Saturday 16th July 2022
DH, BFS, TO, PCL, DL, Sully, Tilly & Poppy
Well it looks like summer ‘22 has finally arrived, and with the prospect of a very warm day, the start time was brought forward to 0830 and a shortish route within the shade of Selwood Forest was planned to keep everyone out of the sun where possible.
The RV was on the top road of Pen, at the area locally known as The Gallops, and a regular walking area just a few minutes out of Wincanton. With just 5 of us walking today, we were joined by Brian’s 2 spaniels, the first time they have come along for quite some time. With the sun already shining bright and the temperature rising quickly an anti clockwise route took us through the open area at the bottom of the gallops and northwards into the shade of the woods, all part of the Stourhead estate.
A steady downward section took us deeper into the woods, where thankfully with a bit of a breeze is was quite pleasant as the sun poked through the trees occasionally making the woodland look wonderful. Sully was already on the hunt for water but apart from a few muddy patches there was not a lot around for him this morning. Reaching the lowest point we turned left and headed up the track before coming out on the Gasper road. Surprisingly being so deep into the woods we did met a few other folks out this morning, some with dogs and others running, no doubt getting their daily exercise before the temperatures climbed throughout the day.
A steady half mile up the road, the tree cover was still sufficient to keep us mainly in the shade so we declined to take a loop back in the woods, mainly due to large nettles blocking the paths. On reaching the hairpin, we stopped for the obligatory lollies and a change to take on some fluids. Sully was certainly panting a bit by now, so he also was offered a handful of fresh water to refresh is dangling tongue.
Heading back towards the cars along an undulating track, it wasn’t long before we reached the foot of the only noticeable climb today, but engaging crawler gear we soon reached the top, completing todays 3.7 miles in just over 90 minutes. With no stiles and good going underfoot at all times, this was probably one of our fastest walks of all time.
A short drive back to The Hunters Lodge, where we were just in time to take breakfast from the buffet, although with insufficient to go round, freshly cooked plates full were quickly delivered to our outside table. As the temperatures continued to rise, the wise move to start earlier meant we were back home by 1130, a very early finish compared to some weeks and just in time to grab a seat and catch up with the Rugby internationals.