Things didn't get off to a great start on the penultimate day of walking. I set the Sat Nav to the Sheaf of Arrows where the back up team picked me up at the end of yesterday. The journey time came up as 45 mins which was the same time as the drive home, but after about 20 mins we realised we were heading in the wrong direction. What's the odds on two pubs with the same, unusual name, being equidistant from our holiday accommodation. Frustrating but it just meant I had a later start than planned and we had a bit of a drive round some of the beautiful Dorset countryside.
With 269 miles completed, today's walk took me from Melbury Osmond to Compton Valance a total 12 miles, the weather was much cooler, and although the rain threatened all day, it held off until the final stretch. The good news was that Oscar was back full of bounce ready for the day ahead.
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| Melbury House |
We were moving accommodation today to cut the drop off and pick up journey times as I edged further south. So we packed up early and went for breakfast at a restrained in Hillbrush, a brush museum and factory (who would have thought it!). It's mainly related to agricultural brush ware, but it tickled and made me think about the sketch in
Only Fools and Horses, where Trigger had received a medal for saving the council money by using the same brush for 20 years, (albeit with 17 new heads and 14 new handles).
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| Acorn Inn, Evershot |
I passed through the village of Evershot and the Acorn Inn, which was made famous by Thomas Hardy in Tess of the d'Urbervilles, although it was renamed the Sow and Acorn in the novel. Just before Evershot, we walked through some beautiful parkland at Melbury Park and past Melbury House, the seat of the Earl of Ilchester.
Chantmarle is a now derelict site of a former police training school. As we walked through the site there was a bit of confusion about the direction of the path with no way markers to help. I ploughed through some serious nettle and bramble patches, then turned round to see where Oscar was, I shouted him but he was having none of it. He just sat there barking, until I went back through the nettles and picked him up! (he's not daft that dog).
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| Beautiful Dorset Countryside |
Some of the walking today has been quite tough and heavy going, it might be that it's just the peak of the growing season, but paths were overgrown with heavy vegetation, crops blocking paths and no way markers. However just when you hit a bit if a low point you can turn a corner and the whole nature of the walk changes. As we neared the end of today's walk the path descended through some of the most beautiful Dorset countryside. Undulating green pasture land, with little glimpses of the Hamlet of Compton Valance nestled between two hills. Even though the rain had started to fall, this was the highlight of the last couple of days walking. Its these moments that make it all so rewarding.
As we arrived in Compton Valance, the back up team was ready and waiting to drive us back to our new accommodation in a brew house at the back of a pub - sounds good to me! Plus just 9 miles to go tomorrow to complete the walk.
Unfortunately the day ended on a bit of a downer as Oscar became seriously ill, having multiple seizures. We managed to get him to a vet quickly, where he was admitted for overnight monitoring. We thought maybe he had eaten something but initial tests weren't conclusive and we had to wait for further news the following day. I can't say we had a great nights sleep, and it looked like plans to finish the walk with my little walking buddy would have to be re thought.
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