us amused in the evenings. We all enjoy these carefree holidays so much, thanks only to your time, effort and patience. Thanks, too, must go to Bridget, for so ably supporting Dave in all he does, and last but not least to John for organising
Sue
07 May 2011
Swindon Holiday Part 2
Comments from Dave
[058] Our intrepid explorers force! ing
thier way uphill through a thicket.
[061] "That" windmill at 30 plus magnifications
[075] Saturday lunch break
[054] Well I thought it was a target for low flying sea gulls
[072] Won't let a Gal rest will He...!
[097] is interesting it's a Heron on it's nest feeding young
[114] Thought I had better put the Three musketeers in
[058] Our intrepid explorers force! ing
thier way uphill through a thicket.
[061] "That" windmill at 30 plus magnifications
[075] Saturday lunch break
[054] Well I thought it was a target for low flying sea gulls
[072] Won't let a Gal rest will He...!
[097] is interesting it's a Heron on it's nest feeding young
[114] Thought I had better put the Three musketeers in
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