Or, how to be a path purist
So a final farewell to Devizes and the horses, back home via Woodhenge and home in time for tea and to greet my little pussy cat boys after 8 days away.
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Or, how to be a path puristI told you the mileage would go down and the quaffage would go up once Pete got here. Annie and Graeme and Adam and Karen also came up on Saturday. We had a short stroll around Avebury followed by several pints in the Red Lion. My friend the barman said he didn't recognise me without my hiking gear on! Then back into Devizes for several more pints at the Black Horse near Caen Hill Locks. This pub had quite possibly the worst / most comical method of ordering food. We were told that a couple of things were of the menu, then a couple more and so it went on. "Tell us what you have got," says Annie "and we'll order that." So we do. Then a few minutes later they come back to tell us that's off as well. A&K's meal was completely overlooked and arrived much later. They also ran out of ice and Jack Daniels. Sunday was a case of meeting up from our respective B&B's for a final marvel at the Caen Hill locks before wending our ways homewards. Now, whilst I didn't mind so much that I had missed a few miles of the path to fit in with the buses, I was perturbed that I hadn't got near enough to the horse at Alton Barnes to actually tickle its ears, as I had with each of the others. And so Pete and I set off on a lovely walk to see it up close and personal. The Alton Barnes 'Henry' is on Milk Hill, one of the highest points in Wiltshire and you can see it for miles around. Can also see the Cherhill monument and the Pewsey horse from up there. The Alton Barnes horse was cut in 1812 and paid for twice as the person originally paid £20 in advance absconded with the money. He was later caught and found guilty for a number of crimes for which he was hanged. After tickling the ears, we walked over to Adam's Grave, a neolithic chambered long barrow. Nice. Turns out the little 7.5 mile loop I had planned was like the trail in summary - canal tow path, a bit of the Wessex Ridgeway, amazing views across the Vale of Pewsey and to Avebury and Silbury Hill, glacially scooped out hill sides with paragliders, a chalk horse, an ancient monument, a pretty village and a pub! In fact, could have just done this and saved myself the strain of the other 94 miles! But this was a great walk on a sunny day. And of course I wouldn't have missed the rest of the walk - I thoroughly enjoyed myself and all the local history was amazing. Can't believe how much there is crammed into such a small space. Big up to the ancestors.
So a final farewell to Devizes and the horses, back home via Woodhenge and home in time for tea and to greet my little pussy cat boys after 8 days away.
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Including an Alien Abduction at HoneystreetLast of the long walks today. Packed my trekking sandals in the rucksack and headed into Devizes for the bus to Pewsey. I had some time before the bus arrived, so popped into chemist to get some surgical tape. The Compeed all came off after my bath last night. I think they have changed it 'cos it used to stick to your feet for ages, and now the slightest bit of heat and water turns it to a gluey mess and it falls off. Pointless. I fear it is a ruse to get more money from us. I also got some local cheese, the yummiest pork pie ever and some peaches from the farmers market all for £1.50. Bargain. Still taking the antihistamines as am now up to at least 8 horse fly bites and they are all rather red, swollen and itchy. Lovely. My bus driver told me he used to be a shepherd and that he used Autan to keep the blighters at bay and Waspeze if he was bitten. So these babies are on the shopping list for next adventure. Resorting to more traditional blister prevention methods, I taped my toes up once I got off the bus. And then off to see my last 2 horses and to finish the trail. Well it wasn't difficult to get to the gorgeous little hoss at Pewsey - he was directly in front of me when I alighted the bus, so it was just a matter of climbing the rather steep hill up to him. This is the second youngest of the horses, having been cut by volunteers of the Pewsey Fire Brigade in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of King George VI. I loved the fact that the sign on the gate to the enclosure read "Animals Please Shut the Gate." But how would their little paws / hooves be able to manage such a feat? And how would they have been able to open it in the first place? It was another lovely high level walk across to the village of Manningford Bruce and then I ran out of path and into nettles and thistles once again! It should have been easy...point north until reach canal. But a criss-cross of footpaths and non-paths led me astray, and although I cursed at the nettles, I did like the field full of piglets that I crossed. I knew I was right once I got to Swanborough Tump. I think Tump is an old dialect word for mound. The inscribed stone reads "Swanborough Tump - Swinbeorg c850. Here in the year 871 the future King Alfred the Great met his elder brother King Aethelred I on their way to fight the invading Danes and each one swore if the other died in battle the dead man's children would inherit the lands of their father King Aethelwulf." Sandals on at this point, boots in rucksack. From here it was a direct line to join the towpath of the Kennet & Avon canal that would take me all the way back into Devizes. I joined the canal at the rather fancy Lady's Bridge. The landowner did not want the canal to cross his land and so the family insisted that the bridge be made to look ornamental rather than the more functional brick bridges elsewhere and that the canal was widened to look like a lake and planted with water lilies where it passed near their mansion. A little way further along and I was glad to see the Barge Inn at Honeystreet which markets itself as "the international centre for crop circle enthusiasts." It's in a fabulous location and has its own microbrewery, so I was obliged to try both the Croppie and the Alien Abduction. But the place itself was a bit too dippy hippy for me (I had forgotten to pack my nose flute and runes, but then again I was wearing socks and sandals).
