Holly Hill Woodlands

14th August 2009

I combined a pleasant walk on a lovely day with a photoshoot of one of the local "hidden treasures".

This is the beautifully sculpted iron gate into the woodlands from the car park.

And a bridge cast in the same style.

One of the water features.

The Lower Lake

View from the edge of the woods at Wendleholme Nature Reserve overlooking the Hamble River.

The path down to Bunny Meadows (nothing to do with rabbits)

The path across the salt marshes back towards Holly Hill. This path floods at high tide but is still passable in good boots.

One of many paths through the Woodlands.

The Victorian sunken garden.

Bramshaw Backwards

30th July 2009

All day it had been sunshine and showers so I dragged my waterproofs along with me. Didn't need them in the end.

My previous walk around the woodlands had been so pleasant I thought I'd go back for more, only this time in reverse. It does give you a different perspective of a familiar place.

There was a group of deer grazing just inside the gate. Being dark in shadows I didn't see them until I was climbing over the stile, by which time they clocked me and shot off into the trees.

Further down the path I came to the farm with many dogs. They seem to appear from all directions and run up and down the fence continuously barking.

I also heard and saw an owl flying. In the middle of the day? It was still an owl. It soared across the trees in front of me and out across a random cropfield in the middle of the woods. The crop they grow here is sweetcorn.

The sun was out just about all the time and being late afternoon and the height of summer the light in the woods was beautiful, and very photogenic. The Forest is showing the maturity of its colours now, although the bracken is just starting to turn.

Hamble Ramble

2nd October 2009

This is a walk from AA's 100 More Weekend Walks and the only one of two to have any substantial mileage to it. However, the copy I have is 12 years old and some things have changed slightly. I would recommend using Explorer Map 22 which shows the route of the walk on the East Sheet in the top right hand corner.

In the book, parking is advised in Hamble itself. I chose to park at the car park on the southernmost tip of Hamble Common and walk back through the Common to the village. For those, like me, who are nervous of cows, they are grazed here between May and October. There were a couple just inside the gate today but I went through anyway while they rather mournfully watched me pass.

The Common adds an extra mile to the walk through pretty woodland and alongside the Hamble River, and the car park is free. There is also a bus service no. 16 which runs frequently to Hamble Village from Southampton.

A ferry ride is the first event of the walk across from Hamble to Warsash. The ferry is pink, as is the ferry shelter on the Warsash shore, and the journey takes about 5 minutes through the host of yachts in the marina. On this trip, the ferry cut right across in front of some vast corporate vessel powering its way down the River to the Solent.

The ferry ride is also a part of the Solent Way long distance path which runs from Milton on Sea to Emsworth.

From the Warsash jetty the Solent Way heads south, and the route of today's walk heads north along an excellent gravel foot- and cycle-path through the Bunny Meadows. This is not quite as cute as it sounds. The path runs along the top of a purpose-built embankment and the "bunnies" are the pipes used to channel the water flow between the river and the salt water marshes that form the meadows. At extreme high tides even this raised path can become flooded.

On one side flows the River Hamble and the yachts, houseboats and houses of the village opposite offer an ever-changing view. On the right, as you walk up towards the boatyards, are the woodlands of HollyHill. There are several entrances this along the Bunny footpath; one goes across the marsh and up between mansion-like houses, however, the marsh crossing does flood at high tide. As long as you have sturdy waterproof footwear, this shouldn't present much of a problem. Or there is a dry access path further along straight into the woodland of the Wendleholme Nature Reserve where the path descends to a gate into HollyHill.

The walk along the embankment is exposed and it can be windy along the river, so it's a good idea to pack a cardigan except on the warmest and stillest of days. In open, sunny weather this is a beautiful place to walk and there's always something happening on the water.

The path goes over a curved bridge and later in front of riverside houses with their own boat docks, like water-driveways, then on through Hamble Point Marina. The path is signposted through here, past stacks of motorboats. There is a small restaurant but the toilets are marked as for berth holders only. How strict this is, I didn't find out.

Past the boatyard, the way continues up past another car park (also free) and emerges on to pavement beside the A27. The route goes left over the bridge past the entrance to Swanwick Marina and under the railway bridge round into Church Lane.

