Walking at Lady's Mile, Godshill on Tuesday 21st April 2026

History in the making;today for the first time, we had to pay to park at Godshill Inclosure. Our walk was a bit quieter but whether that was due to the introduction of car parking charges or not, remains to be seen.For a few of us, this was the first time they had walked Lady's Mile and they were delighted to have done so. The weather was fine, warm when the sun appeared, and we returned to the car park via the forest. It was indeed a beautiful spring day and perfect for walking.

After returning to the car park, we then headed off for coffee /tea and cake at The Pantry Barn on Breamore Estate. No one was disappointed by their choice; what a great selection of cakes including their gluten free options. Thank you once again to the lovely staff who accommodated us so well.

 Walking at Mudeford on Tuesday 7th April 2026

Thirteen of us met at Avon Run Road Carpark and we then strolled along to Mudeford Quay. The sun was shining, there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine, it was unusually busy for a Tuesday afternoon.  Thankfully, there was a breeze which kept us all cool as we walked to the Quay and back again. Today we were delighted to welcome yet another new member. 

Bank Holiday Monday had been particularly busy also according to the Haven House cafe as there were no cakes left only biscuits. Not a problem at all; drinking coffee/ tea and eating delicious local biscuits gave us the ideal opportunity to catch up with each other's news. Once again, the staff were particularly helpful.

 Walking at Potterne Park/ Moors Valley Country Park on 17th March 2026

What a beautiful afternoon for a walk, we were so, so lucky. Today we were also very fortunate to have some extra people who joined us on our walk and hopefully will consider joining our group.... we are keeping everything crossed.

In total there were seventeen of us who arrived at the car park at Potterne Park then took one of two routes from Potterne Park into Moors Valley Country Park admiring the quietness, the birdsong and just enjoying each other's company. Today was certainly a delightful spring day, greatly appreciated by all of us. We hope this weather will stay with us for a while.

Arriving back at the car park about an hour later, we then drove to The Hub in Verwood to enjoy a cuppa, some cake and getting to know each other better. Time passed very quickly, as it always does when you are enjoying yourself. Thank you to the cafe staff who served us well with our delicious cakes, despite us arriving late and many of the cakes had already been eaten, we all managed. We all remembered to wish one of our group a very happy St Patrick's Day; he didn't confess to whether he would be consuming some Guinness later or not

Hope our first timers have enjoyed themselves enough to be keen to join our lovely group.

Apologies once again to my car passengers when we ended up taking the scenic route in Ringwood.

 Walking at Godshill Inclosure on Tuesday 17th February 2026.

How lucky were we...a lovely walk in the Forest without any rain. Ten of us met up this afternoon to walk through Godshill Inclosure on a path that wasn't muddy and full of puddles. Always worthwhile completing a recce beforehand. We all commented on how quiet it was this afternoon, although we did have the opportunity to stop and chat to some other walkers, especially the dog owners.

The temperature was a bit cooler and sadly the sun didn't appear however we walked for approximately an hour before heading for coffee/tea and cake at the Pantry Barn Cafe. In the summer it is always lovely to sit outside but today we were tucked up inside where it was lovely and warm. The staff on duty this afternoon were wonderful; so patient, kind and attentive, thank you.

                               Walking at Mudeford on Tuesday 20th January 2026

Today, ten of us were brave enough to walk from Avon Beach to Mudeford Quay despite the gusty wind. We were all very relieved that the rain stayed away until we were heading home.  Sensibly we had the correct clothing to keep us warm and with a lovely blue sky above us, we all thoroughly enjoyed a quiet walk with a feeling of having the cobwebs blown off us.

Everyone of us appreciated the welcome we received in the Haven Cafe where we enjoyed a nice hot cuppa and a delicious piece of cake....plenty of choice also. A huge thank you to the staff who did their very best to accommodate us.

 Walking at Hengistbury Head on Tuesday 6th January 2026.

I am well impressed I actually remembered to type 2026, Happy New Year to everyone. There were fewer of us walking due to many different reasons, the seven of us wrapped up well and faced the cold. What a lovely time we had too! The cold weather deterred lots of others so it was a lovely peaceful walk with lots of blue sky above.  The sun followed us on our walk which at times allowed us to forget just how chilly it was on the first Tuesday in January.

   

As usual we headed back for cofee/tea and cake at the Hiker Cafe, where the staff were very helpful and the cakes delicious. What a great combination. Catching up with our news was a lovely way to end our first walk of 2026.

            

 Christmas Get Together at Forde Inn, Fordingbridge on Tuesday 9th December 2025

Today the rain prevented us from having a walk before we had our Christmas Get Together at the Forde Inn, however it gave us extra time to enjoy each others company with some of our partners. The Forde Inn served us delicious Christmas Fare, beautifully presented too. Great options for our vegetarian and gluten free walkers. Thank you ever so much for making us feel so welcome.

We had a few quizzes too; identifying biscuits from the past and one of our favourites, Christmas Dingbats. sadly without a bluetooth speaker, the music and tv program quizzes had to be cancelled....ready for next year though!

A complete surprise was when Richard presented all of us with a beautiful crocheted Christmas decoration with some chocolate coins made by his lovey wife Carron. 

To add to the Christmas atmosphere, Claire from Storytelling Ambassadors joined us and we were delighted to hear a couple of her wonderful stories, thank you Claire, we all loved listening to your story telling.

Andy, our treasurer, surprised us all by not collecting any money today. Having applied for a grant from Cllr Edward Heron, and being successful, the event was without any costs. Thank you Cllr Heron, your generosity was appreciated by all of us.

This was our last meeting until 6th January so all I have to do now is wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a wonderful 2026.