As I headed off, the final insult to my battered, bruised, scratched and bitten legs was being pinged with the hook from a bungee which flew off a tethered dog that leapt up at me on the way past. And then the last 6 miles back into Devizes. My final chat along the towpath was with a chap who was renovating his barge in order to make money to travel to Australia. His barge was called Solsbury Hill, which I thought was very apt as I had been singing it all week. I finished with a view of the final horse at Alton Barnes, cats in canal boats and the sunset over the water as I hobbled towards my own white horse at Devizes, my guiding beacon each night home. Trail over, job done. 94 miles covered in 5 days and I'm giving myself the day off tomorrow to visit the Canal Museum and see the gold from Stonehenge at the Wiltshire Museum. Really looking forward to seeing Pete again tomorrow. Already thinking about the Two Moors way for next spring. Including a rakish pint at the Outside ChanceToday saw me once again on the now familiar 49 bus from Devizes, through Avebury and on to Broad Hinton. I keep bumping into the barman from the Red Lion at Avebury on the bus. He doesn't look old enough to drink, never mind work behind a bar (oh dear, another sign of getting older!) This morning there was also an American lady on the bus who told me that she was a lecturer in Mesopotamian history and was here to attend a conference (probably the one on crop circles in Devizes methinks!) As we passed Silbury Hill, I was saying how it was contemporaneous to the pyramids and how rich this area is in Neolithic and Bronze Age culture (since she was asking about Avebury). She then attempted to tell me that Bronze Age Britain basically had no culture as it was only those Mesopotamians and the Egyptians / Greeks. An American, telling a Britisher about history, well I ask you! I politely suggested that she might want to see the collection of ancient gold, amber and jade at the Wiltshire Museum where she could also read up on neolithic and bronze age ritual, royalty and religion and that simple working people lived in pretty much the same conditions the world over...an American, indeed! The route took me across fields and up a very steep hill to the graceful little horse trotting along at Hackpen just below the Ridgeway, The Hackpen horse was cut in 1838 by the local parish clerk Henry Eatwell (great name) to commemorate Queen Victoria's coronation. As I climbed up onto the Ridgeway, I was asked by some Germans if I knew where the crop circle was. I didn't. Then I thought, do I look like the sort of person who knows where crop circles are? And then I thought, yes, I do! Then it was a long stretch across another part of Fyfield Down (more sarcen stones) and a drop down by the gallops towards Marlborough, which seemed to go on forever. My feet were on fire and, as the way was now all over grass, I took my boots off and walked with just my socks on. Heaven! I understand the appeal of barefoot running now. Tomorrow I am donning socks and sandals and I don't care what that looks like.
I had to put my boots back on once I got to the village of Manton and was just about able to hobble into a very nice pub there called The Outside Chance - obviously with a racing connection. There were three rakish types who insisted I join them with my pint and asked if I wanted to dine with them - they were ordering scallops and pints of prawns. I declined, also the offer of a lift back to Devizes in the shiny black vintage Daimler parked outside. They were very funny, clearly enjoyed a bit of a gamble and the high life and laughed that they had tried to tempt me away from my white horse, but I wouldn't be persuaded. Anyhow, as usual, a cold pint on a hot day was thoroughly reviving and thus regenerated I headed off to the grounds of Marlborough college in the nearby village of Preshute for horse number 6. He was cut in 1804 by boys from a local school in a walking pose and is a very slender chap. Years of chalk downshifting have built up the lower legs and belly, increasing the foreshortening effect and making him look like an anorexic diplodocus to me. Another steep climb to follow a section of the Saxon Wansdyke path through cool beech woods and then one final turn up the stunning Avenue of standing stones to return to Avebury where I got the bus back with the barman (we sat on separate seats though, I don't know him that well!) Last 2 horses tomorrow. When I got back, I was looking up about the Outside Chance pub as a possible one to return to with Pete at the weekend and it turns out that one of my rakish new chums was actually its millionaire part owner. Perhaps I should have accepted the kind offer of the lift in the Daimler after all! Including a diversion to Trowbridge and more horse fliesDiscovered the local buses run to their own timetable - one which bears no resemblance to those on the internet or at the actual bus stops. I was hoping to get the 08.50 bus directly to Bratton (as per internet timetable) but it was a no show, and the only direct bus shown at the bus stop was at 7.30. What gives? Ended up going to Trowbridge and then down to the start of my walk from there. To be fair, Trowbridge is a very pretty town and I was able to pick up a replacement pay as you go phone for 99p whilst there. And a load of antihistamine tablets. I know I'm walking the white horse way, but I am not an actual horse so I would like to say a big naff off to the evil horse flies. Leave me alone you buggers. I also got some more compeed and fashioned myself a new little toe for my left foot (Christy Brown style??) Anyway, this little diversion meant that I didn't start walking until about 11.30 which is late for a 20 miler. As I was walking back last night, I passed a field with what looked like a reconstruction of an iron age village in it. Funny, I thought, I don't remember seeing anything about this. On closer inspection (I really am going to have to start wearing my glasses while I'm walking) it turned out to be a piggery. I mentioned this to Tony my landlord at breakfast this morning and he said that was where my locally produced award winning sausages were from, so thanks piggly wigs - delicious. And it is good to know exactly where your food comes from. The horse at Bratton (also called the Westbury horse) is a stunner. He is standing square just below, you guessed it, an Iron Age hill fort called Bratton camp. It is the oldest and the biggest of the Wiltshire 8 and was made to cover a much older strange-looking horse - you can see the probable design of the original if you expand on the black printed picture. I think the original was a stallion! An appropriately named Mr. G Gee cut the new horse in 1778. He did not like the old (possibly Bronze Age, oh the horror of it all) horse and so completely covered it with his own design based on the currently fashionable artist Stubbs. It was concreted over in the 1950's as it suffered badly from erosion, which is great for visibility and maintenance but a shame that the traditional chalk has gone. However, you could argue that the concrete is fitting in that it overlooks the now defunct Westbury cement works in the valley below. I picked up the Imber Ranges Perimeter path from the summit of the camp and headed west for the long walk back to Devizes. The path runs along the edge of the army firing ranges and looks down over Sailsbury Plain. Imber is a village given over to the MOD in WW2 - like Tyneham in the Purbecks. It is only accessible at Easter and during August when the MOD open the road. There is a good article about it here.
