Pig Bush

19th June 2009

New Forest Car Park - Pig Bush

There is a path from the car park running west down through the trees to the Nature Reserve, an open area of moorland; at the head of the path is an information panel giving the layout of the Reserve and outlining the path around it.

However, I was going further afield.

I followed the path down through the trees and turned left along the edge of the Reserve, soon to turn north-west over a footbridge. Flowering shrubs were growing over the river.

I followed the path to a gate into an Inclosure but turned right here and followed the line of the fence towards the railway bridge. This is a long climbing slope over boggy ground and then the bridge itself. There is a notice here for riders to dismount, presumably in case the sound of the train or a sudden claxon causes the animal to bolt. There are high shields put up so that the trains are hidden from view.

After the bridge, I went through the gate across from it into Denny Inclosure and up a lovely grass slope with foxgloves lining the path. I had an idea of fairies sleeping in the foxgloves and when they leave for the day, the bees come and clean out the flowers.

At the top of the slope, part of the path was closed off for reinstatement of a bridleway churned up by forest logging. I wanted the path left anyway.

I was supposed to keep going until the cycle track down to LadyCross. Well, it looked like a cycle track, being gravelled and wide, and I suppose I should have marked the absence of cycle trail posts, but I didn't. The way ahead I realised later I should have continued along looked really overgrown so I turned down what I thought was the cycle track. (I'm not too hot on distances and could really use a pedometer to help me).

I came back to the railway, as I should have done, only a little short of where I should have been. More fun than merely going over another railway bridge, though. You have to actually cross the railway here at Railway Cottages (with barking dogs). I haven't done this since the Mottisfont Walk.

Across the railway, then, and through another gate into another Inclosure. Following this cycle track round, there were a couple of grass paths leading off it but barred and signed "Deer Research - No Entry. Good thing I hadn't planned to go that way!

I passed two joggers with a cheery good morning on each side and soon out of the Inclosure on to the cycle track down to LadyCross that I should have struck earlier.

LadyCross is a sprawling pile with impressive black entrance gates flanked by trees and bushes and a black mailbox.

On towards the road that winds to left towards Brockenhurst. A path cuts alongside the road then bends back on to a drive that goes to two hidden cottages (How DO people get to live in these places?) and also forks off on to a path over a low barrier into the loveliest of woodlands.

The path winds gently through old oak trees with heavy-laden branches coming down low over the path. Then further on opens out into a glade. The sun had come out by now and it looked very inviting, so I stopped here and sat on the lawn to eat my energy bar and drink water.

I took several photos of the woodland on the way through, and then I saw the Two Trees - well, that was my first thought as they were literally side by side and intertwining their branches. Then as I looked again, it struck me that they appeared to be dancing and I imagine in a strong wind the illusion would be even stronger. And so I called the photograph the Last Dance of the Ent and Entwife, which will mean little to anyone who has not read The Lord of the Rings.

And so I left the dancing trees and wandered on through the woodland to another cycle path, turned right through a gate into the next Inclosure heading for what on the map looks like a river or stream.

It's called Worts Gutter. It's rusty brown and it smells of rot or something. I walked along the track next to it for a way until I came to a green path going left and having re-plotted my route turned up this and then first right on to a similar path. These paths are of the type that look overgrown and as if they might be dreadfully boggy, but these particular paths although clumped with long grasses have clear narrow paths through. The latter came up to a clearing called Moon Hill and did become a bit hoof-pocked, which being thoroughly dried needed attention to avoid turning an ankle.

At the T-junction my way went right and down through a gate on to more open heathland. There is a track to Beaulieu straight ahead, but my way lay to the left through a ford and on along a pleasant grass path to a crossroads of five paths. I had planned to take the way ahead. However, this was evidently a well-used ride and rather churned up so I changed tack again and chose the path going north and a little west. This winds up through woodland and although likely to be very muddy in winter was a delight today.

I have to say by this time I had been hemmed in by trees for a good while and was beginning to hanker for some open space. It didn't help that the sun had vanished and everything was beginning to look rather morose under increasingly leaden skies.

Soon I came out to Tantany Wood. I wonder if the labelling on the map is a bit misleading here because Tantany Wood turns out to be a clear, wide lawn dotted with trees and must look lovely on a late summer evening when the deer come out to graze.

There isn't a path exactly across the lawn but the layout of the trees makes a veritable avenue towards the woods on the far side.

There is a good track through the woodland which comes to the edge of the Nature Reserve and also bends around through more trees towards Beaulieu Road. These trees are the interior of the beautiful line of woodland you drive past along the Road, and as I had long wanted to see what the interior was like I turned right towards the Road.

It had begun to rain, and I got some atmospheric shots of the trees.

At length to the road and I was by now happy to see it. I'd had a slight headache all day on and off. However, I'm still glad that I got out and walked around for 3 1/2 hours.

