Come walk with me ...

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny so we decided to take a morning walk in the village of St. Mary Bourne. This village has strong personal associations for me as it is the village where my Mum spent her childhood and was married and a place where I used to spend a lot of my school holidays staying with my relatives on their farm.


Have you got your walking shoes/boots on?  Then come and join me as we start our walk through The Rec (recreation ground) and then turn down beside the lake.

before turning uphill towards Derrydown Woods

where there are lovely views as you look left of the river wending its way down towards the viaduct.

Let's look back to see how far we have climbed.

 No spring lambs in this field at the top of the hill today, perhaps we are too early in the year.

We continue onwards walking along the ride at the edge of the woods

as far as the corner where we turn right back into open countryside

with lovely views across the fields.

and stop to photograph these lovely wild primroses

which have always grown at the top of the hill near the five lanes junction.

We then cross over and continue down the hill where a donkey comes to say hello to us

before turning right to walk along the byway to Haven Hill.

How lovely to see the school children playing outside and thinking that since taking semi-retirement I don't need to go to school every day. I still have this guilty feeling that I can go for walks in the countryside on school days!

We turn down Haven Hill and then walk through the meadows back towards the Rec.

but stop at each gate to read these signs that the school children wrote when this pathway was upgraded and the old stiles removed (probably about 10-15 years ago now).

We have now reached the road and instead of going straight ahead back to The Rec we turn left down towards the main street and the war memorial stopping on the way to take photographs of these lovely celandines and violets.

I also stop awhile at the war memorial to pay my respects to the fallen of the World Wars which include my Great Uncle - Hector Frederick Hibberd, who died in France in September 1918.

We turn down the main street with its beautiful thatched cottages 

past the alms houses

to the stream that meanders down through the village

past the Old Plough and over the bridge

and on towards the Church passing many other beautiful cottages

before walking through the Churchyard to take a photo of this lovely porch

and then turn back towards the Village Centre past The Summerhaugh

and back across the bridge to take the turning to the Rec and the carpark.

I hope you have enjoyed taking this virtual walk with me. One day soon I will invite you to share another walk with me.