Not long after starting down the path, I had to 'use the facilities'. No-one around for miles, so time for a quick tinkle 'en plein air'. What I didn't do was look up. Too late, several hang-gliders and paragliders overhead...just needed the Red Arrows for an official fly past!!! Although it was easy to follow, the path is more of a stony track and with the heat (it was very, very hot) this only contributed more towards my sore little tootsies, shame. But onward the path went, with fantastic views over the plain on my right and the valley on my left. From the high ground I could also see the horses at Cherhill and Alton Barnes, as well as the Lansdowne Monument at Cherhill. In fact, the monument was visible on most of my walks. It's a shame I can't take any pictures. My camera is still drying out with my phone in a bag of rice. I skirted around the village of Market Lavington then turned northwards to Urchfont. What a pretty village it was. Traditional duck pond, gorgeous thatched cottages and a superb pub, The Lamb. I was hot, tired and very thirsty. A couple of pints of Amstel went down a treat and the atmosphere was most conducive to staying for several more. However, I still had 5 miles to go and wanted to get back before dark. So I bade a sad farewell to the good folk at the Lamb and started off up the hill towards Devizes. I was aware there was a new crop circle not far off the path at Etchilhampton Hill, but at this stage in the proceedings I simply couldn't add another couple of miles on, which was a pity as I would have liked to have seen it. As I crested the hill ready to drop back down into Devizes, the sun was setting with a beautiful red glow over Devizes ahead of me to my right and their white horse on my left following my own little ley line back to the B&B for a late finish at 9.30pm. Miles covered 20, White Horses 4, horse fly bites 6, number of people that have probably seen me weeing today 16! Today's walk was bloody hard work in the scorching heat. So scorchio in fact that the fire brigade were out to a field fire. Had a lovely walk around the Bronze Age White Horse and Iron Age fort at Uffington and then along the ridgeway to the long barrow at Wayland's Smithy. After that we crossed some golden wheat fields and looped back up via the racehorse practice gallops in the Lambourne valley. Enjoyed a well earned ice cream back at the car. I had some lovely photos that Pete took, but can't upload them for now. So here are some from the internet. I was wondering why you could only see the horse properly from above. The best theories I can find are from the excellent guide http://www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk/uffington.html: The horse-goddess Epona was worshipped by the Celts in Gaul, and she had a British counterpart, Rhiannon, so the horse may have been cut by those worshipping her cult. Alternatively the horse could have been cut by worshipers of the sun god Belinos, who was also associated with horses. Either way, the horse would have been cut so as to be seen from above by the god or goddess.