I think having done this walk I would be inclined to follow the route in reverse next time and save the Bunny Meadow stretch and ferry ride until last. The latter part of the route as I walked it today does have a few short sharp inclines, up and down. It goes through Bursledon village which is beautiful, but some of the footpaths are of the squeeze-type, fitted begrudgingly between hedges and garden fences with little or no view to look at.

However, things improve when Mallard Moor is reached. Up through the woodland, ignore the metal gate at the top of a short bank and continue through the woodland to a concrete road. The path goes right then left passing between high wire fences past a disused tip which is now used to graze ponies and later on over the railway to emerge into a small car park and out on to Satchell Lane.

The route now goes along the road. There is a narrow verge but occasionally you have to walk on the road and this is the way down to Hamble Common, which is quite popular. Across the road, however, is an expanse of open land which is a disused airfield and at various points entrances have been made so it is possible to get away from the road and continue along the edge of the airfield instead. Later on there is a marked footpath but everyone seems to use the old airfield instead, and there are several entry points between the airfield and the footpath.

The way continues down to a housing estate. I kept straight ahead until I came to a main road opposite the church. Turning left here I came back into Hamble Village and headed down to the waterfront where the ferry leaves from and where there are public toilets and a hut which sells both hot and cold snacks and drinks. From here, I retraced my path back up a narrow hill and into Hamble Common, following an alternative route back to the shore and the car park.

Lyndhurst, Denny Wood, Parkhill

16th July 2009

A 5 miler on a dry, sometimes sunny day, hot and humid but not unpleasantly so.

I started from Park Pale Car Park along Beaulieu Road (the one after Bolton's Bench), climbing up the sandbank to The Ridge and dropping down the other side out of sight of the road but still walking parallel to it. The paths are sandy and wind through gorse and heather. There are big views to the east across the moorland, pink and purple with new heather flowers, trees in the distance and a herd of deer grazing its way across. I came back to the road before it dips down and up again towards Matley Ridge, crossed over and past a low barrier on to a grassy track down through trees. This winds down and around and goes off in various directions further along. I chose a path left through pine forest which eventually comes to a bridge over a little river and climbs gently to a gate into Denny Inclosure.

Again, this is a pretty place to walk along. I followed the main path through although there are lots of tempting paths leading off and was rewarded for it by the sight of a doe and a fawn on the path ahead. Fawns are even funnier than the adults when they bounce away.

The path comes to a gate and a four-way junction. I opted to go straight across through the next gate into Parkhill Inclosure from where I had intended to go east eventually across Shatterford Bottom down to Beaulieu Road Inn, but I decided to change my mind. Not usually recommended as my sudden mind changes do not often work out well. I left Beaulieu Road Inn for another day and ambled off westward along the tracks and paths of Parkhill until I came out through a gate on to Beechen Lane. This is a cycle track but as such tracks go, this is really nice. The trees come down low over the path and there are many other paths and rides off the main way.

I decided to turn along one of the rides between Parkhill and Park Ground Inclosures, all green grass with muddy bits - it's fine as long as you watch your feet. All at once I looked to my right and spotted a little gate into Park Ground. I'm not usually whimsical on my walks. This time I thought I'd have an exploration.

Through the gate and a tiny path winds up through thick bracken through trees. There are indistinct pathways off this little way but I continued on up to a T-junction with a wide, clear path and turned right back to Beechen Lane. Across this and through another gate into Pondhead Inclosure on a rather less charming greenway than any of the others. This soon bends round to another T-junction and turning right comes through a deerproof gate past houses and back to Beaulieu Road.

I crossed the road and climbed about half way up the ridge, turning left on to a pony track through bracken with Lyndhurst church spire rising in the distance, to head back to the car park.

Bramshaw Telegraph

9th July 2009

Another lovely walk, this time outside the New Forest Boundary along the byway, foot- and bridlepaths through Fanchises Wood and Quar Hill Plantation.

The paths are well laid-out and the byway part of the route allows all traffic and more like a long drive, good enough to support 4x4s and tractors.

