Brockenhurst to Wilverley

22nd May 2009

I parked at Long Slade View , overlooking the disused railway and Hincheslea Bog towards Hincheslead Wood. The wind was chilly when I got out of the car but off the hill top it got rather warmer and I shed my fleece. I'd even put my waterproofs in my rucksack because the clouds looked a bit iffy over Southampton. Over the southern part of the New Forest - clear blue skies and warm sunshine. Did I take the stuff back to the car? No.

The walk was lovely, from the bridge through which you pass to Hincheslea Bog, along the olf railway through an avenue of fir trees with views over the lawns to the left and up to Set Thorn Inclosure, and out over Hincheslea to the right.

The route passes through a succession of three bridges which I passed through in the opposite direction during the Sway walk in January. The path took me past the caravan site and eventually to the road between Yewtree Bottom and Wilverley Inclosure. (The railway track is interrupted here and continues later on the far side of the A35.)

I crossed the road and went down to the river. There being deep holes in the river bed, my only recourse was either over a slippery-looking tree trunk or over Wootton Bridge along the road. I took the latter choice, then turned right through a gate into Wootton Coppice Inclosure.

This is a pleasant walk and I left the cycle track for a footpath which bent its way round back to the cycle track eventually. I followed this until striking off right on to a footpath downhill through trees to a gate which opens out to a lawned area by the river, where yellow irises were giving back the yellow of the sunlight. A group of ponies were stood sleepily around a crashed-out mare and an equally crashed-out foal.

I crossed the river over the bridge and came to a side road off the A35. From here I had to follow the road round to the right and then turned left to walk along the verge past the tea rooms and restaurant to the Lyndhurst Road.

A nice man in a red car stopped for me to cross. Beyond is a little gate on to the continuation of the railway route. I passed through this and sat on the edge of the old platform to take on water and fuel.

From here I had originally planned to walk on up to Burley but decided instead to follow the Avon Water until I found a path going up towards Anthony's Bee Bottom. (This path is not shown on the map.) I came to another path heading east back towards Wilverley Inclosure.

Coming down to Station Road, there was a small mare with a dear little black foal which was standing in the road beside its mother, in total innocence holding up and diverting traffic around it.

Across the road, there is a pleasant track past boggy ground which then goes uphill and drops down again to pass under the A35 and again climbs up towards Wilverley Inclosure.

This is a nice place to walk although it has the appearance of being possibly the most obviously managed Inclosure for the pleasure of people. The paths are all clearly marked out, the arrangement of trees in places give it the appearance of an arboretum and there are benches placed around the Inclosure which you rarely get anywhere else in the whole Park.

So on and up and out through a gate on the far side of the Inclosure out on to the Plain. There is deep heather across the Plain and you must stick to the paths to avoid disturbing ground nesting birds. Heading east across the Plain, heading for Horseshoe Earth, the heather eventually gives way to a wide lawn full of ponies.

Across the road and along the path of Horseshoe Earth which I very much enjoyed. It's a low ridge looking North towards Rhinefield over Whitefield Moor; and south over the railway route towards Set Thorns.

The path I chose goes around the edge of Hincheslead Wood and then downhill over a footbridge and under the railway. Here I turned left along the green lawn to strike the path that runs out from Hincheslea Bog again and winds up through the gorse back to the car park.

I got barked at and then investigated by a young pointer that didn't really seem to know what it was trying to achieve. I ate my sandwiches and drove back towards Emery Down and the M3.