Wayland's Smithy (not to be confused with a character from the Simpsons) was once believed to be inhabited by the Saxon god of metal working, Wayland. He was thought to shoe horses for those who left them overnight at the Smithy with a silver coin as payment. In fact 14 people were buried there nearly 4000 years ago. It feels like connecting with the ancestors. The B&B is superb. Wonderful hosts and home-made cake on arrival. Yummy. And a heated swimming pool. Pete headed off home and left me to my own Devizes (geddit?) for the next week. And then a mishap occurred. And before you ask, no I wasn't. But it was dark and I tripped over a tree root on the canal path on the way back from dinner. I dropped the torch and my bum bag went into the canal with camera and phone in it. Then I fell into a massive bed of nettles as I fished the bag out of the water. Hence not being able to upload photos. Or take any more. Or use my phone. I also look like I've got measles all on my arms and legs and they sting like mad. I have been slathering on the Anthisan - seems to be helping. Think will adjust plans for shorter walk tomorrow as legs so stingy mc'tingly. Ouch! And double ouch re the gadgets. The phone was cheap enough, but the camera was a nice one......here's hoping they will dry out ok. What a glorious day! The coast path between Kimmeridge and Houns Tout cliff has been made safe and re-opened after the winter land slips. This 10 mile loop is one of my very favourites as it has spectacular views and some good climbs. Pete and I picked up Annie & Grae and we started walking from Kinsgston Matravers at about 12.30. We set off west to climb Swyre Head where there is a well preserved tumulus. Then along Smedmore Hill and through the wonderfully named 'Heaven's Gate' to drop down to the coast at Kimmeridge. This is the view west towards Kimmeridge Bay from Smedmore Hill. You can just about make out the Isle of Portland on the horizon. As we were walking down the hill (which cyclists can use as it is also a bridleway), a cyclist kept cycling up and down and back up the steepest part. Said he was in training. Just a tad too smug - was sorely tempted to prod him with my trekking pole....but thought better of it. There are shale beds at Kimmeridge Bay and oil has been drilled there since the 1950's. From the beach there is a steep climb (a taste of things to come) up to Clavell Tower. The tower was built as a folly in 1831 by John Richards Clavell of Smedmore House. It is the setting for Thomas Hardy's novel Two on A Tower. Threatened by cliff erosion, it was in imminent danger of toppling into the sea. In 2006 it was carefully dismantled, each of its 16,732 stones photographed and numbered before being reassembled 25 meters inland. The £900K cost was met by the Landmark Trust who now own the tower and let it for 2 people to stay in....cool! The walk turns back inland after a well earned rest on the big stone bench at the top of the climb. From there it's just another couple of miles back to the typical Purbeck village and the Scott Arms at Kingston Matravers. I had a pint of Jurrasic; Pete had a pint of something like Quad Drop - both were jolly good. We sat at a huge stone tablet in the garden which overlooks Corfe Castle and beyond to Poole Harbour. Super walk in the afternoon sunshine. So much for my trip to Devon and the East Devon Way!I had been planning the East Devon Way as my last walk before putting the tent away this year. I booked off the week of 14th October, booked the campsites and planned to head down to my bestest sister Linda's in Exmouth on Saturday 11th, stay for a few days and then walk back via the EDW from there to Lyme Regis over 4 days, back to work on 21st. Two things scuppered this plan....
DAY 1 - Blandford to Sturmninster Newton (13.5 miles) 10/09/13 And so to the final stages of the Stour Valley Way. I had a week off work and had planned to use some of it to finish the SVW. Having walked the first half as practice for the Coast to Coast, I was keen to complete this and follow the river Stour from the sea at Christchurch to its source at Stourhead, 64 miles earlier. A bit of planning was involved, as there was only one campsite convenient to the path. I booked 2 nights at 'Osho Leela' on 10th and 11th September and walked from Blandford Forum to Sturminster Newton on day 1, getting the bus onwards to Gillingham to camp there overnight. Pete dropped me off at Blandford and I waved goodbye to him for the next 2 nights and set off walking at 9.30 am. I needed an early start as the last bus from Sturminster to Gillingham was at 16.20 and I did not want to miss it! The walk initially goes through the grounds of the rather exclusive Bryanston School (£10,738 a term, with very impressive equestrian facilities in case you were wondering) and into the very small village of Durweston. From there I was on familiar territory as I crossed into Stourpaine and then up and over the Iron Age forts of Hod Hill and Hambledon Hill, where I stopped for lunch and watched a kestrel using the thermals to hunt. Also spotted many Adonis Blue butterflies, nice to see, and probably the last of the summer's swallows. I had been tempted by a new trailway at Stourpaine which uses disused railway track all the way into Sturminster Newton, but why miss out on the hills. And I know how much I would have been bugged by not sticking to the official path, even it is a part I've done several times before. It was bad enough getting OCD in the car on the way to Blandford because I had put my clean clothes in the green dry-bag instead of the usual blue one! Guess what I did first when I got to the campsite....As it turned out, I picked up the trailway just beyond Child Okeford due to diversions and headed for Fiddleford Mill and the 14th century manor house there. Unless I missed something, I didn't see much of the mill, but the weir there was interesting and reminded me of a smaller version of Pultney weir at Bath. There was a little hydro-electric plant that worked with an archimedes screw housed inside a wooden shed and down a shute, which I thought was a hatching shed for eels or fish! It blended really well with the old buildings and provided enough power for 35 houses - not much, but every little helps. From Fiddleford it was a short walk into Sturminster Newton, staying close to the river and crossing fields to reach