June walk 2017 at Southampton Sports Centre

A lovely walk, a little different to our usual N.Forest jaunts, but we still managed to spot a deer.! Thank you Jack and Joan for arranging that for us. Sandy .

Plans for 2018

WALKING TOUR 2018.  PEASMARSH, RYE, E. SUSSEX.   MONDAY 23^RD -  25^TH APRIL  3 NIGHTS. DEPARTING THUR 26^TH.

STAYING AT THE FLACKLEY ASH HOTEL, PEASMARSH, RYE, E SUSSEX.

£70 PER NIGHT  D/B/B.  NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT.

THERE WILL BE A COST PER PERSON, TO COVER MICHAEL’S EXPENSES IN TRAVELLING TO THE AREA TO SET UP ALL THE WALKS. I WILL WORK OUT THIS COST PER PERSON ONCE WE KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, AND WILL INFORM EVERYONE SUBSEQUENTLY.

I HAVE ASKED THE HOTEL WHAT DEPOSIT THEY REQUIRE, AND WILL INFORM YOU AT NEXT MEETING. (USUALLY AROUND £30/PERSON), WHEN I SHOULD KNOW.

COMING ON THIS TRIP DOES NOT IMPLY THAT YOU HAVE TO PARTAKE IN ANY, OR ALL OF THE WALKS.      JOHN B.

2017 April Annual walking holiday

U3A Walking Holiday to Swanage.

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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).    

        

PURBECK WALKING 2017

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

April walk in the Spring sunshine

Forest Walk 05/04/17 [1] a WW2 bomb crater (don't think any one else saw it and there were three more). [2] Walkers that day [3] A Forest gate. Near Standing Hat

Dave



 

“The next  U3A branch monthly walk will be on Wednesday 5th April from Standing Hat Car  Park,Brockenhurst starting at 10 am.

conditions under foot should be okay,but there will be mud in places.

 

To reach Standing Hat Car park,coming from Lyndhurst towards Brockenhurst,please turn left at Bulmer Lawn Car Park, then drive past hotel and houses,before at little bend TURN  LEFT  up wide yellow car track for about half a mile,and Standing Hat Car Park is at the top where this road ends.

please note  there is a car park on left just starting up track.IGNORE THIS ONE and carry on up to  Standing Hat Car.

walk usual distance of 2 1/2 to 3 miles and taking 1 1/2 to 2 hours to walk.

 

Any problems please ring MICHAEL PAGE on 02380675769 or mobile on day..07775348337.

Michael Page

March Walk

Seven of us met at Fritham determined to walk come rain or wind ! ! It was very calm and the rain stopped 10 mins after we started to walk. Peter had adjusted the route so we didn't have to cope with any muddy stretches and were able to walk on the gravel track all the time. There were some big pools to wade through and the Forest was quite soggy.But the light reflecting from the pools of water and the rushing streams held a beauty and charm all of their own. We all thoroughly enjoyed our walk. Thank you Peter.

Sandra

Please note that the starting place for the walk on the 5th May is “BOLTONS BENCH”. All other details to remain the same.  

February walk

Although the weather was inclement early on,and Michael Page turned up, thinking that no one would  turn up and he could go home was confounded,when ten of

 

us hardy souls arrived and did the walk- including  John Benfield, David Butcher, Peter Down, Pam, Jack and Joan Read, Charmain Cork, Ingrid Summersby  and Michael Page 

(leader of course)....

 

The rain held off and we had a wonderful around the circut which was all on cycle tracks so we had no mud..But off the paths the flooding on the open spaces  was extensive

so we were all glad of the cycle tracks to walk on. it was a fairly fast pace, maybe because of uncertainty about weather, but we did it in 1 1/2 hours.

 

My thanks to all who turned up to support me and my walk.

 

The next walk on  Friday 3rd March from Fritham car park.

 

We look forward to seeing everyone on Peters walk

 

Many thanks

 

Michael Page