The Dorset round-day 5

I am now writing this posting from home. I returned from the Dorset Round about teatime.

This morning Mike said that he would stay on for a day or two longer as he wanted to visit the church at Melbury Bubb. Something to do with a very ancient font that was worth the visit.

Alan and I set off from Giants Head site at about 0930. We headed down into Cerne Abbas and then out along the Cerne Valley Trail. The Cerne Valley is always worth at least one visit each year. The smell of the wild flowers,the sound of the birds and the views of the little river,these things all make for a cracking walk and today was no exception. When we got to Dorchester Alan went straight to a sandwich shop whilst I went straight to the pub for a couple of pints of well deserved shandy. So there you have it, another Dorset Round done and dusted. We started out with two of us ,grew to five and finished up back with just the two of us again. Typical Backpackers Club. For those of you who thought about coming but for whatever reason did not, all I can say is you missed a good five days backpacking. Maybe we will see you next year.

And the two pictures for today are the scene at giants head yesterday evening and an old water wheel seen on the Cerne Valley Trail.

The Dorset round.day 4.

Phew! What a hot day, probably too hot for walking but we had 15 miles to do so we had to just get on with it. Although hot the days walking was really enjoyable. We were walking through some great countryside with some good views such as the one shown in todays photo which is of Milton Abbey School near Milton Abbas. We stopped for a drink at a pub at midday and then had a late lunch at 1500 hours close to the Dorsetshire gap. When we got to Ball hill Graham and i went on ahead as he was heading back to Dorchester to catch a train home so time was critical. We walked on together as far as the black barn where Graham turned towards the south and i carried on westwards to the Giants head campsite. I arrived at 1730 hours and the others arrived about an hour later. After pitching the tents it was a hot shower followed by a good meal. Evening was spent with camp chat. A really good day!!

The Dorset round-day 3

The weather continues to be dry hot and sunny. We broke camp at about 1000hrs and after only two hours we could be found in the corner of a field having an early lunch. Two hours more walking and we were now sitting outside the pub in Milton Abbas with a drink in our hands.

We had been told that there was a tea shop in the village, but it has now ceased trading so it had to be the pub-life is hard!

After the pub we continued north to the village of Winterborne Stickland where we knew that there was a shop where we could get ice creams and some additional supplies. Unfortunately when we arrived the shop was shut. Now this is not a problem if you have just walked around the corner but it is a heavy mental blow when you have been walking across the countryside on a very hot day. From there we carried on up a very steep hill out of the village and another two miles saw us arriving at the Inside Park camping site about a mile out of Blandford.

Luckily the camp site had a well stocked shop including bottled beer so we were able to set ourselves up for a good evening in camp. Todays picture shows the scene in camp early this morning.

Dorset round. Day 2

Today has been a great walking day- sun and a cooling breeze. After only two miles of walking we were to be found in one of Dorsets tea rooms where we stayed for over an hour. We only left when the desire for another helping of Dorset apple cake and cream was becoming a real threat to my waistline. As we walked along a sandy track we came across a baby female adder warming herself in the sun. She slid away into the undergrowth as we watched. I was not quick enough to get a photo of her but i was able to get a picture of the local thatcher on a cottage roof in one of the villages we passed through and that is todays picture. We are now camping at Bere Regis and our number has now grown to five. We have been joined by Graham and John from the Dorset group and Mike from London.

Dorset round - day 1

I need not have been concerned about too many members turning up. When i arrived at Dorchester south rail station just one solitary member was waiting . Where were the others who said they would attend? Frantic phone calls -no answers-waited over 30 mins still no one arrived so Alan and i set off. Great day good weather and we arrived at Moreton C AND C site at 1700. A very pleasant evening spent around the site. During the day we had lunch on a bench overlooking the fields just on the edge of a woods. I have included a picture of this bench because it reflects this walk so far-no members to be seen!

The Dorset Round

Tomorrow I am off on the annual Dorset Round backpacking trip. For those of you who don't know, this is a five day backpacking event around the Dorset countryside. It is taken at a laid back pace with plenty of time to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. As usual very few people have let me know if they are going to attend. On past Dorset Rounds we have had about six members turn up for the whole five days with one or two members joining in over the weekend. If we have more than this attend this year then we will have a problem !
On these short local trips I try to experiment with new bits of kit. On this trip I am testing a Free Loader and a Free Loader Supercharger. This is a mini solar power panel and hub. I am using it to power my mobile phone-camera-radio and sat nav. The supercharger is larger than the panels which are supplied with the hub as standard and it is also waterproof which the standard panels are not. It comes with various clips and loops to enable you to attach it to your rucksack and the entire outfit weighs very little so it will not affect your ultralight status. The Free Loader has been supplied to me by Solar Technology International who are based in Cheltenham.
My plan is to send postings to my blog over the next five days from my mobile phone courtesy of the Free Loader.
The weather during previous Dorset Round events has always been very good so I am hoping for a repeat of that good weather this year.

The Dorset Round-free loader.

The free loader fitted to my Golite Jam 2 Rucksack.