U3A Walking Holiday
to Swanage.
-----------------------------------------------
John
always selects the best hotels for us, and this year’s stay at the
“Pines Hotel” was no exception. The
view from the restaurant was stunning and outside there were steps
leading down to the beach.
The
food was outstanding and were given such a wonderful choice, I don’t
know how you do it for the money we paid. Mike
led the walks which were mixed and varied.
The
walk to the Old Harry Rocks had magnificant views and lots of photo
opportunities. We
stopped to look at all the carvings on each of the sides of the
stone Studland Cross, before visiting St Nicholas Church, Studland.
The
walk from Wareham was along single tracks edged with tall grasses and
bluebells with ducks flying overhead, quacking to each other before
coming into land on the water.
The
gorse was a vibrant yellow, with the sound of geese honking, and
views over the River Frome. The Black Bear looked over us as we
entered and left Wareham.
There
was a slight incline (there is always one) when we started our walk
in Corfe Castle. The climb was well worth it as coming along
footpaths we had brilliant views of Corfe Castle. The walk on Corfe
Common let us see the iconic castle from all sides
Another
very interesting walk was to St Aldhelms Head and St Adlehams Chapel,
it took time for our eyes to adjust to the darkness as we stepped
into the Chapel, which had only one small window .It was lovely to
see someone had put fresh flowers inside and to learn that services
were still held there on Sundays in the summer.
A
coastal walk to Durlston Castle had some lovely sea views, and a
giant globe and a fine art exhibition of birds.
In
the evenings Dave provided quizzes with some questionable answers and
blurred photos of people, some of whom we hadn’t heard of, but I do
remember Al Pacino was the answer to more than one. These evenings
provided a lot of fun and laughter.
So
a very big thank you to John,Mike and Dave for making the 2017 U3A
Walking Holiday so great.
(Pam
Warr).
Thanks
Pam for such a wonderful and interesting report.
Michael
Page).
Monday
PM
32
members started from the Bankes Arms car park in very bright sunny
weather. Down a tarmac track, turning into a dry dirt path into a
gully then a gradual climb up through a wooded copse area with an
abundance of bluebells, a few primroses and a little wild garlic.
Noticeable
was the birdsong in the trees. As the track levelled out we emerged
into open fields along the south west coastal path with a straight
easterly track over short firm grass for about .75 of a mile to the
eastern end of Handfast Point. Eventually reaching the Old Harry
Rocks of glistening white chalk forming gigantic pillars rising out
of the sea some 80 feet high.
Magnificent
views due to the clear visibility of the Isle of Wight Needles,
Sandbanks and Bournemouth over a deep blue sea.
We
retraced our steps on the route back. An excellent start to the
walking holiday, with a forecast of similar weather tomorrow.
Tuesday
AM
20
of us set off in bright sunshine, but a slightly lower temperature
due to a somewhat chilly breeze, from a car park in central Wareham.
But after some 10 minutes of residential area, we found ourselves on
a firm track past some farms, through a wooded area called the
Bestwall Park, a vast nature reserve on the very outskirts of
Wareham. In places remnants of the old town defensive walls or
ramparts were visible.
We
picked up the Poole Harbour Trail across large expanses of of reed
beds, huge lakes of disused flooded gravel extraction quarries which
were abundant in geese, ducks and other birdlife.
Again
with the bright sunshine, with a few cloudy intervals, the distant
views across the flatlands were very impressive. Level walking
throughout on firm tracks made this jaunt very enjoyable. Tranquility
and wildlife no more than 1 kilometer from the bustle of Wareham.
Rejoining
the town's outskirts we and the pavements for 5 minutes reached the
car park.
Wednesday
PM
From
the car park at the southern end of Swanage 19 members set off in our
usual sunshine up the gradual grassy slope towards Durlston Head and
Castle. Into the woods on firm dry paths with the occasional Purbeck
granite blocks with various quotations, proverbs and direction
information carved by a local artisan named Mr. Mowlem.
Eventually
we arrived at Durlston Castle with spectaculer views towards the Old
Harry Rocks to the north and St. Aldhelm's Head to the west and Poole
Bay.
The
giant globe was formed from a huge ball of local granite with an
atlas of the world carved on it. It stood just below the Castle
Walls.
Our
return route took us across several fields with an abundance of
cowslips and the occasional orchid.
Meandering
down various paths and tracks we rejoined the grassy slope near the
cliff edge back to the car park.
This
splendid walk was described by several as a little demanding,
bracing, but above all, very enjoyable, helped by the weather, the
scenery and the company.
Overall
a very successful 4 days due in no small way to the extensive
investigation, planning and research done beforehand by Michael.
And
of course to John who once again found and booked our accomodation in
an excellent hotel for all of us.
Thank
you so much Michael and John for an splendid 2017 break.
David
Butcher.