Turn alongside the road here and follow the track down to the stream which is crossed by stepping stones - made of concrete. And then along an easy track through trees, across Culverley Car Park, down through trees again to emerge at the edge of the Nature Reserve once more. From here, along the path, turn right up through the trees and return to the car park.

It would have been nice, of course, if the sun had shone all the way but I was going on this walk today whether it shone or not.

Later that evening, standing looking out of my kitchen window, the clouds had fled and the sun was glowing in a clear summer sky. Maybe I should have waited ...

Short walk around Upham

13th June 2009

A very quick 3 miler around this pretty little village.

While walking through the cropfield up towards Street End I realised that in the distance I could clearly see The Rosebowl Cricket Ground with Telegraph Wood rising behind.

When I reach the road past the farmhouse, where I had continued along to Stephen's Castle Down previously, I turned off instead along the footpath/cycle trail that runs down to Bigpath Farm, across the road that runs past there into Upham and along up the continuation of the same old path.

And instead of continuing to the end of the path down to the road opposite another farm, I turned up along the footpath at the top of the hill which is fenced all the way alongside cow pasture. The youngsters I'd seen here the time before were all gone and the field being rested.

There were cows further along.









The views from this path along the little downs at this point are very picturesque and it is a very pleasant walk for an hour or so, and not far from home.

I met a chatty soul with a small black spaniel (which sat down for a fuss and then got bored and trotted off) along the path. I said goodbye to the cows and continued on to the end of the path and back into the village.

Turning left to return to the duck pond there is a pub The Brushmakers Arms on the right hand side, which adheres to the country opening times (11pm - 3pm and 6pm - 11pm). They also serve food.

Happy Anniversary!

4th June 2009

It is one year ago today that my walking hobby took off and I had no idea where it would take me. The weird thing about today's walk was that quite unconsciously, and only because it was "I really need a walk" vs "it's too late to go anywhere really interesting", I decided to go to Itchen Valley Country Park. The very first place I went on 4th June 2008.






And I only realised this when I got to the top meadow and was walking down towards the Woodland Trail.












Odd how things work out sometimes.

Cheesefoot Head to Owslebury - all the way!

1st June 2009

Park at Cheesefoot Head car park on the A272

I couldn't get to Owslebury from the south, so I came at it from the north! There it sits on its hill in the sunlight defying me, viewed from the South Downs/Kings Way.

I'd originally planned to follow the same route at the start as I had taken previously from Cheesefoot Head. However, part of the route goes along a bridleway through MOD land so I chose to do the walk in reverse from that planned so that if the red flags were out I had time to adapt the route at the start, rather than having to cobble something together at the end.

So, I struck out north westward along the South Downs Way towards Winchester with panoramic views to the south and west. The top of the Spinnaker Tower, Portsdown Science Station, the Isle of Wight, Fawley Tower and Southampton squatting by the River.

As the path wound up and around towards Chilcomb, the view north opened up and the Intech Science Centre came into view beside a lovely Down that has no Access.

There's a choice of footpaths down into Chilcomb. I chose a path through the barley field and down through a well sign-posted woodland. Note for the future: going along wooded paths, put on insect repellent!

Chilcomb is very small and very pretty and there is an 11th century Church at its southernmost tip just before the lane becomes a bridlepath and heads up through a gate into the MOD land.

I visited the church, which is tiny and very peaceful. They have a birdgate to prevent birds flying into the church and a polite notice asking walkers to remove muddy boots. After signing the book and taking a couple of photographs I continued up to the gate.

The red flag was down and the gate standing open. I took that as a sign and as I didn't get shot at I guess it was OK. The bridlepath goes up through more lovely woodland with views over the shooting range below and out across a field up to Morestead Race-track, otherwise known as Morestead Road which comes down into Winchester further on. It was about 6.15pm. The tail-end of the rush hour.

Cross the lane (at a run!) and on to White Lane, a footpath that passes through trees and past open fields. It was all beautiful on this particular day as the sun was beginning to fall to the west and the young green crops and grass and trees were shot with gold.

White Lane comes to a crossroad with Pilgrim's Way coming down from Twyford Down. Turn left here and walk past the wide wheatfields and the racehorse hurdles. Continue down between pasture returning to Morestead Lane and cross over into Mare Lane. This is a quiet road through a veritable tunnel of trees all the way up.

I paused at the signpost on to Monarch's Way which here goes down to Twyford Village and then continued on my way to Owslebury.

At the junction of Mare Lane, Whites Hill across from this, and Hatchers Lane crossing them both, there is an excellent path through a large wheatfield. Towards the far side in front of a hedge was a deer grazing and as I was downwind of it I got quite close before it saw me and shot off through the hedge. Which way my path also lay, climbing steeply between another cropfield and a paddock. The deer was now standing in the middle of the second cropfield watching me. I took some photographs and the last I saw of him, he was picking his way through the field back to the hedge.

