The undersigned missed the train by mere seconds (as he does at times), but then took some opportune shortcuts to meet the other 2 lunchers at the pub just as they ordered their food. Meadows and fields were almost entirely wildflower-filled, with intensive agriculture seemingly out of fashion in these parts. This meant hords of butterflies and damselflies everywhere, plus plenty of birdsong and loads of buzzards and kestrels circling. This is always a quiet walk insofar as being remote from any significant traffic, with no hotspots for dog walkers and/or locals to bump into or walking groups to appear from nowhere, but today, in the still summer air with only an occasional slight breeze, it was very quiet indeed. More by luck than by judgement (I had posted this more than 3 weeks ago) I had picked the most shady of the Tisbury walks, which came in very handy today.

Lunch was fine, but the pub is under new management as of last year and they have clearly gone off the previous Michelin Bib Gourmand ambitions. Still a fine pub, no doubt, but not a gastro destination.

The picnickers had moved on before I arrived and we only saw 2 of them again in Tisbury, at the Benett Arms. Their fastest walker was assumed to have gotten the 6 o'clock train, which we had missed by a handful of minutes, but in fact he had gotten waylaid near Old Wardour Castle and had inadvertently picked up the outbound route (which is longer), so we met him on the platform at 7. He blamed the walk instructions! Unbelievable...

An all-male group of 6 therefore, in sunny and warm with an occasional breeze weather

cheap Advance tickets are still available, if you can commit to a defined return train

9 in grey quickly turning sunny and very fine weather.

A pretty uneventful walk today, with the group staying close-ish together to lunch, which comes after 1/3 of the distance. 4 had (a rather brilliant) lunch at The Forester, 1 even having 3 courses and a coffee, so the non-lunchers moved on. 2 walked an improvised shortcut mid-afternoon, all others the full route. 5 (including teh shortcutters) were on the 18.01, the others presumably on the following train.

The Black Swans were there again, on the ponds just after Donhead St. Mary, and plenty of photos were taken of them. Lots of butterflies were out and about and some irridescent blue stick-dragonflies (if they were dragonflies at all?). And there was quite a bit of mud in the woods, but never un-skirtable.

All in, a very fine day in very fine company.

This walk sounds interesting. A question for the short cut option: where does it separate from the main walk - before or after lunch?

The short walk basically cuts out an outer loop, please see the 'OSmap' tab on the walk's webpage for both route maps. But the short walk also has a slightly longer morning route to the pub, as you can see there, and the routes split after 5 minutes.

If one walks with the group in the morning but leave after lunch to follow the short cut, what would be the total miles. Is there a reason why the short cut needs to follow a different route in the morning?

The short walk is devised to minimise the effort (the ups and downs) while still giving some of the up-the-valley views that the long walk has in its post-lunch stages, and to free up time for potentially visiting Old Wardour Castle (if you so wish). If you mix and match pre-lunch route bits, the difference in length is marginal, as you can see from the route map.

Anyone interested in doing a short cut with the morning session walking with the group, and split after lunch?

Re#5 comment: if I join you, how many miles is the walk in total (excl walk inside EH)?

The short walk has 15.1 km (or 9.4 mi in medieval measures), as it says near the very top of the walk post. If you walk the slightly longer and more uppy-and-downy long walk's morning route, it will be marginally longer, but in my opinion you should really save your energy for the small loop just b4 lunch that gives you the valley views (and which the long walk only touches in the afternoon). So if you are the kind of person that fancies a shorter walk, I recommend to just following the short walk as it's written. You'll bump into the long walkers at the pub.

It would be a shame to come to a group walk but end up walking alone just after 5 mins into the walk. Pity.

