A moderately energetic but incredibly peaceful circular West Dorset walk (as it’s West Dorset, you can obviously expect plenty of upping and downing!) through the undulating heart of the least populated part of the county. Starting with the car park at Pilsdon Pen, once you leave the NT hilltop you’ll be lucky to see another person on the whole route!
The route is well signed and easy to follow, switching as it does between some of the biggest long distance Dorset trails (the Jubilee Trail, the Monarch’s Way, the Liberty Trail and the Wessex Ridgeway). It’s a varied route, mostly across open farmland, but with some small patches of woodland and crossing lots of small streams (all easily bridged or passable, even in February) and there’s a permanent sense of peace and quiet.
Just a few notes:
There is a small free car park for Pilsdon Pen, allowing easy parking to start the route.
The view to Golden Cap and the sea from the base of Pilsdon Pen
We chose not to go over Pilsdon Pen, taking the less-walked route around the base. But if you’ve never been before, do go up and over for the wonderful views – if you come down the back end, there is a gate which allows you direct access to the field where you can pick up the route again.
There be unicorns here…
Behind Pilsdon Pen you come down to the wonderful Specket Cottage. The route crosses the lane, and there is a sign to suggest an alternatoive route to avoid the boggy ground. We risked it, and found the bog was entirely passable (hopping mound to mound) as it was only a 50′ stretch just below the road. However, if your footwear isn’t up to some bog water, or it’s been very wet, turn left along the lane (which is exceptionally quiet) and just pick up the route again at Cole’s Cross.
The boggy stretch below Specket Cottage
The final part of the route is a lo-o-ong uphill plod: the incline isn’t steep, but it does rather go on a bit, and if you’re out of practice like we were, it took a bit of puffing and a few rest breaks to make it all the way up!
The rewards on the long climb back up to the car
(If you enjoy this walk and are looking for other local Dorset walk suggestions, you can see all the published Dorset Walks by the BV magazine here)
Passed away peacefully at Nazareth House Durban South Africa on the 17th February 2023 aged 98 years
Allan spent the last thirty years with his beloved wife Irene loving life in South Africa until her passing in 2020. He had many fond memories of times shared with old friends in Dorset, and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
Aethereus Events invites you for an evening of culture, performance, live entertainment and a few surprises along the way at our Spring Awakening party set in the idyllic rolling chalk downs of South West Wiltshire.
March 25th, 5:00 PM – March 26th, 12:50 AM
The Bake Barn, Chicklade, Wiltshire SP3 5SY, UK
Aethereus Events invites you for an evening of culture, performance, live entertainment and a few surprises along the way at our Spring Awakening party set in the idyllic rolling chalk downs of South West Wiltshire. We have been working hard to secure some truly outstanding performers and have created a filled night of eclectic shows; from live swing singers to Dj’s, Opera to erotic cabaret we have spent winter piecing together an unforgettable and unique event. We have revamped the Aethereus Hell Fire Club with a whole new show curated by Sadiq Ali where guests will be dazzled with a devilish cabaret of burlesque and circus performance.
Those of you who experienced the show last year will know that this is a collection of exhilarating (and perhaps) risqué performances by some of the best performances of burlesque art in the country, and for newcomers prepare to be excited, very excited! There are two tiers of tickets available, see the events tab for details. Please note Premium Tickets have limited availability.
Onsite arking available – alternative transport options are also available please contact asap for more information [email protected].
ABOUT SPRING AWAKENING EVENT
“The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.” Georg Hegel.
Equally, Aethereus Events are preparing to spread their wings.
Leading us from the dark, cold winter months and soaring forward into Spring, Aethereus presents an evening of live music, culture and surprises.
And so…we are excited to announce our very first ticketed event: Spring Awakening 2023.
Hosting stage performance from some of the UK’s top cabaret acts incorporating burlesque with circus acrobatics, The Hell Fire Club makes its return to Wiltshire following a memorable event in 2021. The show promises to be spectacular and is not for the faint hearted.
The Aethereus Lounge is a stylish retro cocktail bar with live Jazz and Swing performances, as well as world-class cocktails prepared by our professional mixologists.
The Minerva Club will top off an extraordinary evening with live DJ Cat La Chapelle putting on her high-octane, hedonistic club experience until the small hours, with a few surprise performances along the way.
Limited premium tickets are available for our La Casa De La Flores experience, where guests will be treated to live operatic performances from classically trained tenor Vasili Karpiak and female Classical Crossover duet Eden, all whilst enjoying an included 3-course meal (plus wine!)
TICKETS
Their are two types of ticket available to purchase:
GENERAL ADMISSION £60
General admission tickets give you access to all performances at the Hell Fire club; swing, jazz, crooning at the Aethereus Lounge and partying at the stunning indoor Minerva Club. Several bars will be on hand as well as a street food vendor where you can purchase a range of hot food.