Bramshaw Telegraph is the name of the car park within the New Forest National Park. Then entrance to the woodlands is just across the road past Hope Cottage. The exit (or alternative entrance, if walking the route the opposite way, as I do later on) is about 100 yards further along the road.

Through the south-easternmost gate then and the track descends and descends (which of course has to be accounted for later) through dense woodland of oak, beech and pine. Don't get tempted off the permitted paths, the woodlands are privately owned on all sides. The trees open out and there's an open area which is rather scraggy although there is a large buddleia bush to one side. Across this area and through a gateway to pass between cow pasture where they graze huge Friesians. The cows are separated from the path by trees and what looks like a single strand of barbed wire. The beasts were peering at me through the trees as I stepped aside to let the tractor pass.

Be vigilant about where the byway is as the path forks quite often and it can take a double-take to see which way you are allowed to go. Clear signposting is made use of which is very handy.

Leaving the cow pastures behind, and being sure to take the left path at the fork, the way passes through the pleasant woodland as the photograph above. A little further on, there has been some maintenance work carried out along the path with trees felled and large ditches or channels cut into the side of the path which may look a bit unsightly until it begins to grow over once more. Past this, however, the path comes back into lovely woodland again and up to another junction. Keep round to the left along a rather rutted but otherwise pleasant path, lined with rhododendrons. It looks like this was once a very formal drive up to Hamptworth Lodge which is hidden in the trees somewhere to the north.

The byway continues along to emerge at a road later on. Before this, there is a clear bridleway which leads off the bridleway to the left, heading south-west. The path goes past one of the most picturesque cottages I have seen, nestled within the wood. Past the cottage and a barrier and on through more beautiful woodland, passing meadows of long grass. Where the path bends sharply to the right the path seems to be impassibly overgrown with tall bracken. The path does go clearly through it, however, and it doesn't last very far, running on into denser woodland than before. This may potentially not suit people who are claustrophobic, as the path is narrow and the trees are very densely packed, but it is a lovely place to walk.

Eventually the junction is reached with tall pines rising across the way and an excellent wide footpath running north-west/south-east. I'm sometimes a bit wary of footpaths marked on maps as they can be narrow, nettly and unkempt. This one most certainly is not and is of the best New Forest type, being broad with a surface of grass and gravel, good walking in all weathers. Right, the path goes to a road; my way lies to the left.

The environment changes and changes again. The path runs mostly through woodland with now and then fields opening out one side or the other and there is an area of common land further along.

I did get a bit confused towards the end of the walk as the main path slopes downhill and appears to bend around to the left. Well, it does, but the actual permitted footpath continues straight ahead through low bracken on a grassy way, over a plank footbridge and under some low-branching trees. Here is the compensation for the descent at the beginning of the walk. The ascent is not so long but it is steeper, up through the trees to a farmstead where they have many, many dogs of all different breeds including a great alsatian with a very deep bark. Fortunately there is a good, sturdy gate. The path goes to the right (don't go left, the dogs go crazy!) and still climbs quite steeply up through reddish woodland to the exit gate.

Out of the gate, the land opens out again and you are once more within the New Forest boundary. From here, it's a short walk up the road, past the fork and back across the road to the car park.

Brockenhurst to Ashurst

6th July 2009

This trip utilised local train stations. I proved to myself that a bit of forward planning means I can do more interesting linear walks, and indulge four different hobbies in one go - travelling, reading, walking and photography.


I had a lovely walk despite the day being somewhat cloudy and windy.

I thoroughly enjoyed it right up to the bit where the clouds decided to dump all over me two minutes from Ashurst Station. It was a case of "do I stop to put my rain trousers on or catch the train?" I decided I wanted to catch the train. I had been speedwalking for 15 minutes already by this point in order to make the train I wanted, otherwise I'd have had to wait an hour for the next one. I'd already mistimed the walk from home to my local station outbound, arriving just as the train pulled in; the stupid automated ticket machine only had my destination in a sub-menu, by which time the train was pulling away.

I had a choice. If I went home, what was I going to do as my car was a bit poorly (exhaust)? Well, I had Dracula with me (the book, the book!), so I bought my ticket and sat on the station for an hour reading Jonathan Harker's adventures in Transylvania. The next train arrived and from that point, until torrential downpour mentioned above, the day was lovely.

