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Five Go Walking with a Dog

Saturday 28th March will go down in history as the first time the 5 intrepid walkers (not forgetting the dog) got together to walk 20 miles from Picket Post, around Burley, Wilverley and Boldrewood and back through the beautiful Linwood valley. There'll be some pictures soon - not least of the delicious ice creams from the van at Boldrewood Deer Sanctuary.

The weather was kind with only the occasional spot of rain. The wind was keen in places but the sun prevailed providing a glorious final 2 (or was it 3 or 4) miles.

20 miles, providing a real taste of how we will cope with the long days on the Isle of Wight walk. Both Saturday and Sunday on the Island will see us walking 22 miles, with 16 on Friday and the final 8 on Monday morning.

Sponsorship forms and a link to a 'Just Giving' page will be available by the end of the week so please, when you get the opportunity, give generously to support our two worthy causes - Grassroots in Tanzania and the British Heart Foundation.

Latest weather forecast for Saturday

Saturday 28th March

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This is the starting point for our 20 mile walk this coming Saturday. The plan is to meet in the car park at Picket Post at 9.30am. Come off of the A31 - follow road signposted to Burley and the car park is almost immediately on your right. You then get to walk the first 8 or so miles to Wilverley Enclosure before I join you for the second half and a bit just after midday. We should be finished by 5pm - and there are some shortcuts back if time becomes an issue. Looking forward to a great walk and hopefully another sunny Saturday!

Will the sun ever stop shining?

Another fantastic Saturday morning!

Set off early, walking from Picket Post just after 8am. 13 miles through uncharted territory! Only got lost twice - which does not bode well for the group that have to find their way around the same route next week!

Click on the image above for more pictures

The first sighting of the season.......

Another sunny Saturday - what's the betting that it will pour with rain the first weekend in June?

This week I walked 13 miles - a circle north from Picket Post around to Boldrewood Deer Sanctuary and at last I spotted one - no, not a deer (seen plenty of those as you will have seen from my pictures) but the first ice cream van on my travels so far!

So I enjoyed a lovely raspberry ripple cornet before completing the second half of the walk. For the rest of the WightWayRounders I might just use part of the same route when we get together in a couple of weeks time - £1.60 for a medium cornet (20p extra for a flake!) so bring a few pennies with you.

It was good walking - mainly following cycle tracks with only the occasional excursion into the mud with one notable exception when I took the wrong path and ended up in a bog with mud up to the top of my boots! Not very nice but fortunately my feet stayed dry enabling me to complete the walk without too much trouble.

It's amazing how quickly after leaving Picket Post you lose the noise of the traffic and find yourself in what seems like a different world, with birds singing and the sound of the wind in the trees. I am discovering areas of the New Forest that I didn't know existed - constantly reminding me of how I take for granted the beauty of the countryside that is literally on our doorstep.

On Sunday, joined by my wife we did a quick 6 miles around Wilverley Enclosure. No ice cream vans, unfortunately, but we did see The Naked Man! More on that in a couple of weeks time.

For more pictures from Saturday click HERE

Paddling Practice!

A good walk in the Hampshire countryside today. Around 12 miles - and a first time walking together for some of the Wightway Round Team. Not too many hills but Beacon Hill near the start was a good test. Plenty of mud around after the heavy snow and rain during the week and then......50 metres of flooded footpath right at the end of the walk proved a real challenge and gave a different meaning to the phrase 'fill your boots'!

You can see a few more pictures here

Ouch!

7.30am Saturday morning and it's time to start walking again! This week with my friend Phil - starting from Beaulieu Road Railway Station and walking a BIG circle around to Lyndhurst, Burley and Brockenhurst before heading back (via the Filly Inn) to Beaulieu Road. Unfortunately I lost my pedometer in the first 10 miles, but plotting the route on the map it looks like nearly 23 miles! Phil is an experienced walker - I would literally be lost without him - and he knows his way around the forest. When I say knows his way 'around' the forest that does not paint the full picture as he tends to decide which direction we need to head - and then go for it, irrespective of whether there is a path going that way or not! So plotting the route on a map is not easy.
It is, however, a great way to explore. Spot the Deer?

Anyway, we walked for about 7 hours, stopped briefly for lunch and then about 2 hours from home were mugged and 'forced' to take on liquid refreshment at the Filly Inn on the Lymington/Brockenhurst road.
Yet another dry and relatively mild Saturday, lots of mud, but a an opportunity to explore the full glory and beauty of the New Forest. Just a few miles from home - but a different world! The last few miles were painful as my legs started to complain. Pompey Bear had a nervous moment when we met the New Forest Hunt! But we all lived to tell the tale and looking forward to getting a few more miles under the belt next weekend.