Saturday 24th December 2022. Sherborne. DH, TO, AC, DL, Sully
As the great Noddy Holder sang out with his mate Dave Hill, when we were all a bit younger in 1973, It’s Christmas! And despite the recent snow and frost having melted away, who could disagree. With preparations well under way at homes, what better way to spend Christmas Eve than on a good walk with friends ?
With Richard bed bound with another bout of Covid, and others busy with family Christmas activities, it was just the 4 of us that met up opposite the Castle Garden Centre in Sherborne for todays walk, on a route previously recce’d by Rich and myself back in September.
We headed out across Purlieu Meadow which was a bit damp in places although thankfully the river which was running very high had not burst into it, yet. Within minutes Sully was doing his usual morning roll in the damp grass, which in places looked like it had had a bit of overnight frost. As we neared the end of the meadow, a train slowly made its way out of the station, obviously one of very few running today because of the strikes. We exited the field just above the level crossing and crossed the road and headed south along the pathway marking the castle grounds perimeter. Passing through a mini gorge in the sandstone rocks we were soon up at the far end of the sports fields, known as The Terrace nd home to Sherborne Town FC, where continuing alongside the fence we started the climb up Gainsborough hill and past a quaint cottage and drive ways into the estate. By the time we had reached the top, we were all very grateful for the sugar boost from this weeks lollies supplied by Dereyk. Taking the track to the right, a nice steady level section aloud us to recover our breaths and bring the pulse rate down a bit. By now it was getting a bit warmer, but also a bit muddier under foot, as we eventually came out of the woods by West Hill Lodge, the old Toll Cottage at the junction of the Folke road, a climb of around 80 metres since the start.
Carefully crossing the busy Dorchester road, we turned down the quieter minor road heading towards Beer Hacket and walked alongside Honeycombe Wood. As we neared the path into the woods a truly spectacular sight was enveloping on a track just metres into the wood line, as a farmer/game keeper was slowly going along in his 4x4 buggy, spreading seed for the birds. Behind him as he whistled his way was a line of pheasants eagerly picking up the seeds, and joined occasionally by a few ducks. It was a real Pied Piper scene, that I guess is carried out most days. (Photo below did not really catch the birds that well).
Dropping of the road and into the woods, along a section of the Macmillan Way, we soon came across the buggy tracks, which in places had caused large muddy ruts in the track, and as we progressed deeper into the woods the sound of the buggy coming back closer got louder, so I managed to get Sully into the field (after he had made a swift detour to chase a few straggling pheasants) and away from any more that might still be following the seed trail.
The path through the field took us past a row of posts already marked out for the next round of shooting, no doubt a Boxing Day activity for some, as we enjoyed a good view over towards Sherborne and the new buildings on the A30. Our route took us into a sunken lane and eventually out onto the Yetminster road, before we headed back up to cross the Dorchester road again and the path around the sports fields. With the addition of a fluorescent jacket, Trevor would make a great Lollypop man!
There we no games being played on any of the pitches today, although a couple were knocking a ball over the nets on the tennis courts as we passed. It was a very pleasant walk along the tree lined avenue as we made our way back towards the far end of the pitches , and with the sun finally breaking through it was even time for Dereyk to take off his big coat for a while. We posed for this weeks selfie back in the gorge before retracing our steps back through the fields to the cars. 3.85 miles walked today in 1 hr 45 minutes, at an almost racing pace of 2.15 mph - a recent speed record for us!
A short drive out onto the A30 and into Blackmarsh farm for our first visit to the cafe, ready for one of their recently introduced breakfasts. Unfortunately I had not phoned ahead to book a table and so was not aware that they were only open until 1.00 pm today, and we’re not therefore doing any hot meals today. With no alternative location nearby, we opted to just have a light bite each with our drinks, which Adrian very kindly bought. Trevor very kindly added to the festive goodwill by getting everyone a mince pie, so all in all a very good end to todays walk and a happy festive way to enjoy our last catch up before the party season starts.
So on that note, may I wish you all and your families a wonderful Christmas, thank you for your company this year and I look forward to many more catch ups in the a new Year. (If anyone is available New Years Eve I’m sure we can sneak in another walk before the year is out). The final image is a screen shot showing the locations of all 48 walks we have completed this year - not bad going for a group of (mostly) unhealthy old men!
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