Stourhead to King Alfred Tower

On a baking hot day at the beginning of July - Andy's birthday in fact - we decided in our wisdom to do a six mile walk up a hill.  Genius!  Luckily, most of the walk was in woodland so we were afforded some shade, but it was still pretty tough.

We parked up at Stourhead, a National Trust property on the Wiltshire/ Dorset border and the first bit of the walk actually went through some of the gardens to get out to the walk proper.

Finn was on a lead all day as we were walking through grazing land.  He did have a paddle in this pond, but he was still on the lead!

We saw hardly anyone all day until we got to King Alfreds Tower and we were welcomed by a couple of lads smoking a joint when we got there!

It's the strangest structure - three sided and with nothing inside it at all except a staircase.  It was shut this day but I'm not sure I'd have gone up anyway for the views - too hot!

Poor Finn laid down in the shade at every opportunity.  I felt like doing the same thing!

Back at Stourhead we sat in the courtyard and had a cider which was most welcome - we were seriously overheating so probably would have been better with water!  After a little mooch around the shop, we headed homewards and stopped at the Walnut pub for a ploughman's lunch - passing Finn bits of cheese under the table!

Fabulous day, lovely to get out for a walk, but I think we'd have enjoyed it more if it had been ten degrees cooler!