the pretty old market town which was once home to the largest calf market in Europe, fact! Thomas Hardy lived here for a while, as did his contemporary the Dorset dialect poet William Barnes. As I had plenty of time before the bus to Gillingham, I popped into the local co-op for some groceries and had a coffee at Poets Corner cafe with its resident budgies Bobby and Bluebell. Short bus trip to the outskirts of Gillingham and then another mile or so to the campsite at Osho Leela, a spiritual retreat come hippy community come personal development kind of place (I was too early for the autumn conscious sexuality festival and the humaniversity classes, shame). I was slightly afraid I might be forced to participate in some tantric sex workshop or have to discuss my private parts at a gender-balanced intimacy group, but fortunately not. The site was quiet and secluded with good showers if you didn't mind sharing them with the spiders and daddy-long-legs. A little black cat from the nearby farm watched me set up camp. She sat in the hedge for ages, but I couldn't persuade her to come over. Saw her later with a mouse for her supper as I was tucking into bacon butties for mine. Was thinking that today had been a Keats day - season of mists and mellow fruitfulness as his Ode to Autumn has it. The hedgerows were brimming with fruit and nuts. I picked and ate several ripe plums, loads of blackberries (obviously not the ones at the bottom of the hedge...) and there were also rosehips, haws, elderberries, sloes, quince - even grapes and pomegranate in a cottage garden. Then there were acorns, beech nuts, hazel nuts and horse chestnuts. Watched an amazing sunset and drifted off to sleep listening to owls. Got up about 2.30 for the loo - the night sky was so clear I could recognise constellations, but not sure exactly which ones - something to swot up on. DAY 2 - Sturmninster Newton to Gillingham (13.5 miles) 11/09/13 Walked the mile or so into Gillingham town centre this morning and caught the bus back to Sturmninster Newton in order to walk back into Gillingham! This is what happens when there is only one campsite for miles around. I found Gillingham rather dismal and much preferred the rural charm of Sturminster. Once there, I took some time to look around the town and walk down to the mill which, amazingly, is actually by-passed by the official route. The mill is beautiful and is still producing flour. If yesterday was Keats, then today was definitely Hardy with a bit of Tennyson in the mix for good measure. The walk followed the river much more closely today as it meandered through the Vale of Blackmore (Hardy's Vale of the Dairies). In places the river put me in mind of Tennyson's Lady of Shallott (on either side the river lie long fields of barley and of rye, that clothe the wold and meet the sky...and so on down to Camelot) and of the famous pre-Raphaelite painting by Waterhouse. No chance of meeting a Lancelot on a shining charger for me though, and even if I did the backpack would probably be too heavy for him to sweep me off my feet! Heard the distinctive 'splosh' of a water vole, but didn't actually see it. And although there are otters in the Stour hereabouts, I was out of luck there too. But it's nice to know they are there. It was difficult to navigate today as the path wasn't very well signed and the fact that some fields that it crossed had been ploughed over made it impossible to find in places, so a bit more walking along the lanes than I had anticipated, and where I did cross fields I was herded out of them twice by some very pushy bovines. I don't know if it was the sticks, but I got the distinct impression they wanted me out of their fields, and be quick about it. I felt like I was playing that primary school game 'What's the time Mr Wolf' as every time I turned round the cows were following me again. And yet when I (rapidly) crossed the field and stood safely on the other side of the fence it seemed that all they wanted to do was sniff me and have a lick of my hands. Weird. Just glad I didn't have a dog or else I think I might have been stampeded. Also good (I think) that I don't mind having my hands licked by cows. My lunch stop was at Marnhull, which I loved. It is a beautiful village which Thomas Hardy also walked to in 1877 during his 2 years living at Sturminster, probably along the same paths. He saw the old May Day procession there, which features in Tess, and used the village as her birthplace, which he calls Marlott. I sat in the churchyard of St. Gregory's and wondered if the gravestones set in the wall were his inspiration for the D'Urberville graves that made plain Tess Durbeyfield think she came from a noble family. The Crown Inn is called The Pure Drop in the book and the oldest part of the pub has not been changed much since the 16th century. I sat in a small room with original wood panels and pondered if this is where Hardy imagined Tess' father downing many a pint. I only had an Appletize. Leaving Marnhull and Hardy behind, I continued to follow the river by more mills then across fields and along lanes to the wonderfully named Fifehead Magdalen and Stour Provost (so I'm now thinking about Betjeman's poem 'Dorset', what a literary trail this is turning out to be). Ate some scrumptious tomatoes from honesty box at Fifehead and left the money in the letter box on the garden gate. There were lots of stunning cottages and houses, and every car that went past was clearly very expensive, but my oh my, how grumpy all their drivers looked. All that money and they couldn't even crack a smile as a passing walker raised a friendly hand to greet them. I was worried that most of them wouldn't even pull out around me. Bally toffs. It was raining heavily by the time I got back to base, so much so that I found a little leak in the outer of the tent so will have to attend to that when get home. It's into the lobby bit so not going to get wet from it. Cooked in the lobby bit with head torch on, which is great for attracting daddy-long-legs. They go straight for your face as that's where the light's coming from and when you bat them away they fall into your dinner. They have now taken over from midges as my least favourite flying beasties. No sign of the cat tonight, too wet! Have been totting up the expenses and they come to a grand total of £37 for the trip - not bad for three days