The road through to Ibsley was closed so we had to park next to Harbridge Church which was not too bad and just meant a small change to Clive's original plan.
We set off along the lane and then turned off into the fields following the path to Harbridge Farm.  There is a fine selection of horses in these fields used for ploughing.  One in particular caught my eye as he has the finest moustache I have ever seen on a horse.  I promise it was NOT added in Photoshop!  In the second stretch through another field the horses there decided to join us on the walk.  Either that or Clive has some strange attraction for horses.
On our way to the start point we had seen a conveyor belt running across the road on a bridge.  We then came across an extension of this, or perhaps an entirely separate system while on the walk.  These are obviously being used to transport gravel around the pits.  After Plumley Farm we were into a nicely wooded area with a variety of trees and although it is not apparent from the map several of the paths are surfaced as if they were cycle tracks.  We did a little diversion to avoid a short section of this joining the main path again at Sleep Bottom.  This whole area is excellent for walking and there are numerous other tracks worth investigating at another time.  Everyone was getting a little thirsty by now but we agreed to press on to the lake.  There are two wooden huts here, one open fronted and the other locked, for a flying club and a fishing club.  It was a great spot to have our morning break.  After the break and on the other side of Harbridge Drove, we decided on another little detour through the woods and back to Kent Lane.  This was really worthwhile as the woods here are well worth a visit.
As we were not too far away we decided to go to The Bat and Ball for lunch.  We had another excellent meal.  Liver and bacon casserole with vegetables for £4.95 and first class service.  It's hard to beat that. 

This week the walk was another one that was slightly different from the norm.  We travelled by bus from Westbourne to Fisherman's Walk, made our way down to the beach and strolled along the front.
It was a rather less sunny day than expected but dry and good for walking.
There were quite a few groups of people enjoying the beach in spite of it being a grey day.  One group managed to fill two of the little land trains.  Another had groups of children building makeshift "tents" on the sand.  It looked as if some local workers were drilling for oil but this turned out to be a misconception. Rob managed to control his curiosity for at least two minutes before being forced to ask for an explanation that turned out to be quite fascinating.  Apparently the clay under the sand swells up and lifts the groins so they are taking core samples from around 15 feet to check the underlying soil structure at various points along the beach.  A project to protect the shore from erosion is expected to cost £43.7 million spread over 17 years so we will have many more opportunities to see them at work!
We stopped to have a look first at Boscombe Pier where we played a few musical instruments and then at Bournemouth Pier where we admired the relatively new zip wire that runs from the end of the pier to the beach.
On reaching Alum Chine we turned in land and headed for the cafe at Argyll Gardens.  It was so busy that we decided not to stay and went instead to the Village Bistro in Westbourne where we had a meal that was really good value for money and the service was very good too.

This was a rather different walk from our norm in that we walked both ways along the same path.
We started from the car park overlooking Kimmeridge Bay and climbed the steep path up to Clavell Tower.  This is now owned by the Landmark Trust and available to rent though, on their web site, it looks to be booked for about the next two years!
We were surprised to see about 25 surfers out on the bay enjoying some reasonable waves but apparently not as good as the surf forecast suggested.
We walked as far as the waterfall at Egmont Bight but there was no enthusiasm at all for challenging the heights of Houns Tout, about 480 feet.  An earlier suggestion for a circular route turning off at Rope Head Lake and heading across the top of Swyre Head had already been quickly rejected when it was pointed out that that went up to about 650 feet.  We met an elderly couple (elderly by our standards) and they pressed on regardless in spite of the gentlemen's arthritis.  We turned back along the same path.
The map does not look too exciting so I have included a route profile as well.  There were those who claimed it was really hilly but that is obviously not true!  The path is generally about 50 feet above sea level and the highest point we touched is under 250 feet so we were only going up about 200 feet.  It's a shame the page isn't wider and then I could have made the slopes look a lot more shallow!
It was interesting to see how much more some of the ledges had become exposed on our return journey.  It was also interesting to see how the ledges affect the wave pattern with waves at 90 degrees to each other in some places.

We stopped on the way home to Rob's at Bear Cross.  It was a little expensive but the food and the service were both very good.

This weeks quiz question is: "Why is Rob rolling on the ground convulsed with laughter?"

From the church we headed east along the road before turning through a gate and into a field.  The path then winds around a bit before coming out onto the A35.  A short distance before the road there is a house which has several very noisy dogs which fortunately always seem to be housed in a strong cage.  They can however be a bit unnerving.  Having braved this we went straight across the road and followed the footpath that eventually joins up with the Wareham Forest Way a little before Woolsbarrow Fort.  We took a little detour to climb to the top of the fort from where we had a good view of the surrounding countryside.  Look as we might we couldn't spot any Romans.
We then turned east off the Wareham Forest Way to go out onto Morden Heath just to add a little to the distance.  It was a lovely bright day and we were feeling energetic.  We also found a pleasant spot to stop for our morning break.  This gave Peter an opportunity to play with another gadget enabling him to take pictures remotely by connecting his camera and phone by Wi-Fi.  Picture below!  Crossing the Wareham Forest Way we walked along side the Wareham Forest Tourist Park which looks very pleasant.  This was the only part of the route that was quite wet underfoot.
At Stroud Bridge we turned back to the north to head passed Woolsbarrow Fort again this time to the west of it.  To avoid walking along the A35 we took to some of the smaller footpaths that were a little narrow and muddy in places but not too bad.  Back on a more major path it was easy to find our way back to the church passing some lovely displays of snowdrops en route.

Lunch at the St Peter's Finger was reasonable but not special.  They are open for food all day.

We started out by walking back from the car park onto church street but soon our leader pointed out we were going in the wrong direction and we went back into the car park and followed the path out of its far corner, between the houses and out onto the fields.
The path follows Ashford Water a small tributary that runs into the River Avon.  Unfortunately we had had quite a bit of rain over the previous couple of days and so this left many of the paths very muddy.  My enduring memory of this walk is of mud.  Nevertheless it was not that horrible clingy mud that creates "moon boots" just your everyday mucky mud!
The path comes out at Alderholt Mill a picturesque working water mill which offers bed & breakfast or self catering accommodation http://www.alderholtmill.co.uk.  We then followed the path a little further along Ashford Water before turning toward Lower Court Wood where we stopped for our break.  There were some nice stools and a table provided for us to enjoy.  A short stretch along the road and then we turned off again and took the path past Hurley Farm.  Ray and Peter were told off, by the local land owner, for taking a slight detour to avoid a section of rather deep muddy track.  He was however quite understanding and we managed the rest of the walk without incident.
There were lots of snowdrops in places along the route and a few crocus were starting to show.  The catkins are now growing rapidly so those afflicted can start to expect hay feaver soon.
Lunch at the Bat and Ball was a real winner.  The pensioners lunch was excellent.  Very good food, ample portions and really friendly service.  Tea in proper pots with two tea bags.  The main course was only £4.95 but three of us could not resist paying an extra £3 for the apple and rhubarb crumble which we did not need but did enjoy!

And now for something new.  A little song especially for you!