The day got off to an excellent start with the B+I Lions defeating the NZ All Blacks and 9 of us alighted from the train at Tisbury station after a standing room only journey for many passengers (really SWT just 3 carriages on a summer weekend!! )

This was the first SWC outing for the long version of this walk and what a superb ramble it is: beautiful open vistas (Dorset visible with possible new SWC adventures there next year) lovely woodland trails and ridges through dappled sunlight; quiet country lanes and tracks and picture post-card villages with numerous thatched cottages and an award-winning pub providing top-quality cuisine; (most of us were sandwich-eaters though who lunched in the nearby cemetery!).

You have to do over 10 miles after lunch but the variety and beauty of the landscape means you don't get bored. We stopped at the Old Wardour Castle for tea and ice-cream (English Heritage get your act together and provide a proper cafe like the National Trust; you will attract more people!). Here we hqd an amusing incident when a very young toddler , part of a large family group, staggered up to the top of the short slope where we were sitting and presented one of our group with a plastic bag full of rubbish which he expected him to deal with. Top marks for initiative I say.

Some of the group picked up the pace to catch the 18.01 but five of us decided to walk into the village and have some refreshments and buy some "supplies" at the local Co-op for the 19.01. (We walked past the South Western pub as I don't think blasting out Gary Glitter singing Rock and Roll is a good way to attract custom!)

On the journey home we had some pleasant badinage with the young Tibetan guy running the food and drinks trolley. He tried to persuade us to buy some of SWTs appalling red stuff rather than drink our classic 1874 Chateau........ er whatever it was! Frisson of excitement at Salisbury when Jenni Murray, journalist, broadcaster and Women's Hour Presenter ambled past us on her way to First Class. Extra point for me as I identified her.

A fabulous SWC day out and many thanks to the purchasers of wine and snacks. (Oh the weather was warm and sunny .

Two points about the walk: (1) its a pity the pub comes so early but nothing can done about ths and (2) although it has plenty of up and down there are no knee-crushing ascents and only 1 winding steep descent so is this really a 9/10! Even in my increasingly enfeebled state I would have said 8 or even 7. Were some people put off by the rating?)

On weekdays, Network Railcards a) cannot be used before 10am, and b) have a minimum fare of £13, so cannot be used for the Salisbury-Tisbury return.

If you meetup on the train, say in the first carriage, you can get a groupsave ticket, but you'd all have to get the same train back.

Well that worked ok. £20 for the return to Salisbury and then £3.50 with a senior railcard for the Salisbury to Tisbury leg.

Intend going. Have tickets.

website says that a return time must be chosen ?

no rtn train needs to be chosen. whatever box you tick, an off-peak rtn will be the outcome, enabling you to take any off-peak train with it

thanks for that Thomas

MIKE how can we send an email to you please ?

8 on walk. Weather fine with some sun. This "Tisbury tiddler" proved a superb introduction to the valleys, hills, woods and interesting buildings and ruins of this scenic area which has many fine views. We enjoyed the rare sight of brown hares scampering across fields and it was noticeable that there is far less arable farming this far out of London which makes it feel much more like a country walk rather than an a walk through "agribusiness" which you sometimes experience when you are nearer the capital.

The Forester Inn was welcoming and provided delicious food and drinks with the cider proving popular. Its a bit pricey but you can get a fish sandwich with chips and peas for £7.50 which certainly fills you up for the afternoon leg.

A short and barely noticeable shower cooled us down at the start of the return trek where we had to negotiate a densely over grown section through a wood before arriving back at Tisbury around 4.30pm.

If you do not linger too long at lunch then this short walk has one overwhelming advantage over its longer and tougher bretheren: it allows you to have tea and cakes at Beatons where I enjoyed the best carrot cake I have ever had - a massive wodge of moist fruit chunks and carrot with a

mouth-watering topping! Eat your heart out National Trust! Its open every day until 5pm but will be closed if you do the longer Tisbury walks. A superb day out.

(One way to enjoy the longer Tisbury circular walks would be to base yourself in Salisbury for a few days and take the 15min train journey to Tisbury. Perhaps a future SWC adventure?)

8 light clouds with one short period of spittle