away. DAY 3 - Gillingham to Stourhead (10.5 miles) 12/09/13 So this is where the rest of the hills are! Lulled into a sense of security be having got what I thought were the big hills out of the way on Day 1, today came as a bit of a surprise. Although I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me that as you got nearer to the source of a river you might be a) up hill and b) across valleys, but there you go. And there I went. It was a damp start as I packed up, but the rain soon cleared so I didn't need my waterproofs. Was glad I hadn't got gortexed up as it got hotter and hotter as the day went on. Again there was a lack of waymarkers today. Day 1 I pretty much knew the route, Day 2 I had a good idea from the bus trips, Day 3 I would have been completely lost a few times so was glad I had saved the GPS batteries for the last day. I was also using a Landranger map on a 1:40000 scale rather than my usual Explorer maps on a 1:25000 scale, so everything seemed further away than it looked on the map. I had arranged to meet Pete at the Spread Eagle pub in the village next to Stourhead at 4pm and thought that would give me plenty of time, but the many faffs to get the rucksack over narrow stiles and through tiny kissing gates together with the several hours (or so it felt) it took me to wait for a safe gap to cross the A303 did mean getting a bit of a rush on at the end. My legs were knackered by the time all was done but there had been some serious power walking along the flat parts and several steep ascents and descents. Again, I was grateful for the flask of coffee that Pete had brought with him, and for his patience as I didn't actually get to him until 45 mins after I had said I would. This last part of the walk was very scenic, with views of the Wessex Ridgeway on my left for most of the day. I'm tempted to do some of that next, weather permitting before putting the tent away for the winter. I stopped for lunch at Silton, a tiny village with a population of just 134, and a gorgeous little church. You may have noticed that I'm quite partial to stopping for lunch in churchyards and today's was particularly picturesque. It was on a hill that fell steeply away to give views over the vale below. Sitting in the walled churchyard I could hear the church organist practicing some well known hymns. I went into to have a look and was taken aback by how lovely the church was inside. The original green, red and gold colourings had been restored to the walls and arches, the roof bosses shone with gold leaf and the massive memorial to a local dignitary from Charles II time dominated one wall with its life-sized statues. Next came Bourton with the remains of a WW1 ordnance factory where Mills bombs were made in vast quantities. Bourton is also where the three counties of Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset meet. I thought about standing with a foot in each, but then remembered I only have two feet. From there it was the last of the ups and downs through the Stourhead Estate to reach the source of the river itself. The estate is magnificent, and you can glimpse the formal gardens and the Temple of Flora from the high ground above. Then you skirt the gardens (thus avoiding the entry fee) to come to Six Wells Bottom. By this point I was flat out to try to get to Pete for 4 o'clock, but I was determined to get to St. Peter's Pump which marks the source. The pump looks like an old church steeple and dates from 1474. It was originally part of old Bristol's water supply, but was moved here for some reason in 1768. See my photos from the walk here. Anyway. I quick marched it to the pump and back towards the house. I was surprised that the path went for free right in front of the stunning Palladian mansion, which looks like it has been used in many a film set. Few piccies there and then down to the picture postcard village of Stourton where the view into the gardens and across to the Pantheon is stunning. Big hugs from Pete and home to the pussy cat boys and the rest of the week off. New hall floor and repainting hall, stairs and landing. Nice. And here endeth the Stour Vally Way, job done. I've also re-sealed the leaky bit on the tent. Not that I'd let a mere day of torrential rain stop my plans! Pete dropped me off at Corfe Castle on Saturday and I headed off over Ridgeway Hill and across Grange Heath towards the campsite at Wool. It started raining heavily approximately 20 minutes into this 10 mile walk and didn't stop until I got to the campsite. At one point while I was walking through a farm, a collie came running up to me and did the sheepdog thing of sitting very close in to my leg and looking up at me. Cute. I think I may have been confused for a shepherd with my trekking poles! The rain seemed to get heavier as the day went on and it did dampen my spirits somewhat, but only a teeny little bit. Fortunately, there was a brief interruption to the downpour while the weather gods allowed me to pitch my tent. Then it started raining again and didn't stop until Sunday morning. The campsite was basic - the loos and showers were in portakabins, and there was only one tap for drinking water - but it was very clean and the owner was really friendly. Again, my tent was dwarfed by the others on the site, good job I haven't got a Napoleon complex (is there such a thing as small tent syndrome?? Well I think it's small but perfectly formed). I walked another 3 miles into Wool and back to get my dinner (I really fancied baked beans, also had some hickory smoked chicken and french bread, followed by a yogurt, and half a Bounty bar). I was obliged to call in at the Black Bear in order to sample a pint of their Hoppy Hare, one of my favourites. Back at base, I found that it is fine to cook with enough ventilation just inside the tent, but wouldn't do it for very long and definitely only with the tiny primus stove. No noxious gases in my tent....The new sleeping back kept me toastie warm and the inflatable mattress really helped, I actually got a fair bit of sleep. Loved waking up early and making coffee whilst sitting outside and listening to the dawn chorus. Breakfast was also cooked in the rain (porridge, yogurt (they were on offer), banana) and I was thinking Sunday was also going to be wet. However, the weather perked up no end as I was packing up the rucksack and the tent was dry by the time