The train deposited me at Brockenhurst. The route begins from here and starts off across the A337 and up Mill Lane. There's no pavement but there is currently a stewardship footpath along the inside edge of meadows of Brockenhurst Park, dotted with trees.

There's a short bit of road work from the exit from the footpath to the bridge before turning right along the verge of the B3055 alongside Ivy Wood, then across the road to a gate set at an angle into Perrywood Inclosure on a good grass path which goes up to the railway bridge and into Pignall Inclosure. On to the cycle track and soon off it again on one of those impassible-looking paths of clumpy, long grass which always have a narrow but definite path running through them.

So to another gate and along another ride between Stubby Copse and Parkhill, this time a path of short grass but likely to become a quagmire in winter after horses have been along it. On to a cycle track in Stubby Copse, and soon off it again on to another overgrown, dried out ride which arcs around the cycle track (I didn't want to keep along the cycle tracks). Back on to the cycle track again and turn north until an almost Roman-straight good footpath of grass and gravel that curves down and up again.

At the top of the rise - um, well, they don't tell you these things before you get to them and - it's a ride under re-establishment, after all the tree-felling and churning up of the paths by equipment. There are signs: "No Walking" "No Cycling" "No Horse Riding". Well, it looked all right to me, and there was a way around the barrier and my planned route went that way. I didn't want to divert (I'd have missed my train), so I - well, I did a bad thing - a bit naughty, really ...

Then I had to climb over the fence out of the Inclosure (Denny Lodge) because they'd chained up the gate. And there was no notice on the gate to say why it was chained up!

I left the scene of my misdemeanour and enjoyed the trees of the copse. Emerging from the trees into more open ground I was treated to an aerial display of many little swifts darting and wheeling around and above my head. Whether in exuberance or alarm I don't know. It all looked fairly exuberant, and they weren't diving at me.

Two bridges over the wetland and an excellent path up through Bishop of Winchester's Purlieu, through Bishop's Dyke and over Shatterford. It got very windy across the expanse of moorland but my Tilley Hat is excellent! On up to Beaulieu Road where I sat on the station platform to eat my lunch. I'd forgotten to bring some cash to have a cup of tea at the Inn.

I checked the time and my position and found that in two hours I'd covered about 2/3 the distance. I reckoned the rest of the route to be about an hour's walking, and with the bit of power-walking at the end I was just about right.

I left Beaulieu Road Station, crossed Beualieu Road on to the path that goes over another windy moor, which looks quite wild from the road. The path is excellent and comes to a lawn which today was crowded with ponies. The route turns right, eastward, under a railway arch into a little woodland called Withycombe Shade (not quite the Withywindle (Tolkien ref) but it does have a sluggish brown river).

After the footbridge, the path turns north and is a quite, pleasant path alongside the tree-lined railway, through clumps of gorse and a narrow windbreak of trees with a shallow ford, and on the right another path rises towards the towering pines of Longdown Inclosure. Ahead, the path rises and forks, left over a railway bridge to Fulliford Bog, onward towards Deerleap Inclosure.

I went on into Deerleap (the path also bends east here to follow the line of the Inclosure fence up to Deerleap Car Park) and checked my watch. There's about a mile to go to get to Ashurst Station and I need to make it in 20 minutes.

I begin to walk fast through the Inclosure and out of the gate at the far end there's a choice of ways to the Station. Do I go left over the railway bridge and turn right along the path through the campsite? Or should I keep along the open bit of common ahead, which I have seen described as a dog-toilet? Had I chosen the latter and slightly quicker way, would I have avoided a soaking?

All things being as our choices make them, I chose what I believed to be the best choice at the time. (Incidentally, I would still choose the pleasant path through the campsite over the "dog-toilet") As the rain beat down upon me, I believe I muttered "why did I come this way?" as well as cursing the rain. But I made the Station, the train arrived on time, and I didn't have to change at Southampton Central for my local stop this time.

East Meon to Butser Hill

29th June 2009

Maps used: OS Explorers 119 and 120 + photocopier and sellotape!

