Monday 20 March 2023 - Minterne Magna and Cerne Abbas

With rain and fog blowing in from the sea, Sue and I drove inland to meet David, Sue, Dave, Gaynor, Jacqui, Anita and her dog Billy at Minterne Magna for a circular walk featuring the village of Cerne Abbas and the Cerne Giant.

We started from the Minterne Gardens car park outside the church, pictured above, that dates from the early 17th century. It is noted for its association with the Churchill family going back to C17.

A great spotted woodpecker, hammering away in a nearby tree failed to notice our vocal group as we passed by. It seems that we chat at high volume because most of us need hearing aids. 

Given the damp conditions, we were remarkably cheerful as we progressed along pleasant footpaths, eventually reaching a viewpoint. From here we could see the Cerne Giant, a 180 foot tall 'Rude Giant' cut into the turf of the opposing hillside. The earliest reference to it is in 1694. 

Walking on to Cerne Abbas, we passed some flood prevention constructions and after a riverside walk we eventually wound up in the friendly surroundings of the New Inn - apparently over 600 years old. 

Continuing in intermittent light rain and low cloud, we made our way back through light fog to Minterne Magna on good paths, passing below the unseen (fenced off to deter fertility rites) Giant. 

Our route, shown below, was a little over 10km and took us all morning.

Then we went back to base for some indoors entertainment.