I was ready to decamp. That makes life easier, methinks. As it turned out, the sun shone the whole of day and I enjoyed a superb walk down to the coast via Lulworth Castle (stopped for lunch - apple, pasty and the other half of the Bounty bar), then the exceedingly steep up, up, up Arish Mell and down, down, down to Mupe Cove and on into Lulworth Cove. The hills were not as bad as I was expecting with the full pack, so I was pleased with that. Actually, I found trudging across the shingle beach harder than Arish Mell! Pete took the piccie of Lulworth Cove as he was waiting for me to arrive. The sea was an amazing turquoise colour which you can't really see and I wished I could have gone for a swim. But I didn't have a cozzie and was not quite brave enough to treat the beach goers to the sight of me in my knickers and sports bra!! Was grateful for the flask of coffee that Pete had brought for me, not to mention for the lift home and his patience while waiting for me to make my way across the hills to meet him. Home in time for tea and to unpack the rucksack and give everything an airing before next outing. That will be the second half of the Stour Valley Way, 32 miles from Blandford Forum to Stourhead which I'll walk and camp over three days middle of September. Meanwhile, Mum is coming down from St. Helen's for the Bank Holiday weekend and then it's the Bournemouth Air Festival the weekend after that. Busy times! Slept for the first time in my new tent! I was a bit worried in case I got scaredy cat in the middle of the night, but I really enjoyed it and can't wait till next weekend when I'm off to the Purbecks to walk over 2 days and camp near Wool. As it was a bit of a last minute decision, I didn't have time to do a walk on Saturday, but went straight to the lovely site at Ocknell (50% off for backpackers, bargain at £8) which is near Fritham in the New Forest. Pete parked nearby and came in with me to help get set up, and I'm glad he did as the ground was rock solid and I struggled to get the tent pegs in. The site was very clean and the staff were really helpful. Also there is a hot water point so you can get as much boiling water as you need without firing up the stove. I pitched up, nosied around the site and then went for a bit of a stroll up the road to Janesmoor Pond. It was lovely to sit in the early evening sun and watch the ponies come to the pond for a drink and to cool their feet. For dinner, I had brought some food with me - stuffed vine leaves for starters, then cooked lentils, bulgar wheat and barley to warm through with some gammon; also coffee, cheese and biscuits, but missed a bit of choccie! Enjoyed reading by torchlight in the tent, but found it hard to sleep on the wafer thin roll mat and sleeping bag in which I felt cold. (I had bought these very cheap for the Egypt trek back in 2010, so it was good to try them out again). Brekkie was porridge, an apple and some banana chips with 2 cups of coffee. It rained early in the morning for a few hours, so I can be sure my tent is waterproof (time well spent applying the seam sealant)! It had stopped by the time I packed up, but the tent was still wet. I hung it up on the washing line when got home and it soon dried. Although I didn't need to, I carried enough gear to last a week, just to test out the weight. It was heavy enough, but all the tweaks to rucksack torso length last week were about right and I felt it was manageable. But I did forget to bring my Leki poles, and missed them as I walked the 7 miles to Frogham to meet Pete on Sunday. Even so, I kept a good 3 mph pace and felt I could do the same distance again if I had rested and eaten a proper lunch. Bodes well for the hilly bits next week??? Watch this space! I felt obliged to get a new sleep mat and sleeping bag from Cotswolds on the way home - they must love me there! But I genuinely can't think of anything else I need that will be as expensive as all the gear just invested in, which should last for years. And despite the new sleeping bag being a bit heavier, the rucksack felt lighter and had better weight distribution without the roll mat strapped to the outside. Must be something to do with compression and the fact that I had separated the tent poles out and poked them down the side rather than across the top?? Don't know, but it worked. And so these are the things I did learn:
MacPac microlite
Allow me to introduce you to my new tent, an excellent bargain from the tent show at Cotswold Outdoors. It was the ex-display model so I got £110 off the RRP! I do love a bargain. It weighs well under 2 Kg, is soooo easy to pitch, is remarkably roomy, and packs away nice and small. I had also tried a tunnel tent, but felt really claustrophobic (like sleeping in a coffin) and for the sake of the titchy bit of extra weight went for the MacPac microlite. I had to practice erecting it in the park (ooh er) as our garden is all gravel. Got some funny looks from the passers by and a lot of interested dogs coming over to investigate. And so, well practiced in the art of pitching, I came home to get the old Vango backpack filled and tried it back on for size. Oh dear! When I went trekking in Egypt, I only really needed to carry it around the airports and transfers as once we set off, everything apart from my day pack was carried by camels. I had forgotten quite how difficult it was to adjust the straps and the metal frame was very uncomfortable for me, I honestly don't think I could walked any distance in it whatsoever. I simply had to go back to Cotswolds and ended up buying a new Osprey Ariel 65, it's the mutts nuts, like slippers for your back. We used Osprey packs in the Grand Canyon and I knew that nothing else would really measure up. Thank goodness for NHS discount!! I'll put the Vango on gumtree - the Duke of Edinburgh scheme recommends them, and those young un's don't have creaky backs and knees. On Sunday, I packed and repacked (as advised by the helpful chap at Cotswolds, which was different to how I would have packed it) and then went off for a circuit of Hengistbury Head to see how it felt walking with it all - the total weight is just over 15 kilos. I kept fidgeting and adjusting straps on the first half, then stopped at the Black House to re-pack as per my original reading up on the subject and immediately felt that the load was more stable and better distributed weight-wise. I certainly felt the weight being transferred down through my hips and legs, so more practice walks to follow - get those muscles working with the heavier load. And I have also booked my first actual campsite - I'm off to Wool in the middle of August. Pete will drop me off at Chaldon Herring (or East Chaldon if you prefer) then I'll walk to Wool and pitch up. Next day I'll walk to Lulworth Cove (Arish Mell with a full backpack should be interesting) and meet Pete there to come home. Off to Devon next weekend to see big sister Linda, really looking forward to seeing her. Ziggy Stardust and the Primus Express Spider Stove from Mars (well, Cotswold Outdoors actually)21/7/2013 By eckers like, what a fun weekend. On Saturday I thought it would be nice to try cooking dinner al fresco with my new gadget, so got some supplies and headed off with Pete to the picnic site at Bolderwood Arboretum in the New Forest, where BBQ's are allowed. 