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Clanfield Day Walk 19th July 2017

Mary's walk should have been partly sunny at midday, However no-one told the sun. We started from Clanfield car park with some dampness which stayed with us all day, in varying amounts. However it was very enjoyable, even though a little damp. Coffee at the Sustainability Centre on the old site of HMS Mercury, where over half a million Navy personnel trained between 1941 and 1993. The cakes were excellent and may have even slowed us down a little.  The route down to The Bat and Ball was through a few fields of oil seed rape and linseed and also past a large cage of young pheasants. The mist was much larger at this point and we were glad to reach the pub. Excellent lunch and staff very helpful. As the weather had not improved we took a slightly shorter route back to Clanfield village. About 7 miles

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Isle of Wight 12th July 2017

Mary and Barbara, with the help of South West Trains and the ferry, took us to the Isle of Wight for stroll along the front. Coffee stop in the Castle Inn with lunch later in the Boat House after a walk through Puckpool Park. The mysterious tree we saw in the Park has now been identified by Denis (helped by the Head Gardener at Hinton Ampner) as a Foxglove Tree - fast growing and can be invasive. After lunch we travelled further along to visit the Hersey Nature reserve. We saw plenty of the smaller insect life but the birds were not in evidence apart from a Lesser Egret and a few gulls. Our return took us past the Castle Inn again but the cakes were looking tired so we ventured up Ryde  Union Street  to the Bottega bar for a fine cream tea. The catamaran trip back was very smooth and we eventually got back to Petersfield station at around 6.00pm  A nice relaxed day.

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Fernhurst and Lurgashall Day Walk 5th July 2017

Marion led this walk, ably assisted by Maddie. The weather was warm - around 28 degrees C. Fortunately we were in the shade for most of this scenic walk from Fernhurst along the lower slopes of Blackdown before heading downwards to Lurgashall. Excellent lunch in The Noahs Ark before a flattish walk back to Fernhurst. Just over 7 miles with about 500 ft height gained. Thanks to Marian and Jane for photos.

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Selborne Morning Walk 28th June 2017

Mary, Barbara and John's walk took us up the splendid Noar Hill, which is looked after by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Chalk grassland and scrub make it a favourite for orchids and butterflies. The day was a little damp but there was still a lot of nature to look at, even without expert knowledge.  Common and pyramidal orchids were abundant, but we failed to spot many twayblades which are around. A new plant for us was a Lesser Broomrape, a parasitic plant usually dependant on dandelions. Specific species of Broomrape are a serious problem in some parts of the world but not in the UK. Lunch in the Selborne Arms. Thanks Jane for additional photos.

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Chidham Morning/Day walk 21st June 2016

With London being far too hot, we travelled south to Chidham which was a few degrees cooler. We also were lucky to have a breeze for most of the morning - sometimes almost strong enough to blow off our sun hats. The lack of hills was a bonus. Having walked the 4.1/4 miles to The Old House at Home, we were able to rest for a good lunch before walking the last 3/4 of a mile back to the car park. Lots of animal life seen, including flashes of fast moving fish, probably bass. Highest temperature at nearby Thorney Island was just below 27 degrees, somewhat cooler than Heathrow at nearly 34 Degrees.

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