| Date: Location: Walk Leader: Participants: Distance: Parking: Lunch: | 26 April 2017 Cranbourne Peter Peter, Clive, Ray 7.25 miles Cranbourne The Square Sheaf of Arrows ★★★☆☆ |
A good walk with lots of variety in terms of types of path and scenery. There are however one or two quite tricky bits.
From the Square we walked back a short distance along the B3078 towards Cripplestyle before taking the footpath leading to Mill Lane. An alternative would have been to walk along the side of the River Crane but we have done that several times before. Mill Lane was, in places, very attractive with lots of Bluebells, Ramsons and Stitchwort. As we got closer to the River Crane and Purbeck Lane we found some very wet and muddy patches where the only way across was by balancing on rather small logs. We met three other walkers who also enjoy regular Wednesday walks and spent more than a couple of minutes swapping stories.
We started walking towards the Heavy Horse Centre but soon realised we had missed the planned track and went back to the Purbeck Lane junction. The correct path was just up the slope and over a style into the field, not that easy to spot. At the other side of the field the path enters a scrubby area where the path is rather obscure and then crosses a stream via an old sleeper. The path in the woods the other side is even more obscure but we found a route into the field and the path leading to Gotham.
From the Square we walked back a short distance along the B3078 towards Cripplestyle before taking the footpath leading to Mill Lane. An alternative would have been to walk along the side of the River Crane but we have done that several times before. Mill Lane was, in places, very attractive with lots of Bluebells, Ramsons and Stitchwort. As we got closer to the River Crane and Purbeck Lane we found some very wet and muddy patches where the only way across was by balancing on rather small logs. We met three other walkers who also enjoy regular Wednesday walks and spent more than a couple of minutes swapping stories.
We started walking towards the Heavy Horse Centre but soon realised we had missed the planned track and went back to the Purbeck Lane junction. The correct path was just up the slope and over a style into the field, not that easy to spot. At the other side of the field the path enters a scrubby area where the path is rather obscure and then crosses a stream via an old sleeper. The path in the woods the other side is even more obscure but we found a route into the field and the path leading to Gotham.
 Telegraph Hill  Refuelling | A short stretch on the road and then a left turn and we were on our way past a Camping and Caravan Club CS, onto Pistle Hill and Telegraph Plantation where we stopped for drinks and biscuits. We wondered whether the tall pine in this area had anything to do with the name. After a well earned rest we set off across the corner of Cranbourne Common, which provided a nice contrast in the scenery, and then across Cow Bridge. There is very little evidence of the long dismantled railway. As far as I can tell it was part of the Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway from Alderbury to West Moors. British Railways announced formal proposals to close the line in early summer 1963, claiming it was losing £100 a mile per week. It was 18 miles and 41 chains according to Wikipedia. |
| This image is from a memorial for the Ebenezer Congregational Chapel opened in Cripplestyle on 11 December 1807. A small cob-built building originally of clay, heather, wood and thatch it finally collapsed in October 1976. |  Ebenezer Congregational Chapel |
| We managed to find examples of both English and Spanish Bluebells on this walk. Did you know that the UK is an international stronghold for bluebells, with more than a quarter of the world's population found here. Unfortunately our native plant has been losing ground to the inferior Spanish version, introduced by the Victorians. Our beautiful, delicate English Bluebell has a wonderful sweet perfume while the invasive foreign one has no scent at all. |  Spanish on the left English on the right |
 Sixpenny Tap Brewery | As we walked past Holwell Farm, which has seen some really good development since our last visit, we came across the very pleasant Sixpenny Brewery Tap Room. In fact it looked so inviting we drove back there and bought some beer after lunch. On the way back into Cranbourne we missed a short section of path that goes through the hosing to the River, hence a little wiggle in the route! |
Lunch was at the Sheaf of Arrows in Cranbourne. Excellent value lunch for those of an aged look - £6.50 for a main course and a pot of tea. Ray had Ham egg and chips and Peter had Fish and chips while Clive opted for a toasty. Good sized portions and first rate chips. We were not however so impressed with the staff. If you want to have lunch make sure you are there well before their stopping time of 2:30 or you won't get anything to eat, not even a sandwich.
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