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A Watery Walk - Longham

20/12/2018

Date:
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20 December 2018
Longham
6.9 miles
Bridge House Hotel
Bridge House Hotel

This walk turned out to be very different from the planned version! Do not however get put off this area. We have had some good walks around here on previous occasions. A search for "Longham" will provide details.

We started from the car park at the Bridge House Hotel where we planned to have their excellent cavern for our lunch.
Turning right outside the hotel we took the Ferndown Stour and Forest Trail along the edge of the Stour but not for long. After about a third of a mile the path was underwater and there was no way we could go any further.
We turned back and took the same trail this time leading north beside the Longham Lakes Reservoir. Looking over what should have been farm land to the west the extent of the flooding could be plainly seen.

The Stour

Farm Land! - Looking West From The Lakes

We turned off towards Coneygar Farm and rejoined another section of the trail towards Ferndown with the intention of taking the footpath to Knoll Gardens. Alas this footpath had vanished. We carried on for a short distance to see if there was an alternative route to the gardens but no we had to turn back again. We felt we deserved a break now so we found a decent log to sit on while we regained our enthusiasm.

This time we thought we would take the bridleway across to Knoll Gardens but we were faced with another submerged path that was impossible to bypass. We had to turn back for a third time. We have never before been forced to turn back three times on one walk. In fact we have hardly ever turned back at all!

A Minor Obstacle We Overcame

A Car Plant?

If you would like to see many more strange pictures of cars have a look at the International Car Forest of The Last Church. Here's a link on Tripadvisor .
Eventually we found a reasonable route back and happily reached the Bridge House at 13:30 in good time for lunch. It was a very nice lunch for a very nice price.

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Cranborne

13/12/2018

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Date:
Location:
Distance:
Parking:
Lunch:

13 December 2018
Cranborne
6.5 miles
Outside Sheaf of Arrows
Sheaf of Arrows

We managed to find a convenient spot to park right outside the Sheaf of Arrows and were pleased to find that they serve lunches until 14:30 and offer a 25% discount for the “not so young” during the week - an incentive to walk quickly.

Cranborne Manor was looking a bit bleak as we set out but. Having been originally built as a hunting lodge for King John in the early 1200s it will have certainly seen days a lot worse than this one.

Although it looks like a pleasant track it is worth remembering that from Manor Farm to Cranborne Farm it is more like walking on a road. We had forgotten!
We followed the signed path around the farm though it would have been easy enough to just walk through the rather deserted farm yard.

There is no sign but the footpath turns right through a gate into the field and then up towards the road. There is no need to walk along the edge of the road as there is a nice wide path just inside the edge of the field. There are several places, just inside the small copse, where there is no wire preventing walkers crossing the road onto Monkton Drive. We then had the pleasure of a stroll down a grassy track with hedges on both sides protecting us from the increasingly chilly wind.
Turning right on the road, for a short way, we joined the Jubilee Trail which soon turns across the fields and then through a little gate onto the edge of quite a steep embankment.
The wind was now becoming really chilly so we looked for some shelter where we could enjoy our drinks without freezing.

Cranborne Manor - Looks Comfortable

Our Manor - A Little Less Attractive

Out Of The Wind

Feeling revitalised we continued along the Jubilee Trail all the way back to Cranborne. It isn’t all that clear but the footpath runs inside the fence line along Parsonage Lane and there is an exit point just by Creech Hill House. There is however no option but than to walk along the road from here to the corner where it crosses the fields again.

We were back in good time for lunch at the Sheaf of Arrows and were happy to purchase the last two steak and kidney puddings. The couple who followed us in were not so lucky!

Bright But Breezy

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Wilverley and Holmsley Inclosure

6/12/2018

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Date:
Location:
Distance:
Parking:
Lunch:

6 December 2018
Wilverley and Holmsley
6 miles
Large car park, north east of Wilverley Inclosure
Cat and Fiddle, Into Admiral

In spite of the rather dull day there were a lot of people parked in the large Wilverley car park. We saw very few of them once we started walking, partly because we started out on one of the minor paths which may not have looked too inviting to most of the dog walkers. We did however come across a group using trees, bungee cords, mats and other paraphernalia as an outside gym.

Every now and then a small, rare burst of sunlight helped to make the bracken glow with a lovely golden colour.

We have never been able to find a way of reaching the style to cross the road without having to take the rather grotty route that goes under the bridge. It seems impossible as the road is fenced on both sides. We followed a route that we have used several times before along the disused railway. The picture of the reflections of the trees gives some idea as to the extent of the water in the forest after the last few days rain.

Pure Gold!

The Next Train?

Treeflections

We stopped for a break close to Holmsley Lodge and then walked along a short stretch of the road before taking the small track on the left which leads to the bottom of Lodge Hill. It wasn’t as wet as we feared and after passing through the gate at the bottom we had a fairly easy stroll before crossing the road and splurging our way to the footbridge over Avon Water - it is quite close to the road and could easily be missed which would prove difficult!

We walked around the road and back towards the Tea Rooms looking for a place where we could cross the fence. We noticed a horse rider taking the track under the road to our east and thought we would check this out for future reference. The answer is you need a horse or very long waders.

Just A Tree

Not For Walkers

Retracing our footsteps we went through the gate into the Inclosure and followed the cycle track for most of the way back to the car.

Lunch at the Harvester, Cat and Fiddle, at Hinton Admiral rounded the day off nicely.

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A Watery Walk - Longham

Cranborne

Wilverley and Holmsley Inclosure

The Walkers' Blog

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