Poole, Dorset

Today is John's seventieth birthday. It is also the tenth day of celebrating this birthday. After a challenging coastal walk, a relaxing weekend camping in the new forest and taking in some art at Beaulieu today we were once again armed with walking poles and rucksacks, we say rucksacks, just small day packs actually, which were all we needed for our six and a half mile hike across the heathlands of Studland to Corfe Castle. First a bus to Wareham. Since realising how cheap bus travel is in our area we've become quite taken with this mode of transport. Of course John travels free, and Angela is three pounds per single journey, with the exception of our Portland to Weymouth bus journey which cost her a whopping 10p. Our walk today would cover a section of the Purbeck Way. Beginning in Wareham, of course fuelled by coffee and cake, our day packs bursting with goodies bought at Sainsburys for John's birthday lunch, we walked alongside the River Frome, the moored boats looking more cheerful in the sunlight than the gloom of a winters day when we sometimes walk this path. On the flood plain, young deer grazed, oblivious to our watching.

Following signs for the Purbeck Way we walked into Ridge village and then out into the heathland which is when we became somewhat lost.

Of course someone had removed the finger post which would direct us. So we went with our instinct and eventually ended up by the main road, crossing it and walking down to the parking area at The Blue Pool where we found somewhere to sit under the trees away from the crowds to eat a very nice lunch of cold meat, cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, Spanish tortilla, bread sticks and fruit.

We had now once again picked up the signs for the Purbeck Way, venturing across boggy heathland and into the trees before being spat out into the noise and chaos of the Norden Farm campsite.

The path runs behind the site and through yet more trees bringing you out on a ridge that affords spectacular views of Corfe Castle. It's a view that you won't see from the road. Our reward for completing this walk, yet more unhealthy refreshment! The days celebrations not over, we took a bus back to Poole, tidied ourselves, and walked down to Poole old town for a meal at the Flavours of Asia Thai restaurant. It's a family run restaurant, and has become our favourite place to eat out at. What a day. Cards and presents opened. Cake and ice cream eaten, yet more steps to add to this moths total, and all topped off with a fantastic meal.

Poole, Dorset

Angela has many happy childhood memories of weekend afternoons picnicking, and playing cricket in the New Forest at Cadnam. Well not all happy. When she was around five years old, one of the cows grazing nearby put it's head through the rear window of the families Austin Cambridge car. Angela was sat on the rear seat and her reaction was not dissimilar to her wild camping experience at Scratchy Bottom last weekend! As the cows sauntered through the Long beech campsite yesterday evening she wondered if one of them may be a descendent of 'said' cow. Sixty years on, she gave them a wide berth.

This morning chicken of the woods, cut from a nearby fallen tree made for a special pre birthday omelette for John. Being here in the forest he's in fungi heaven, we've already planned to return back in the autumn to the area around Eyeworth Pond to see what delights the fallen trees up there have to offer.

Today's visit, a sculpture exhibition at Beaulieu National Motor Museum. Over two hundred exhibits displayed amongst the gardens and in the Palace. Each for sale, some with a very hefty price tag.

We enjoyed wandering amongst them, some interesting, others unusual, many, we couldn't see how they justified their price tag. Of course coffee and cake featured during the day. 

In the kitchen garden we spoke with a lady about the monumental task of tending the grounds with too few staff. By late afternoon, the day visitors now drifting away, and now full of ' very nice ice-cream', we walked around the museum. As always vehicles from our childhood lead to reminiscences. Sadly our weekend in the New Forest had come to an end, but we weren't ready to return home just yet. A Chinese takeaway eaten over by Hamworthy beach whilst watching the Lionesses take penalties on the phone via iPlayer, ended our weekend away. And what a great weekend it had been, especially with the culmination of England's women's football team beating Spain in the euros.

Longbeech Campsite, Fritham, New Forest (Day 2)

As Angela drifted off to sleep last night she could hear animals outside the van. Unlike last weekend she didn't have a meltdown, it was just the ponies nibbling at the short dry yellowing grass.

This was more her type of wild camping. After the exertions of last weekend we took a relatively flat walk out to the Royal Oak pub at Fritham, stopped for coffee.

We then walked to Eyeworth Pond with its pretty waterlilies, followed by a stroll through the fallen trees stopping to look at a variety of fungi and the old black post box erected in 1820 by the Shultze Gunpowder Factory which was sited in the area, before a gentle amble back to Margery, stopping by the donkeys, where one young one took to John, following him across the road. Sorry only room for two in Margery.

Our time here in the forest is just what we need, a bit of a rest before our lives become manic next week when it will be full on redecorating and tidying one of our rental houses. So tomorrow we will once again 'kick back'. Angela has planned a suprise trip to somewhere nearby as part of John's birthday celebrations. He'll be seventy, Angela is sixty five, and as we both agreed this afternoon, age is no a barrier to 'going for it' in life. We think we proved that on the South West Coast Path.

A bonus was the many fungi we found growing in the woods, especially the Tiered Tooth Fungus, a very rare find.

Longbeech Campsite, Fritham, New Forest

After three days recuperating from our coast path adventure, we loaded up Margery and headed forty minutes away from home to Fritham in the stunning New Forest, where we are staying for two nights at the Adult Only Longbeech campsite. With limited facilities, which means drinking water and somewhere to dump your waste, the campsite is both tranquil and peaceful. Own toilet is obligatory.

Arriving at lunchtime Friday we were able to secure a perfect spot under the trees behind the campsite wardens.

Back at home in Poole this weekend a musical festival is taking place on the seafront a few metres from our home. To leave town for the weekend was a no brainer!

Here in the forest all is relatively quiet, the braying of the donkeys, the ripping of grass as the ponies feed and the rustle of the ferns as the cows amble through the site are all that disturbs us. We'll settle for that.