Saturday 16th March ‘24. DH, RW, TO, BFS, PCL, AC, DL, JB, CH, NM, Scrumpy & Maisie
There was almost a full house of regulars this week as we met at the rear of the Old Brewery in Wyke, and to make numbers up to a round ten, I had invited along Neil another former colleague of some of us to come along to see what we get up to. It had been another week of heavy rain and so everyone was prepared for another wet and muddy walk around the Dorset countryside, with a couple even opting for green wellie boots. Hopefully I had planned this weeks walk to be along a lot of minor roads with minimal time off road and trudging across waterlogged fields.
Once everyone was sorted and Neil had been introduced, we set off out of the car park and immediately had to step around a large puddle taking up half of the road as we headed north along Pound Lane and past a curious looking rabbit topiary bush under construction in one of the gardens. At the end we headed through a small gateway and into a very muddy field. The dogs were happy to be off the leads and running through the swampy ground, but the two legged walkers stepped a bit more careful trying to find whatever firm ground we could. Thankfully the field section only lasted about 500 metres before we exited onto a minor road heading towards Milton on Stour.
As with most Dorset villages there were plenty of lovely country cottages and properties, whose no doubt keep the tills ringing at the nearby Gillingham Waitrose store. There was a slightly premature moment as we approached a footpath sign and turned before a small stream, but thankfully a quick check of the map showed that we had to cross this stretch of water before we took a minor road on the left. It did however provide for an early groupie opportunity as Richard tried to get a good photo of the quaint three arched stone bridge, but was eventually photobombed by the others in the group gathering on top of said bridge.
We paused briefly at the entrance gateway leading to The Old House, which was a substantial property partially visible at the end of a driveway. On top of a post a CCTV security camera was pointing at any would be visitors approaching so we gave them a cheery wave (or in Johns case a shake of his stick) as we headed out of the village on a minor road alongside the gardens and tennis courts of their substantial grounds. We picked up the pace and we’re making good progress until a pair of cute young lambs came up to the wire fence to greet us. Our agricultural correspondent reliably informed us that they were young of the Dorset variety (sounds logical to me) although the adult sheet with their very large fluffy coats looked more like dirty old English sheepdogs, were it not for the visible big eyes.
A little bit further along the lead group stopped again in a gateway where just 50metres in front of them two deers weee grazing oblivious of our presence. Unfortunately they were eventually spooked and the last we saw of them were two white bums bouncing away over the ridge line. As we continued along the track they was a bit of a guessing game about exactly where we were this week, but some distance to our north the downs of WhiteSheet and the previously walked along Knoll gave a bit of a clue. Further to the west the obelisk in Stourhead and the very top of Alfred’s tower poked through the trees of Selwood forest.
As we approached the village of Silton we took a right turn and a short distance down turned left into a field following a finger sign for Judge Wyndham’s Oak. As we walked up the field, over the hedgerow could be seen another lovely Dorset property with spacious gardens set beside its own lake. Some of the group had previously been this way on one of Richards walks out of Bourton but for many it was the first time of visiting this very old and decrepit (or decrepit for the older ones) trees which like some of us needs a big stick, or part of a telegraph pole, to keep it upright. The tree known as Wyndham’s Oak could be 1,000 years old, and at 9.79 metres (32.12 feet), possesses one of the largest girths of any tree in Dorset. It is said to have marked the boundary between Selwood Forest and the Forest of Gillingham. Also known as the Judge’s Tree, it was named after Judge Hugh Wyndham who purchased the manor of Silton in 1641. He was the Justice of the Common Pleas in the time of Charles II and used to sit within the tree and smoke his pipe to relax and contemplate. Its history takes a darker turn towards the end of the 17th century, when rebels were supposedly hanged from it following the failed Monmouth rebellion of 1685. The current owner of the farm remembers losing a cow, only to find it two days later stuck firmly inside the hollow trunk.
It was an obvious break for Dereyk to offer around the sweeties and before we left I managed to get everyone lined up for another all inclusive groupie. Brian thinking the cow mentioned above still needed rescuing initially went inside the tree to pose with is head in the gap. Maybe his Health & safety head got the better of him for he was quickly out and lined up with the rest of the motley bunch. Even our combined ages does not match the age of the tree, makes you realise how old it is and what tales it could tell!
We left the tree behind and passed a smaller and younger version of it, grown from one of the acorns in more recent times. The field contained a few sheep so the dogs were back on leads as we exited in the top corner by the church wall. We looped around to the church gates at the front of the path and then turned left towards the large farm. Another great old oak stood on a bank by the road side although this one did look to be suffering from lots of small holes in the bark, possibly the result of oak pin hole borer beatle.
Just past the farm we turned right down a track and over a small bridge with a long old barn in the background. Our route took us back into fields and alongside Whistley coppice, a private wood with some very aggressive signs reminding folks not to enter under any circumstances. Climbing our first stile of the day we entered a relatively dry field for once and could see our next target, Whistley Farm, in front of us. The map is a big vague at this point as it shows the track just stopping at the farm buildings, but we took a punt and headed for a gateway, where conveniently we saw more yellow way markers. On the edge of the field two very slim and tall, bright blue alpine looking chalets, typical of countryside AirBnB properties, occupied a good spot over looking another brown lake. For those interested they are available to rent here
As we skirted around the edge of the farm we passed a few golf flags marking out the greens of a four hole pitch and putt which comes part of another pair of holiday cottages, which our path then took us alongside. This pair belonging to Whistley Farm look a bit more spacious and upmarket and cost over £1200 a week in the summer months. Clearly a farm that has diversified quite successfully.
The path gently climbed until we were at a high point where the panoramic view from north to east showed just what a lovely patch of countryside we are in. Our route took us straight along the hedging and then out onto a small lane leading past the North Dorset Rugby Club ground. No training or matches going on today but the pitches looked in pretty good Nick considering all the recent rain. At the end we turned left and then in single file, facing the oncoming traffic we slowly made our way down Wavering Lane. A very large tractor was cutting the hedges and after dodging a few passing cars we turned right again and closed the loop back to the cafe. We had completed 4.6 miles in just over 2 hours, and certainly through a lot less mud than in previous weeks.
This was the first time we had actually got into the cafe on a Saturday morning, as previously there have been no suitable tables available where we could sit with dogs. However the new owners of the place, Chedington Estates, now allow dogs inside so we had pre-booked our table with dogs for 11.00. However on arrival there was a slight delay as they found us a suitable area, but we were shown to a big table inside a sectioned off area of the main cafe. we perused the menu and then waited for our orders to be taken. Th e place was certainly not over busy but no one seemed willing to come and see o our needs very quickly. After around 15 minutes we finally got a waitress to come to the table and we then sat back and waited. Usually drinks arrive within a few minutes, but nothing was coming our way, so we waited patiently a bit longer. The waiting time was almost unbearable and thoughts did turn to walking out to go elsewhere, but eventually, almost 60 minutes after we first turned up, finally our drinks and breakfasts arrived at the table. For those who like to have their drinks hot with their meal this was OK but for most of us the delay was pretty unfathomable as we hadn't ordered anything rare or complicated. However once stuck into our meals, the comments about the food were generally good, although whether it was worth the wait is debateable. A real shame but overall not enough to deter us coming back another time.
Comments