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Boppard, Germany
We didn’t go to Berlin this time but instead organised a trip to the Rhine valley to meet up with our Berlin-based son and his partner. The trip began with a flight from Heathrow to Frankfurt followed by a train to Boppard and to a fabulous AirBnb overlooking the Rhine. An evening meal at the Italian restaurant under our apartment was an enjoyable experience.
On the first of the two days based in Boppard we managed a boat excursion south along the Rhine to Sankt Goar where there’s the ruins of a castle. The day ended with some home cooking in the apartment.
On the second full day a train trip took us north to Cochem which was busy and not really worth a visit. After returning to Boppard three of us ventured out on what turned out to be a very risky hike into the hills which we aborted when the path became too treacherous to continue. The day ended with an obscenely huge restaurant meal.
The next day we left our apartment and caught a train north to Cologne and an overnight stay. A visit to the monstrously huge cathedral was well worth it. The day ended with a disappointing meal in an Italian restaurant which had suspiciously good reviews on TripAdvisor! The next morning we had a one-hour return flight from Cologne to Heathrow. In summary, we had a lovely short holiday with one half of the family.
Boppard – days 1-3
Boat trip to St Goar (Sankt Goar) – day 2
Train to Cocham – day 3
Cologne – day 4
Boats on the Rhine
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The Kingdom
A fine, French film following a Corsican gang as they engage in revenge killings. Seen from the perspective of the 15-year-old daughter of the gang boss, it’s a slow moving and absorbing movie.
It might sound violent but it’s not, though the lady seated in front of me jumped out of her seat at a somewhat unexpected moment in the film!
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Sutton 2 – 3 Tamworth
Sutton’s performances have been dire so far this season (5 points from a possible 27 and just one win) and I gave the last couple of home games a miss. I was in two minds whether to go to today’s game – the weather forecast was iffy. In the end I chose to go.
A sunny first half was 2-3 at halftime – a crazy score-line and some terrible football from both teams. And then the heavens opened, and after a drenching I went to the covered area behind one of the goals. Most of the second half action was up the other end (where Sutton were attacking). You don’t see much from behind the goal when everything is happening up the other end of the pitch! I think I’ll skip a few more matches.
(Update: 4 days after this game the manager was sacked)
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Avon Valley Path (Fordingbridge to Ringwood)
On a warmish, sunny/cloudy day this third leg of the Avon Valley Path was an OK walk. The overgrown path in some sections as well as several stiles being in poor condition would suggest it’s not a frequently used path. I didn’t see a single walker over the 10 miles! It’s a mainly level walk so not particularly strenuous. The last third of the walk is around several lakes but you don’t get to see much of them from the path due to the bushes and the sheet-covered fencing – boo! The pub at Ibsley, where I intended to rest and eat, is closed on Mondays so I was short on nourishment by the end of the walk but I made up for it at the Ringwood Caffè Nero. A brief stroll around Ringwood town centre didn’t suggest there was much there, but it was only a cursory look so this may be a bit unfair.
About The Avon Valley Path
Salisbury to Christchurch
My proposed walks
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles) (Walked August 5th 2025)
Train to Salisbury, walk to Downton, bus X3 to Salisbury (20 minutes), train to home - Downton – Fordingbridge (7 miles) (Walked August 21st 2025)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Downton (20 minutes), walk to Fordingbridge, bus X3 to Salisbury (32 minutes), train to home - Fordingbridge to Ringwood (10 miles) (Walked September 8th 2025)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Fordingbridge (25 minutes), walk to Ringwood, bus X3 to Salisbury (45 minutes), train to home - Ringwood – Christchurch (10 miles)
Train to Bournemouth, bus X3 to Ringwood (40 minutes), walk to Christchurch, train to home
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles) (Walked August 5th 2025)
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Avon Valley Path (Downton to Fordingbridge)
On a warmish, sunny/cloudy day this second leg of the Avon Valley Path was a much more attractive walk than the first leg from Salisbury to Downton. There was a fair bit of climbing but quite manageable. Once again I had problems following the correct path, but I think this is down to my inattentiveness rather than the fault of the OS app. I suffered an accident whilst climbing a narrow stile, scraping my wrist along the top of a barbed-wire fence. See the images below to see how this could have been a lot more serious than it actually was. Fortunately I carry a small medical kit and was able to improvise some treatment. Lesson learned! Somehow in dealing with this mishap I managed to lose my tracking of the walk in the OS app.
About The Avon Valley Path
Salisbury to Christchurch
My proposed walks
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles)
Train to Salisbury, walk to Downton, bus X3 to Salisbury (20 minutes), train to home - Downton – Fordingbridge (7 miles)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Downton (20 minutes), walk to Fordingbridge, bus X3 to Salisbury (32 minutes), train to home - Fordingbridge to Ringwood (9 miles)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Fordingbridge (25 minutes), walk to Ringwood, bus X3 to Salisbury (45 minutes), train to home - Ringwood – Christchurch (10 miles)
Train to Bournemouth, bus X3 to Ringwood (40 minutes), walk to Christchurch, train to home
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles)
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Dorking to Reigate
A hard walk with a lot of climbs. Not a very scenic walk – it’s mainly narrow paths through woodland. An A to B walk with a coffee and a couple of fried eggs to finish off!
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Southampton, Lymington & IOW
We stayed at the Voco hotel (formerly a Holiday Inn) in Southampton for a bit of a break and managed to fit in a visit to see my sister as well as a trip to Lymington and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. A lovely break with some fine weather and some nice meals and excessive hotel breakfasts. The revamped Holiday Inn, now a Voco, we thought was a well-modernised and comfortable hotel.
Some not-bad pictures, many taken from our hotel room, were taken with my Sony camera.
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Avon Valley Path (Salisbury to Downton)
On a warm, sunny/cloudy day I was expecting this first leg of the 34-mile Avon Valley Path to be an 8-mile walk and I thought I might be able to continue onto the next leg (7 miles). But it turned out to be 10 miles and I was tired, so I abandoned the idea of doing both legs. It’s not a great walk, although the camera pictures might suggest I’m being over critical. I got confused a few times with matching the OS maps app to the actual paths, but it was probably more my fault than the app’s. Finally, before hopping on the train home, a visit to the delightful Fisherton Mill art gallery and café near Salisbury Station, for a coffee and cake.
The next leg from Downton to Fordingbridge will hopefully be a bit more interesting.
About The Avon Valley Path
Salisbury to Christchurch
My proposed walks
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles)
Train to Salisbury, walk to Downton, bus X3 to Salisbury (20 minutes), train to home - Downton – Fordingbridge (7 miles)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Downton (20 minutes), walk to Fordingbridge, bus X3 to Salisbury (32 minutes), train to home - Fordingbridge to Ringwood (9 miles)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Fordingbridge (25 minutes), walk to Ringwood, bus X3 to Salisbury (45 minutes), train to home - Ringwood – Christchurch (10 miles)
Train to Bournemouth, bus X3 to Ringwood (40 minutes), walk to Christchurch, train to home
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles)
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I’ve been listening to Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney composing ‘Get Back’. Genius!
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Epsom Downs
Pictures taken with the iPhone.
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