Meet as usual in the car park on Brookley Rd at 8.50 for a 9.00 A.M start.
Note that it is Remembrance Sunday so avoid parking in the village if possible
The plan this week is to head out onto the Beaulieu rd past the internationally famous 'Brock Beach'. With literally yards of shimmering shin high water this freezing disease ridden swamp has rightly become the envy of beach destinations around the globe. Attractions include a bridge from which children of all ages are encouraged to jump into the shallow murky ditch in an age old game called 'Leap of Fate', the results are normally easily treatable at the minor injuries unit.
After packing away our beach towels we reach the pure, virgin spring waters of Hatchet pond before turning south to pass through East Boldre, east of Norleywood and through St Leonards before returning north to the safety of the main rd. Turning right we approach Beaulieu or 'Beautiful place'.
In the 1950's Beaulieu became the home of a progressive Jazz festival. Jazz as everyone knows is Music with all of the the nice bits taken out and it was an argument about how best to achieve 'monotonic white noise' and whether black polo necks were cool or not that led to the so-called 'Battle of Beaulieu' in 1960. Rival gangs of modern and traditional jazz fans apparently indulged in a spot of what sociologists call 'subcultural contestation'. The contemporary recordings of the violence and subsequent police response were later to be released in a ground breaking L.P 'Song of the Sirens'.
We pass up through Beaulieu via Palace lane before turning right onto Exbury lane and towards Lepe, from here through Langley and Blackfield before heading back towards Beaulieu along Rollestone Rd. We return as so often praying for just a little assistance from the wind-gods along the Beaulieu rd.
Looks cold but dry this Sunday. Hope to see another great turnout.
Course downloadable here
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