A Day Out - Friday 19th April

We had a Telegraph Promotional meal voucher which would soon be out of date so had to find somewhere that would take it on a Friday. The Haven Bar and Restaurant at Lymington Marina could take us so off we went. We had a good meal for £5 each and managed a walk from the marina afterwards.
The first photo is on the edge of the marina and the second of two Isle of Wight ferries about to crash (they didn't).
Did you hear this week of all the postage stamps that had to be pulped because they had spelt Wight 'White' - a collectors items if you could get hold of one! I've just checked this is correct click this





On the way home we did four geocaches. This photo is at the second one - St. Leonards tithe barn which was on one of the Granges attached to Beaulieu Abbey (now the National Motor Museum). To the left you can see a mare and her two newly born foals.



The last geocache was at Buckler's Hard, this is where Nelson built some of his major warships. The houses are where the workers lived.



This is where the warships would have been slipped into the water, notice the scooped out bit.
The geocache here took us along the banks of the Beaulieu River, a very beautiful area.
Note at the top right corner of the Blog page my Geocache counter - 500 is very close!

Sunny Daze

It was a shame to spend the day inside when there was a geocache out there waiting to be found. Looking at where it was on the map I could make this into a good walk with maybe a little refreshment at the end.
The good deed for the day was putting some Australians back on the right track after getting lost in the forest. Before finding the cache we saw this mare and her foal.



This is Splash Bridge near to where the cache was. If there are no planes overflying it is one of the quietest places in the forest. Sue by the bridge.




We had parked in the High Corner Pub car park so we just had to give them a little custom.

Weekend Visitor

Sue's brother Neil came to visit over the weekend. He was lucky that the temperatures were close to Cyprus temperatures (where he lives) so he should have felt quite at home.
He kindly took Sue and I to the Woolpack at Sopley for lunch. The fish and chips are superb. We had a walk around Ringwood in the afternoon, but there is no photo of the cake Sue consumed. She's on diet in between meals and snacks.

Easter Sunday

During the year I had read a book The Forest by Edward Rutherford, it's a fascinating book especially if you know anything about the New Forest.
Anyway in the book is mention of a 'crinkle crankle wall' so after Googling for this item found it is also called a Serpentine Wall. This great name had stuck with me for some time so I had to see one.
With a little bit of research I found that there was one at Dean's Court, Wimborne (10 miles from here). Today they opened the gardens to the public so off Sue and I went. The crinkle crankle wall is part of the walled kitchen garden. It is believed to be the longest wall of its type in the country and was built in the 18th Century by French prisoners from the Napoleonic wars.




The rear of Dean's Court.




Dorset cream teas - we couldn't resist. Diet - what diet?

New Forest - litter picking week

Here we are doing our bit to keep the New Forest tidy. Most of the rubbish is thrown out of car windows. We did find an old silencer plus other car bits.

Roy and Sybil's Ruby Wedding

Roy decided to surprise Sybil for their Ruby Wedding. He 'pushed the boat out' and hired Old Ferry House, Lymington, for a week in which to hold various events. We were very pleased to be asked to join them on the Wednesday.
















Lunchtime celebrations!
















Enjoying the sunshine. It's not wine, but the usual cranberry juice.
















Roy and Sybil - the happy couple.

Caravanning in Chichester

I know we haven't been back in UK for long, but we (I) felt the need to get the caravan out and give it a check over. We have only been to Chichester for a quick visit so with a campsite nearby, that is open, off we went.
This is Emsworth on a very cold day. We were doing a multicache which we succeeded in doing despite not deciphering all the clues.



We alerted the Portsmouth Mob to our visit and we were kindly invited around to Joy and Geoff's for an evening meal. We are always assured of a good meal and company.



Joy and you know who!



Chichester Cathedral from St. Richard's Walk.



Spinnaker Tower with a hairy fella in the foreground (couldn't find out who he is), the tower is 170 metres tall (557 feet).



These are my feet in the photo. I am standing on the glass floor!!!
Sue and I were the first up the tower and we had the whole place to ourselves for 5 minutes which was great.



Yours truly with Gosport in the background.



The Isle of Wight ferry coming into Spice Island, Portsmouth.



HMS Warrior in the foreground was the pride of Queen Victoria. HMS Warrior revolutionised warship construction, she was powered by steam and sail, she was the largest and fastest ship of her day. Spot the two aircraft carriers behind her.


Geocaching on Hayling Island. Another cold day.



Bosham from across the harbour. Watch out where you park your car here. A road and some of the parking is covered by the sea at high tide.



A short walk from the campsite on our last day. We were waiting for the awning to dry.