This was a lovely walk. 3 1/2 hours exhilarating walking in beautiful warm sunshine with extensive views of Hampshire. 3 birds of prey, swifts and rabbits seen. Accompanied all the way up by the song of skylarks. Exercise for the legs and always something to look at. A fabulous day altogether.

The walk starts from East Meon, a charming example of a typical Hampshire village.

For the car park, take the right hand turn in front of the church set against the slope of Park Hill above the road, and follow the road round to the right past Ye Olde George Inn, a 15th century coaching house, and follow the signs for the car park. This is spacious and free.

The walk starts from the car park, heading south along a footpath past the community centre and steps left on to a park in front of houses. Continue through a small housing estate to a country road and turn right. Follow this road round (there's no pavement but it's quiet) to a wide signposted concrete track which rises between crop fields and passes to the left of farm buildings. The path continues round and then down through more crops to a crossroads. To the right is a track called Halnaker Lane; ahead and to the left is the South Downs Way. The path ahead comes eventually to Old Winchester Hill. The path left is that required on this route. It is a restricted by-way and like many such tracks is somewhat enclosed by hedges and trees. Being on the South Downs routes the path climbs steeply in places. Not recommended in wet weather as the path is chalky and I found that insect repellent is a good idea, particularly in hot weather.

Towards the top of this part of the route, the views begin to open out. To the left are views over Small Down and Wether Down towards Butser Hill and glimpses of the valley in which Petersfield sits. The views to the right are somewhat more open looking towards Old Winchester Hill and the Meon Valley behind and the spread of west Hampshire further over.

I was passed by two cyclists hurtling back down the way I was going up. The path isn't smooth. It's fairly rutted with a lot of loose stones.

Past the pylons and Wetherdown Barn the path drops slightly down to Mercury Park. This is quite interesting. There is some science facility here which I found difficult to ascertain whether it's still in use or not. The wire fences are topped by great rolls of razor wire and there's a security entrance but there was no one about. Unless it's part of the Sustainability Centre on the other side of the road, which is also interesting as this is the site of the South Downs Natural Burial Site.

The excellent thing about walking through Mercury Park is that there is a good wide pavement part of which goes down through pleasant trees past some very nice houses. At the triangle junction, the pavement gives out but the road is fairly quiet and at the next junction, Hyden Cross, there is a small grass area with a bench opposite a white cottage, which looks out over the countryside. Lovely place to stop for a break.

After a quick bite and some water, I crossed the busier road to the continuation of the South Downs Way directly ahead. This is a pleasant broad path which climbs gently up through trees with views of the countryside to the left and Hyden Wood (private woodland, unfortunately) to the right - a dense woodland that doesn't let much sunlight through and has a red-brown look to it.

As the views close to the left and open out to the right where the woodland ends (I could just see the white of the Science Station on Portsdown Hill far away south) the path comes up to the road which rises to Butser Hill (Limekiln Lane). The tarmac road goes on up to the Car Park (a fee is charged here - £1 for the day). There are picnic tables up by the information hut, and there are toilets, but no refreshments. (There is an information centre and cafeteria a short walk down Butser Hill at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Car Parking at the country park is also £1 for the whole day)

Limekiln Lane continues as a restricted by-way just below the car park beyond a steel barrier with a "No Motor Vehicles" sign. The Lane is chalk and not recommended in wet weather. It is also rutted and fairly steep in places. There is a footpath along a bank above the main chalk path. After a while the way forks. The right fork descends precipitously down Rakes Bottom to the Nore. Left, Limekiln Lane continues, in the latter stages becoming earthy rather than chalk and later descends fairly steeply to Lethe House Farm where there is a sturdy gate between the path and the dog; a beautifully laid out dressage arena, and some rather fine horses. The gentleman who was watering the dressage arena was nice and called out "good afternoon".

The way now comes to a lane. My way turned left along to Cumber's Lane, which has a traffic regulation order and is blocked to traffic by a large concrete barrier. Walkers, riders and cyclists are still permitted but the path has been churned up by 4x4 vehicles and motorcycles which are no longer permitted to use the path, for obvious reasons. The path becomes a little more stable further on until a 5-way junction of TRO paths.

