It felt a bit cooler today following the heat of the previous few days, but the humidity remained high and things really warmed up again in the afternoon. Oscar was still limping, so we gave him another rest day, and hopefully he would be fit and ready for the last two days.
The walk today took me through Sherborne, a beautiful Dorset town and if ever there was somewhere you'd describe as ideal for a Waitrose, this was it (and of course, there is indeed a Waitrose). The beautiful Abbey dominates the town centre, the current building originates from the 15th century, but incorporates some of the original Church from 1120. The hexagonal 'Conduit' that stands at the end of the High Street, used to be part of Abbey, and acted as a washing place for the monks, but was moved its current location following the dissolution of Sherborne monastery in 1539.
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| Conduit |
I think sat navs are probably much better than they used to be, you don't hear as many stories of people blindly following a sat nav into a river. One of the most useful purchases I have made before starting this walk was the Ordnance Survey maps app. The guide book is full of detail, but I do find that when I'm in the middle of nowhere and I'm looking for a stile by a single chestnut tree in a corner of a field, just below a dip, its easier just to follow the OS maps. It is amazing, if you stick to the line of the path it will take you to the exact point of a stile or crossing point. However I fell foul of the sat nav curse as I approached a wood. With hindsight the right of way had clearly been moved and there was an arrow at the side of the stile that pointed to the right (at the time I just thought it was indicating a right turn once you are in the woods).
The stile was overgrown with nettles and brambles, but this was where the OS app said the path went so I battled through the overgrown brambles, hopped over the fence and into the wood. Well it was like the dark forest in Snow White (although I didn't come across anyone selling apples, probably because I wasn't in Somerset anymore!). There was no path and as I eventually emerged battered and bruised from the forest thinking, right that's an email to Dorset County Council, just as I saw the diverted path coming in from the right! Sometimes you just have to ignore the tech and use your brain!!
The landscape changed as I left Lillington, becoming rich pasture land with lots of dairy farms. Yetminster was lovely with some beautiful houses, according to my guide book 31 buildings in this tiny village are listed.
However as I climbed out of Yetminster, I came across 2 blatant blockages of the path. I managed to get round both, but it's really frustrating and this time an email was sent to Dorset Rights of Way team. Within 24 hours I'd had a response from the 'Ranger' who was going to investigate, and also MacmillanWay.Org had responded positively to hopefully tidy up some of the overgrown areas and give better access to the path.
I made it to the designated meeting point, at the Sheaf of Arrows where the back up team were waiting, another day further on!
However as I climbed out of Yetminster, I came across 2 blatant blockages of the path. I managed to get round both, but it's really frustrating and this time an email was sent to Dorset Rights of Way team. Within 24 hours I'd had a response from the 'Ranger' who was going to investigate, and also MacmillanWay.Org had responded positively to hopefully tidy up some of the overgrown areas and give better access to the path.
I made it to the designated meeting point, at the Sheaf of Arrows where the back up team were waiting, another day further on!
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