At the top of the path there were new-planted trees and the path came out across a farmyard, between pony paddocks and further on between a school and a house, coming down to the road through Owslebury.

The village is small and rather ordinary. I continued out of the village eastwards and turned up the lane just beyond the edge of the village. I was looking for the pub and it's quite easy to miss if you don't know it's there. It's a house with the word "Arms" in its name. I only know it's there because it's where we stopped with horse-box and horses many years ago to ride up Fawley Down.

I continued on up the road to find the bridleway which on the map is called Staggs Lane. It comes once again to Morestead Road, which by now was much quieter being around 7pm.

Across the road is Honeyman Lane, another bridleway up through trees which comes to a crossroads with Warren Lane. Over the crossing, Honeyman Lane becomes the King's Way once more, but I chose to turn left along the permissive cycle track past the Old Down Plantations.

I checked out the field where I had once before failed to find the footpath through as it had been overgrown with dead bean plants. Today, the path was clearly marked through the crop.

On along the greenway and out through the gate on to the hard stony path through the fields of corn and rape.

The sun was by now hanging golden an hour above the west horizon. Any clouds there had been were fled. And the green fields were glowing gold in the lovely evening light.

3 1/2 hours and weary legs later back to the car.

Upham to Owslebury - nearly

30th May 2009

I had this walk all planned and then had to alter and cutail it due to cows and lost or stolen trail.

Park beside the duck pond and from there walk back past the church and turn right up the hill until you see a footpath sign and a stile over a fence into a paddock.

This is part of the Monarch's Way, going over another stile into a wheatfield. Follow the edge of the wheatfield and the Way is later met by Widler's Lane. The Way passes straight down through a woodland called The Rookery and then proceeds through a gate across a field to a gate at the top. Today there were young Highland Cattle in the field ...

In the The Rookery there is a footpath that goes off to the right from the Monarch's Path and eventually comes out at a cropfield. Turn left and follow the field edge round until another footpath sign pointing up through another cropfield. This passes some kind of small racetrack or horse exercise area and comes to a T-junction with Rowhay Lane, which forms part of the King's Way coming down from the north-east to join the Monarch's Way heading south east. Turn left along Rowhay Lane and where the Monarch's Way crosses at the gate to the field where the cattle were, turn right up through cropfields. The views open out at the path climbs, eventually reaching another T-junction through a large gap in high hedges beyond which Red Lane runs roughly north to south. Turn right along Red Lane until a four-way junction. Here, cross the junction to a gate through some rough woodland. This is now the Pilgrim's Trail. The woodland is mostly beech and becomes more pleasant further round, with dense woodland on the right of the path and views out over fields to the left. Eventually come down to a gate and out into a paddock with the path clearly marked through the grass up to another gate on to a drive. Turn down the drive to emerge on Lower Baybridge Lane.

From here, the Pilgrim's Trail on the map continues ahead easily through fields to Owslebury. On the ground, the Trail goes up a concrete track between pasture and is then lost. There is a gate into one of the fields - however, this field is horrendously muddy in wet weather and when dried out, is overgrown with rough stuff under which the ground is heavily pocked by cows and unpleasant to walk on. Further up the concrete path is where it seems the Trail is supposed to continue, and Owslebury Church rises tantalisingly close at the top of the hill beyond the fields. However, on the day I tried this route, the Trail was "blocked" off by orange tape right across where the path should be.

Not sure what to do, as there were no signs and I didn't know what was going on, I consulted my map and found an alternative footpath up through a field further along Lower Baybridge Lane.

I turned around, turned right along the Lane and found the footpath over an overgrown stile by a broken footpath sign (does someone want to put walkers off?). This field was no more pleasant to walk upon than the previous one, and - well, those who have been following my progress will know that I don't do cows. They are the devil's herd! And there were some large specimens quietly lolling about right where I wanted to go.

So, what to do? Consult the map.

I decided to curtail the walk as I was getting fed up with all the messing about. I went back down to Lower Baybridge Lane and turning right, continued towards Marwell House. The Lane emerges on to Thompsons Lane. Here I turned left and soon came to Marwell House where a footpath passes between the House and a cottage or farm.

I soon became glad that I'd chosen this alternative, as the footpath continues between fencing on a good path and passes between fields and over a couple of stiles into a cropfield, past a hedge (don't get tempted along the field edge inside the hedge, go past the hedge, the path continues behind it) and through pleasant woodland past more fields, coming eventually to the tarmac part of Red Lane. Left the Lane continues as a restricted byway; to the right you can walk along the Lane or follow a footpath along the field edge parallel to the road. The footpath is OK for a while but becomes overgrown in the latter stages. I found the road the easier alternative, as it is more a driveway to the Farm than an actual thoroughfare.

At its southern end, Red Lane bends round sharply to the right but there is another restricted byway off to the left which passes the end of Rowhay Lane and continues along Popes Road emerging at the main road into Upham. At this junction turn left and walk through this lovely village back past the church to the duck pond.