7 March 2009For route details click here
This walk was adapted from one of Nicholas Henderson's Walks Around the New Forest, Walk no. 8. It takes in much of the route he describes from the Busketts Lawn car park, from where I began my walk. Mr Henderson's begins in Ashurst. Please click on the link above for route details.
Today's experience might have been more successful, or rather more enjoyable after a longer spell of dry weather to dry out the bridleways. Of course, these get churned up something terrible. Boots and gaiters really came into their own, and are now more mud than footwear! Having said that, despite the mud the paths chosen are clear and unimpeded, including the little path from Rossiters Lane to Lanes Bridge, which can apparently be choked with nettles. Some wise soul has been in there and hacked the blighters back.
Starting from the car park, there is a big, noisy alsatian at the house at the end of the track you start you along. However, this beastie is very well trained and although the gates were open, it did not try to leap the cattle-grid into the woodland where I was walking.
Along the path from Nicholas Corner to Goldenhayes there is an eyesore of broken and rusting corrugated iron which has been dumped. Bits of it look like they might have been part of a pig hut. The very muddy bit of this bridlepath at the Nicholas Corner end can be skirted along a narrow, dry footpath winding among the trees to the left. Eventually, the bridlepath becomes more gravelly and the going is good right to the end.
The occasional bit of road that has to be navigated is very quiet and wide enough for walkers, horses and cars to pass each other.
If you thought the previous path was muddy, Rossiters Lane (another bridlepath) requires some work with a stick to wield affectionate brambles out of the way as you try to skirt around the churning. However, this soon settles down after a while and becomes more passable, and a pretty little stream runs alongside the path on the right.
The next little path, the nettly one mentioned above, is accessed over a stile and is not too bad to pass along although it becomes a little narrow beside the paddocks and stables further on. There is another river that runs alongside this path - or it could well be the contuation of the one previously. Over a stile (made of concrete bricks and scaffolding poles) at the other end and diverge here from Mr Henderson to follow my route.
He would have you pass the Gamekeeper Pub and take the footpath after this. I chose to turn down a Close before this establishment and pick up the next footpath at the sign. This comes down to a stile and broadens out into a wide greenway, again a little muddy in places, but mostly good walking. At a junction, the way immediately ahead becomes tarmac; the actual footpath continues inside the hedge along the edge of a large open field and over another stile into a copse.
Be aware that this is not simply a copse that comes out to the next bit of road at the far end. It is part of a large paddock. The path through the copse runs alongside the river, and I was flummoxed by the horse-shoe marks in the mud, as there is no way for horses to get out at the place I came in. The mystery later resolved itself when I emerged from the copse on to a wider, tractor-tyre marked path. Ahead of me I thought were haybales, wrapped in black tarpaulins. These turned out as I got closer to be three young ponies all sitting down in the mud in dark blankets.
As those of you who have read previous posts on this blog will know, I am not partial to domestic livestock - cow or horse - as they are more unpredictable than their semi-wild counterparts.
I had a choice. I could go forward between the ponies, or back and go around. I could see the gate and the road ahead.
Having assessed the situation, I chose forward. I wanted to get to the road. As I approached, one of the ponies got to its feet and stood looking at me sort of expectantly. I wished it a "good afternoon" and walked on, nonchalantly. The other two remained seated. I attained the stile and looking back, saw that two of the ponies had followed me and were now looking at me rather morosely. I went back to the gate and the darker pony came to have his nose scratched.
Elated by my personal breakthrough I continued on my way along Fletchwood Road, which is a lane that becomes a bridlepath. It isn't very interesting apart from the large modern houses and cars along the way. At the end of this path is Woodlands Road which comes up from Ashurst and winds up to Cadnam under various names.
Across Woodlands Road is the New Forest and Busketts Lawn Inclosure. Very popular with dog walkers, the path right across from where Fletchwood Road emerges is a cycle track and easy to walk.
The bridge and ford across the river is picturesque, as the photo above shows. The river isn't labelled on the map within the Inclosure, but further out it is called Bartley Water.
I turned off to the left shortly after this and keep straight on through a gate to Yewtree Hill and the lawn beyond. Across from me here was Little Stubby Hat and further on Great Stubby Hat. I followed the little undesignated stream round to the right along the lawn, skirting the muddy places although the ground is actually quite firm underfoot where there is standing water. This route brought me back to Bartley Cricket Ground and thence through the barrier at the western edge of the car park.
The sun had shone for much of the way. However, coming along Fletchwood Road the wind turned very cold and the clouds became denser. This was a pleasant walk, although I could have done with a little less slippy clay underfoot. Give me the good, honest black stuff any time.