From Sue
Tuesday Morning Walk - Wareham to Poole Harbour
We set off this morning in bright sunshine from the car park in Wareham, after a very chilly start to the day. We soon came to the earth bank which is the remains of the old town walls, then wandered down a quiet lane bordered by woodland with English bluebells in the grassy verges. We were on the Poole Harbour Trail.
On leaving the lane, we came to a kissing gate leading onto the open marshland and continued on a footpath which would normally be pretty boggy, but this Spring is bone dry. As we neared the mud flats on the edge of Poole Harbour, covered in tall waving grasses, we saw ducks flying overhead and noticed the hawthorn just coming into bloom.
We rounded the end of a large lake, once a gravel pit, and continued along a narrow footpath with blackthorn arching overhead to form a green tunnel, the gnarled trunks and branches covered in moss. Stitch wort grew in the grass in bright clumps and birds were shrilly objecting to our intrusion. While we were trying to identify these, we heard the distinctive call of a curlew, a sure sign we were on a river estuary.
We reached the far end of the lake and paused to see the birds in residence, the most recognisable being Canada Geese and the inevitable seagulls.
Now as we turned once again towards Wareham our path paralleled the River Frome for a while and we saw the masts of boats moored seemingly in the middle of the land. Leaving the river, we headed back to Wareham along a wider path through the trees, hearing another distinctive bird sound, the insistent knocking of a woodpecker. On our left in a gap in the vegetation, we noticed a driveway bordered by a wooden fence, but no ordinary fence. This one had sections of wide planking, then thin rails, then sections of small branches secured to form intricate patterns, and so on - a real labour of love and a delight to see.
We eventually completed our circular walk by returning to the old town wall and so to the car park. The weather had been perfect, with high clouds and sunny blue skies. The hedgerows were looking their best, dressed in their new Spring green and the leaves on the trees hadn't yet had time to turn a darker green and take on their dusty Summer hues.
This had been an altogether delightful morning walk.
Wednesday Morning Walk to St Aldhelm's Head and Chapel
This morning's walk was very different from yesterday's. We left Swanage by car and headed for the turning for Langton Matravers. After leaving this village we turned onto a narrower lane towards Worth Matravers, rising to the top of the hillside. We carried on through the village, passing the village pond, then a couple of farms, until we came to the last car park. We left the shelter of our cars to be hit by strong and cold winds, so all wrapped up warm in woolly hats, scarves and gloves before heading for the headland and the sea.
The track was hard-packed rocks and chalk but we were walking with the wind and soon began to feel warm. The skies were more cloudy than yesterday, but the sun did come out occasionally. The track undulated on towards the sea and eventually we were able to see its vast blueness in front of us. On our right we could see through a v-shape made by two distant pastures and had a lovely view of the Jurassic coast and white cliffs bathed in sunshine. We also had a brief glimpse of a bird of prey, probably a kestrel, swooping across the adjacent fields.
We made our way slowly towards a row of coastguard cottages then bore left to the unusually shaped St Aldhelm's Chapel on the cliff top, complete with a cross on the centre of its roof. On investigation, we discovered this is a Norman chapel and a Grade I listed building. It sits within low earthworks which may be the remains of a pre-conquest Christian enclosure. The chapel is built of stone and has a square central pier which supports four square rib vaults with heavy ribs leading to transverse arches, producing an unusual and beautiful ceiling. The lack of evidence of an original altar or piscina suggests it may have been built as a watchtower for Corfe Castle.
This chapel is used for occasional services, i.e. Easter and Sundays in July and August. It now has a 19th Century font and an altar table of polished stone from St Aldhelm's quarry, installed in 2005.
A late 13th Century grave containing the skeleton of a woman within a row of upright stones was found in a field in 1957, under a slab of Purbeck stone two metres long by three quarters of a metre at the head. It was carved with a Celtic-style cross in relief. Nearby were the foundations of a building two metres square.
Neighbouring Renscombe Farm was used for radar research during WWII and St Aldhelm's Head is 108 metres above sea level, with a Lookout Station on the top.
After a good look around this very interesting headland, some of the party walked on to to cliff top above Chapman's Pool, while others returned to the car park, against the wind, but in slightly warmer temperatures.
Thursday Morning Walk
All too soon our short holiday at Swanage had come to an end and, after loading the cars, some of us made our way once again to the car park at the Western end of Swanage. From there we had hoped to walk along the foreshore to Peveril Point. Unfortunately, the tide was too high, due probably to the strong winds, and we walked up the road instead. This in no way detracted from the beautiful views all around, in brilliant sunshine, both of the bay on our way up and along the coast once we had arrived at the Lookout Station. To the East, we could see Old Harry Rocks, the destination on our Monday walk, while to our West was Durlston Head and Castle, our destination yesterday afternoon.
We turned and headed back to the car park, passing the new lifeboat station on our right (due to be officially opened tomorrow, I believe) and we all agreed this had been a great few days, with stunning scenery, beautiful countryside and a great hotel, with very good food.
Thank you Mike for the walks and John for booking the hotel. Here's to 2018!
Sue
From Sandra
