Dogged in Dorset
Sunday in Wiltshire was wet again. Saturday we were both soaked to the skin.
We began Sunday's walk at Stourhead (Palladian villa and gardens). it rained heavily and so my friend and I decided to hang around the Gardens and associated cafeteria, art gallery and - bonus - rare book fair, and enjoy the gardens during clear patches. Walking up the valley where the Stour rises in a series of small pools held strangely little appeal at the time. Stourhead gardens are exquisite and I heartily recommend them. I also purchased a small gift for my husband, and a lovely photographic print which the gallery is sending back to Australia for a a very modest sum.
Big day today.
We were dropped off at Sturminster Newton, heading mostly along the Stour Way. It was a 12 mile walk. We walked 8 miles, according to our guidelines. I have to tell you that was the loooongest 8 miles I've ever done. It usually takes us 3 hours to walk 8 miles to The Hawkedon Queen in Suffolk, across pretty similar terrain. It took us 6 and a bit hours today.
Lunch was at The Crown in Marnhull, a delightful inn that dates from before 1550. King Henry gave it and the surrounding lands to Catherine Parr when he planned to marry her. It had a Priest's Hole. It had panelling. It also featured in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbeville's as "the Pure Drop Inn". We finished at around 1.30 (maybe 1.45) and left to walk 2 miles to the Ship Inn, West Stour. We arrived at 5pm. We did get lost for about 10 minutes, but another walker set us right again, so it wasn't that.
At The Crown, we rang Alison at 4.55pm and asked her to send a cab. The soonest it could get to us was going to be 5.45pm. She'd rung several companies. The Crown was shut until 6pm. A lady walking past asked if we were ok. We replied we were awaiting rescue and had called a cab. She looked blank and said, "You do know this is Dorset, don't you?" At 6pm we went into the Crown and at least had a quick drink and - more important - used the facilities. The cab arrived at 6.10pm, and brought us home.
We began Sunday's walk at Stourhead (Palladian villa and gardens). it rained heavily and so my friend and I decided to hang around the Gardens and associated cafeteria, art gallery and - bonus - rare book fair, and enjoy the gardens during clear patches. Walking up the valley where the Stour rises in a series of small pools held strangely little appeal at the time. Stourhead gardens are exquisite and I heartily recommend them. I also purchased a small gift for my husband, and a lovely photographic print which the gallery is sending back to Australia for a a very modest sum.
Big day today.
We were dropped off at Sturminster Newton, heading mostly along the Stour Way. It was a 12 mile walk. We walked 8 miles, according to our guidelines. I have to tell you that was the loooongest 8 miles I've ever done. It usually takes us 3 hours to walk 8 miles to The Hawkedon Queen in Suffolk, across pretty similar terrain. It took us 6 and a bit hours today.
Lunch was at The Crown in Marnhull, a delightful inn that dates from before 1550. King Henry gave it and the surrounding lands to Catherine Parr when he planned to marry her. It had a Priest's Hole. It had panelling. It also featured in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbeville's as "the Pure Drop Inn". We finished at around 1.30 (maybe 1.45) and left to walk 2 miles to the Ship Inn, West Stour. We arrived at 5pm. We did get lost for about 10 minutes, but another walker set us right again, so it wasn't that.
At The Crown, we rang Alison at 4.55pm and asked her to send a cab. The soonest it could get to us was going to be 5.45pm. She'd rung several companies. The Crown was shut until 6pm. A lady walking past asked if we were ok. We replied we were awaiting rescue and had called a cab. She looked blank and said, "You do know this is Dorset, don't you?" At 6pm we went into the Crown and at least had a quick drink and - more important - used the facilities. The cab arrived at 6.10pm, and brought us home.