PREMIUM ADMISSION £108 (Limited availabilty)
Our premium ticket gives you unfettered access to the entirety of the Spring Awakening experience – as well as enjoying everything open to the general admission ticket you will receive EXCLUSIVE access to La Casa de la Flores where you will wine, dine and be treated to live Opera performances from some of the finest performers in their class. Male and female classical performances will be complemented by a three-course meal from the highly-rated Indulge Catering as well as wines from local suppliers (meal & wine included in price of premium ticket).
This month Maddie is looking at the stunning range of art and products available through Scope’s collaboration with talented disabled artists
Maddie’s favourite Boats Ahoy! by Mahlia Amanita
The disability equality charity Scope now has displays in its shops with some outstanding artwork that talented disabled artists have created. But if you don’t have a Scope shop near you, they have also now opened an online store so you can buy the art that way. It’s not just prints – they sell the beautiful designs on cotton and recycled plastic-bottle wash bags, art prints, candles and mugs too. I think it is colourful and bold and interesting. In the Gillingham shop, where I volunteer, one customer saw a collection by artist Kate Boyce and said “Wow that’s fantastic!” Vivian Nutt, Head of Customer Proposition, Retail at Scope, says: ‘We’ve really had to be more creative and ingenious in our fundraising since the start of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and this is an incredibly exciting development for us. Scope puts disabled people at the heart of everything we do and, working with four superbly talented disabled artist and designers, our collaboration has produced a stunning range of unique products that are perfect for yourself or make a truly special gift for anyone.
The Kate Boyce Kitchen Textiles Collection is available in four of her designs
‘I encourage everyone to visit our shop – either in person or online – and see the beautiful ranges for themselves. Every purchase helps fund our vital support services that are a lifeline for disabled people and helps us to campaign for a fairer society.’ One of my personal favourite pieces is called Boats Ahoy! The artist, Mahlia Amanita, has Asperger’s syndrome and her work has been displayed in seven countries. This design is currently available on a range of items as well as available to purchase as a print. Be sure to check out the wonderful work that all the artists have made.
You can find the Disabled Artists collections on the Scope website here shop.scope.org.uk
January is never the best time for goal setting – and we need to think far wider than our diet, says nutritional therapist Karen Geary
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It seems counterintuitive to me to set new year resolutions or goals in January. I like to work with the natural rhythm of the earth, and given it has poured with rain for most of January, I have remained in hibernation mode as long as possible, enjoyed it immensely and am not feeling remotely guilty. I slept an extra hour a night too. For me, the spring equinox is the time to start implementing new health goals – when the earth begins to wake up. I have been giving them quite some thought while catching up with a few health-related podcasts when out walking. I recently listened to two longevity experts with two very different perspectives on nutrition; one advocating high quality protein intake from good quality meat sources, coupled with a high plant intake (but not grains) and supplements (nutraceuticals), as the way to go. The other advocated a mostly plant-based diet, with beans every day. It was a respectful discussion and actually they have much in common. They both said that a high plant intake, time-restricted feeding, good sleep, a sense of purpose and strong social connections are all supported by science. All true.
Work backwards Then I listened to a third longevity expert who, in my opinion, made the most sense of all. He challenged his listeners to think about how long they wanted to live, what they hoped to be doing, and then to work backwards in order to achieve those goals. This approach may differ depending upon how old you are now and how long you want to live! If, for example, you want to be playing with your grand/great grandchildren in your 90s, you need a particular level of fitness to be running around, so it might not be a bad idea to get a better handle on how fit you are now (you can be checked by a fitness professional who can calculate your bio-age from a few well-known exercises and put a plan together for you). For this speaker, fitness was more important than nutrition. What he meant by that is that you can have a fabulous diet, but if you are not physically fit, what’s the point if you can’t lift yourself out of your armchair?
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A consistent plan There are five things we should be aiming to do every day to maintain both our physical and mental health. There is no replacement for these things. How many of these do you already do and where do you need to put the work in?
• Sleep I have written about sleep on these pages before (‘three surprising ways to sleep better’ The BV, Apr 22) and my website has lots of tips on how to optimise it. Most people need between six and eight hours a night. Teenagers more. Coupled with sleep is sunlight, sometimes known as circadian light therapy. Get out in the sunlight, ideally in the morning. Exposing your eyes to sunlight helps to align your circadian rhythm and produce serotonin, which in turn helps to make melatonin, the darkness hormone. This helps you feel more tired in the evening, improves sleep and helps you to feel more awake in the morning.
• Hydration It is not that well known that we need to increase our hydration as we get older. It plays an essential role in many health issues. Good hydration plays a key role in mental health, sleep quality and cognitive ability. Dehydration in the elderly is very common. Between the age of 20 and 80 years, there is a 15% reduction in water volume in our bodies, which is why the elderly get dehydrated faster. Lower water volumes mean a poorer response to temperature regulation and an increased strain on the heart.
• Movement Ideally an hour a day. Learn about NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis – spontaneous activities that occur every time you perform some sort of physical exertion, such as standing up from a seated position, running to catch the bus or even simply fidgeting). Try to do something every day that gets your breathing rate up. You will live longer and you will feel better. Get assessed professionally if you can to get focused.
