What a difference a day makes!

Rain and winds subsided overnight and we awoke to a beautiful warm day. Still struggling to keep up with the weather we've gone from -7 to +10 storms and downpours to days like today.

We made the most of it and set off for a walk along the Dorset ridgeway starting at Hardies Monument.

Affording us great views across the Dorset countryside. This was a monument erected for Nelson's commander.

A little hazy to stat with but that gradually burned off as the day progressed.

We stopped for a picnic at a stone circle dated from 1600 BC I doubt one could find a better picnic site .

Admittedly not stone henge but a comfortable place for a picnic and a sense of history.! The whole walk is beautiful with burial mounds and hill forts dotted around. We also got another view of Abbotsbury.

We took a diversion off the designated route to visit the valley of the stones. We've rarely been so underwhelmed by a designated tourist attraction.

We rejoined the original walk and returned after approximately 8 miles to the car where there's a modern interpretation of a stone circle by a local artist.

We passed through woodlands.

And a pet cemetery which appeared to have discombobulated someone.

An enjoyable walk with great views the weather was very unwintery. We are glad we made the most of it.

Tomorrow rain returns so we are planning on a day in Dorchester to have a look around.