'The spider' was ridiculously easy to set up, but I did let it go out a couple of times when trying to turn the flame down low. On full blast it sounds about ready to take off and boiled a litre of water in about 3 mins. On the menu was sausage, bacon and beany stew with onions, tomatoes and herbs followed by fried pineapple rings with a brown sugar syrup, then coffee. It was rather good, even though I do say so myself, and was all done in two mess tins. I've been looking up some good ideas for camping recipes and have got some tasty sounding ones for chicken supreme, or tuna pasta and the like. Also how to make an omelette for breakfast burritos in a ziplock bag so you don't make an eggy mess in your pans (that's PANS) which is a pain to wash off. Another example of things you never knew you needed to know. Annie and Grae came to meet us for a drinkie, but headed off early as they allegedly had food at home they needed to cook (or perhaps they just weren't brave enough to try my first attempt). All in all a lovely evening which has heightened my excitement about my first real camping expedition. Mind you, camping along East Devon Way is non-existent so am looking at last 40 miles of Stour Valley Way instead, camping at Gillingham and using buses should do the job. Then on Sunday it was an early start to head to that London for the 'David Bowie is' exhibition at the V&A. I got the tickets as soon as I heard about it last year, and a good job I did as it sold out really quickly. It was amazing, loads of fabulous stage costumes showing how he used clothes to shape his characters' personas (the V&A is an art and design museum after all, it is not about his music per se) informative displays about his influences and how he has influenced others, all with a soundtrack that interacts to play relevant songs and commentary as you go through the displays. The Yamamoto outfits for Ziggy were amazing! I loved watching the seminal promo video for Life on Mars (made before anyone had even thought of MTV) whilst looking at the gorgeous hand stitched turquoise suit Bowie wore and listening to the song on the high quality headphones. It all culminated in a vast hall with 5 times life-size images of different versions of live performances being shown on gauze screens which had more outfits behind and in front of them. One song was Gene Genie which had the live Top of the Pops version on one screen and the Mick Rock promo version from 1972 on the other. Lights flashed behind the gauze screens to light up the costumes in time to the music, it was simply stunning. And on the way out, four glorious hours later, a few more classic outfits including the one for the Sorrow promo's (brown sharp suit, blue tie, alto sax), one of my favourites. Anyway. before I witter on too long, if you are interested there is a well written review at stlyebubble.co.uk. Had a coffee and a cooling paddle in the Italianate garden afterwards, then off to St. Pauls for steak and frites at Cafe Rouge then across the Milllenium Bridge and a stroll back to Waterloo Station (complete with red sky sunset...Terry meets Julie and all that) for the train home. Just made it back walking through Kings Park as thunder and lightning started and the first big drops of rain came down. Nostalgic smell of wet road to go with the nostalgia inspired by the V&A...must be getting old!
My new gadget
Camping - that's what! I'm going the whole hog for some proper back-packing for my next few adventures, with the aim to hike and camp the South Downs Way (SDW) next year at some point. I spent my birthday money on a camping stove. It's so small it fits in the palm of your hand and weighs less than 200g, imagine!! I also got a couple of mess tins to start me off. I'm off to a tent show next weekend (this weekend is a trip to that London to see the David Bowie exhibition at the V&A, can't wait). I've got my eye on a lightweight one person tent, so will be good to try before you buy. I've already got a 65-75L rucksack from when I did the Sinai Trek, and although it's not quite an Osprey, it will do for starters. I think that camping is the more 'natural' option for a long distance walk, but I am planning on campsites - not quite ready for wild camping just yet! Once the tent is purchased (an advance on Christmas funds!), the plan is to start with some gentle walks with the pack at weight so that I can get used to carrying that amount and gradually increase the miles to about 8 or 10. Then I will go for my first proper camping walk.....somewhere in the New Forest so I can walk to a campsite on the Saturday; Pete can meet me there to help me iron out any problems! I'll cook us both a delicious dinner on my new gadget (hopefully) and then Pete will drive home, leaving me to camp and cook breakfast. Pack up and then another walk on Sunday and Pete will graciously collect me to come home. Sounds easy, huh?? After that, I want to walk the East Devon Way which is the 40 mile inland route between Lyme Regis and Exmouth. I can camp along the way - maybe break it into 4 stages as a warm up for the 8 day SDW. I can stay at big sis' Linda's in Exmouth (she won't mind me arriving smelly and muddy). Another good plan, methinks. Meantime, I'm updating the C2C pages with all the photos and having great fun planning the stages for the East Devon Way and finding a nice campsite in the New Forest. |
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