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.