👣☁️ On a cloudy Sunday morning, members of the GOC Solent and Dorset Groups gathered together in the main Car Park of The Sixpenny Micro Brewery, near Cranborne.
This was the first in a long time the Solent group had organised a linear A to B walk.
It worked out well, with 15 members turning up for the walk, it was easy for 3 cars to ferry us to the start of the walk @ Sillens Lane Car Park on the Martin Down National Nature Reserve.
👣⚒ Decamping, we set on a grassy climb, up a hill known as Bokerley Ridge, to a surround of earth-work embankments called Grims Ditches. Grims ditches are found across Southern England and are earthwork ridges/embankments built by the local inhabitants to help coral domestic animals within easy boundaries. These were also accepted as territorial boundaries marking off local settlements.
Bokerley Ridge is historically believed to be the site of a battle of Meretum, where King Alfred & his brother, King Æthelred, fought and lost against invading Vikings.
👣🌤 Passing through remnants of golden fields of cropped harvests, we followed the Jubilee trail which took us along the Pentridge Ridge - the spine of the Pentridge Downs - in the direction of Penbury Knoll and the woodland of Pentridge Hill.
👣 As we walked the sun above was breaking through the clouds,
🌦 On our left, the bright light on the clouds above fields of more harvested crops made the clouds look more threatening, almost stormy in the west;
🌤 But looking to our right, blue skies appearing above extensive rolling fields of the Pentridge Downs and hillsides of the Cranborne Chase.
🌳☕️ A clearing in the woods of Pentridge Hill around a GeoTrig-point, the highest point of the walk, made the perfect stopping place for refreshments.
👣🌤🌾 Coming out of the woods the sun was definitely putting in an appearance, bringing out shades and colours of a vale of more cropped fields. Our band descended Black Bush Down, along the Hardy Way, through Jack’s Hedge Corner, and followed one final deep high fenced single lane (that you wouldn’t have wanted to meet on-coming traffic on) back to our walks end, the Sixpenny independent micro Brewery🍺🥃🍹.
👣 Though the weather had started dull, the air had remained warm with a cooling breeze, ideal for walking; and the sunshine had grown, seeming to follow us through-out our walk all the way to our destination.
🤗 It was commented how much everyone enjoyed a great walk, and had a good time; especially when the Brewery allowed us to sit out in their courtyard, enjoy the benches, eating our own food, but the drinks from them ~ maybe a pint or two.
🍻 *Cheers!* ☺️