As I didn't know the area before I started, of course I couldn't know what kind of paths I might encounter. I chose to go immediately left past Greenway Copse. The path is firm but rather scraggy, the grass worn away and rather weedy. As the path passes the Copse there is an intriguing wrought-iron gate which seems to stand alone against the dense dark trees. The path eventually emerges on to a very narrow, very quiet lane between fields and outlying cottages of East Meon and overhung with trees.

Looking at my map, there was another route I might have taken from the 5-way junction to Frogmore, just outside East Meon. I might look at that another day.

It doesn't need to be all roadwork back to the car park. There is much to see that is pleasant and interesting in the village.

Coming along the road and over the river, there is a footbridge which goes back over the river to a footpath running in front of cottages and across a small green; past a tiny pasture with a couple of young, nervous bullocks in it and the back of the old Court House. There is a small gate at the top of the path, past tennis courts, and you emerge on to the main road from West Meon. Across the road is the beautiful All Saints Church with a wooden lychgate and a bus stop just beside that.

Back round past Ye Olde George Inn and to the car park once more.

Acres Down (real-time)

28th June 2009

I took my journal with me today and wrote in "real-time" rather than in hindsight.

Is there a better use for an all-weather map than using it as a mat to sit on in the roots of an oak tree on the bank of a river?

I'm at Highland Water, again, heading back towards Acres Down and hoping it stays quiet for a little while. Strangely, I've just met again the woman I passed the other day who was sitting on a fallen tree reading her book, just up the path to my left. She was with her dog and her husband this time.

It's been a pleasant walk, if not so sunny. Indeed, it was beginning to spit with rain as I drove down but apart from a couple of spit-spots, no rain so far.

I was hoping to find a path through Mark's Ash Wood (who is Mark?) from Bolderwood Drive this time, but it looks like it's grown over or been otherwise lost. I couldn't find any kind of clear start to it so I came back another, possibly much nicer way. Along Bolderwood Drive, up through a small car park on to a path beyond a barrier and through lovely woodland over the bridge I found the other day from the other side. I'm pretty sure I "zoned out" for a while, then I got here.

There's the warm sound of pigeons and other birdsong, other than that just the scratch of my pen on the paper. I feel very content away from the scream of children and thump-muzak at home - driven out I was! :-) and grateful for it now. I could have done with some insect-repellent but it's only a couple of midges and a buzzer (a what-what?). And there are fish in stream!

There's something tapping somewhere (it was ponies crunching about in the undergrowth) and the fish are still jumping. I've been here about 1/2 an hour. I think I might move on.

Fritham

24th June 2009

I followed an AA Walk out from Fritham with a slight detour which was at first a little disappointing as the path I chose to revisit was not as lovely as I thought I remembered it. It may be one of those places that looks best in the rain, the sunlight made it look rather insipid. It was the ford in Amberwood, the subject of my previous post "Sweet Woods". Not so sweet today. The river was barely a trickle and the path not so "clean" as I had thought.

However, I was soon glad I did go that way and into Sloden Inclosure because I got my best deer photos yet!


I was looking towards a possible greenway left when they appeared, just standing there as they do with their inquisi-scared faces and silly ears. And very obligingly they posed (or froze) for a couple of carefully taken taken photos before it proved too much for them and they bounced away.

I also came across a doe and a half-grown youngster in Holly Hatch, and a small group peering out at me from a clump of trees on the path up to Fritham later on. It was too dark for photographs and flash would have scared them. They are so funny, so nervous and yet so curious.

The AA guide proved a bit vage in places. Up past Eyeworth Lodge and the cottage beyond, the directions tell you to bear right and then go left and follow the fence round, then when it goes further left go along a grass track, etc. I started up a right hand track, found I was getting further away from the fence and cut back through the trees to find the path I wanted. Then I had to choose between two paths that no clear path led to (bear with me!). Finally I picked the likeliest one and found myself where I needed to be. At least they were right about the single conifer - wait till someone cuts it down!

