| Date: Location: Walk Leader: Participants: Distance: Parking: Lunch: | 25th March 2015 Harbridge Clive Clive, Peter, Ray, Rob 7 miles Beside Harbridge Church The Bat and Ball ★★★ |
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.
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.
 Some Moustache! |  A Good Following |  By the Lake |
 What Does This Convey? |  Off Piste Plumley Wood |  Harbridge Church |
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