• Nutrition Try and get 75 to 80 per cent of your food from minimally processed foods. As we age, the need for protein increases. This is because we are less efficient at using protein compared to younger adults. If we don’t meet these increased needs we can lose muscle and lean mass and have a lower immune function, all of which play a role in increased risks of frailty and illness. Consult a professional for personalised goals or where you have specific health concerns.
• Social connection Do what you can to make the interactions that you have with friends, family, as well as online, as healthy as possible. Some people are more introverted than others, so do what is meaningful for you to maintain high-quality social connections. I guarantee that if you do these five things, your health will benefit. Now set your long term goals!
Monthly updates from the various North Dorset Police Teams. This month’s news from Gillingham’s PC Vicky Biggs
The end of January sees the annual Neighbourhood Policing Week, says PC Vicky Biggs, when the local teams work on targeted hotspot patrols
Neighbourhood PC Tom Harness on foot patrol in Blandford
At the end of January your North Dorset Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) participated in the national Neighbourhood Policing Week of action. We held drop-in surgeries with our partners in Blandford, Shaftesbury and Gillingham, speaking to our communities about local concerns. We continue our community engagement opportunities going into February, with other drop-ins (see details of these on our social media).
Angus Woods in Blandford – due to increasing anti social behaviour volunteers have removed lots of rubbish and a bench to prevent youths gathering
During the week we used community intelligence as well as our local knowledge to plan our patrols, resources and target anti-social behaviour (ASB) hotspots throughout North Dorset. By working with partners and working together with NPTs throughout North & East Dorset we are able to use our resources to complete targeted hotspot patrols. We have also conducted welfare checks on vulnerable residents, seizure of drugs, stop checks on vehicles We have also been highlighting our NPT Priority surveys, which allow the local community to feed into our local priorities. We have been completing these at our drop-in events as well as advertising them on social media, and through our Dorset Alert messaging system. (Remember you can still sign up for Dorset Alert here dorsetalert.co.uk)
Foot patrol in the ASB hotspot of the Barnes Close area of Sturminster Newton due to reports of drug dealing.
Whilst this week was used to highlight some of the work we complete, be assured we continue this throughout the year. As always, for current updates on the work the team undertake please follow our social media page:
Home-Start Wessex is standing alongside local families with a new appeal launched this month. In a recent survey by Home-Start UK, 74 per cent of families said they were expecting to need financial support this winter. In 2022, Home-Start Wessex helped a record 300 families across Dorset and the borders of Wiltshire and Hampshire. Demand increased by 30 per cent as more families struggled to cope and needed their help. Volunteers provide practical, compassionate and emotional support to parents whose worries about finance are adding to the challenges of post-natal depression, isolation, physical health problems and bereavement. Alongside one-to-one support, they also run five family groups and weekly ‘Wellness Walks’ to help families get outside and connect with others whilst having fun and getting some exercise. Kathy Fryatt-Banks, Chief Executive of Home-Start Wessex, said, ‘Parents from across the area are telling us how they are worried – heating is unaffordable, and they are missing meals to buy nappies and food for their babies. Times are tough for many, but please give whatever you can. Even a small amount will make a huge difference this winter.’
To donate, please visit their Just Giving page. You can also support families by becoming a Home-Start volunteer, ensuring that a family has the support they need. No qualifications are necessary, and full training will be provided. Contact Michelle by email – [email protected] or via the website – homestartwessex.org.uk
The third and final episode of February’s BV podcast – in this episode Jenny gets to listen to the wonderful Tim Laycock’s Random 19 answers, and Terry has a fascinating interview with Cllr Peter Wharf, in which they discuss the very latest developments on Dorset Councils decision to add a second home Council Tax levy.
Never miss an episode – if you’re not already subscribed to the BV, you can sign up here and receive a notification of each new podcast (just three a month) straight to your inbox! Or you can catch up on all previous episodes right here.
In this episode:
Folk musician, singer, actor, storyteller, historian, Thomas Hardy expert … Dorset’s Tim Laycock is a man of many talents, and Jenny has his answers to the Random 19 questions.
Terry has been talking to Cllr Peter Wharf as he gets to grips with Dorset Council’s additional council tax levy on second homes, and the pros and cons of the arguments surrounding a heated debate.
Reggae, Strauss and Gershwin? It must be Dorset Island Discs. Pauline Batstone has spent a lifetime working with ex-offenders as a probation officer, and spends retirement working for her community
Jenny reads this month’s column by wildlife writer Jane Adams, who is missing her early morning alarm call – but feels there may be signs of hope for mavis, as Chaucer named the British song thrush.
The BV podcast is brought to you every month by the wonderful Terry Bennett and Jenny Devitt.
All based on articles from the February issue of The BV magazine – never printed, it’s only available right here online. Subscribe (it’s free!) here https://bit.ly/TheBVsubscribe and receive it direct to your inbox every month**