My advice is to keep along the path (albeit a bit muddy) over the wooden barrier and follow the fence around until it begins to bear away left, then look for a green path going down through trees to the right.

In Holly Hatch, I had to use my compass and double back to find the correct path after the AA guide defined the path required as a major junction. It isn't a major junction, it's a grass path and one of several. Why they can't say, take the wide grass path heading north-east I don't know! They do state "within 400 yards" from the previous junction but I have no idea what that looks like on the ground - it isn't very far, and I didn't have my pedometer.

In South Bentley Inclosure, yes the path becomes indistinct and I "forded" the (dried up) stream; but what is the term "half-left" supposed to convey? Half of what? I consulted my compass, checked the map, found out where I needed to be, had a scout around and saw a gate through some trees. I headed for the gate and there - ta-da! - was a clear path running north to south. I headed north, the way I wanted, and came to the lawn with the river and footbridge, as required.

Over the footbridge and up the path, past the outlying cottages and church (and deer) of Fritham, and back to the car park 1/2 an hour ahead of schedule. The walk was supposed to be 3 hours and took 2 1/2 including an extended diversion, photo-taking, doubling back and scouting around.

It was fun, the late afternoon sunshine was wonderful and I am very proud of my deer pictures.

Acres Down

22nd June 2009

I'd decided I was going for a walk and chose Acres Down. I got up in good time and then whiffled around for ages doing other things, so I wasn't ready to go until about 1.45pm. Then I forgot my boots (how?), after which the road to the motorway from home was "Police-Closed" (I never did find out why). I turned back, found another way around and still managed to hit my revised target time to reach my destination as the M27 was clear.

Driving through Minstead was fun. Cows everywhere. On the verges, on the road. They were very purposeful wherever they were heading at 2.20 in the afternoon. It was very amusing, driving at cow walking-pace. I even got overtaken by one! There were cars going my way, cars coming the other way, and at one point a man in a van had time to stop and ask me for directions to a Farm. And cows everywhere. At the fork, all the cows decided to go left. All the traffic (about 3 cars) went right!

Having reached my objective, I put on my boots and set off, deciding to go around the lower path that runs along the side of Acres Down and into Highland Inclosure, rather than going over the Down. I'm pretty sure the lower path is not marked on the map - all paths seem to go over according to that.

It was interesting to watch the behaviour of a group of ponies in this shallow valley. There was an obvious leader, a grey mare. She led them right across the path in front of me (as they do) then she trotted on ahead while the first little band of the group sort of ambled along behind until she stopped in a grove of trees. The first band caught up with her, then the next lot followed down. The one in the lead of this group was black with a Black Beauty star and two or three others behind and they all trotted down to the grove of trees. It was interesting to watch the way they trotted, they moved so easily and naturally with a gait to make a dressage rider weep for joy. You try getting that smooth, natural pace on demand! The ponies went off into the thicker woodland beyond and I walked on.

I went past a tree full of chaffinches! and down into woodland through a gate where I stopped for a moment just to enjoy the surroundings and the quiet.

So on, and following much the same route I've trodden before, over a bridge, left at a T-junction and over the ford at Highland Water. As I walked along the path something moved in front of me. I thought it was an old leaf but it was moving strangely and when I looked closer it was a little rust-coloured toad.

A little further along, I came across a woman sitting on an old fallen tree reading a book with a little terrier snuffling around on a long lead. "Typical!" I thought, wryly, "you think you've found a bit of peace to read your book and someone comes along. " We exchanged "good afternoon" and I walked on.

I went straight up to a gate out of the Inclosure to a road and was trying to find a path that, according to the map, should go over two footbridges through Mark Ash Wood but the only footbridge I found was in the wrong direction and everything else was overgrown with bracken. So I returned to the road and found another gate back into Highland Water Inclosure. It was time to be heading back.

I came down through trees to a cycle track and decided to follow this back to the car park. The sun came out but not for long as the clouds regrouped. It was becoming hot and rather hunid.

The walk was lovely and the whole day was full of interesting stuff, what with the cows, the ponies, chaffinches and the toad. I had a very relaxed and content afternoon.

And when I got home, I discovered I'd driven all the way back in my boots!