Tiny acorns

Many of the forest oaks are laden with tiny acorns. It's looking like it's going to be a bumper year, and I'd imagine heralds a long pannage in Autumn.

Brinken Wood

 

When you're moving through the stands of Brinken Wood you can feel that you're in old wood, ancient wood in fact, meaning this land has been continuously wooded since at least 1600. There are trees in this wood that remember the Tudors.

Urgh!

Urgh! You'd be amazed at how many times I've picked up these small oxygen absorber pouches of late, a particularly problematic piece of garbage being unsafe for animals to eat. It's a new phenomena too. I'm not sure why, or what they're coming from, but they appear a growing problem.

Beech Beds

Beech Beds enclosure, 1830, 77 acres.

Chuck

Even at a distance it's easy to spot a clump of Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) off amongst the stands. This year they've been both particularly numerous and particularly beautiful, their yellowy creams through to bright oranges definitely adding a splash of colour to the woods. When young and fresh like this they do look good enough to eat, and are. Remember though, although classed edible good, Chicken of the Woods can cause mild, though quite unpleasant, reactions in some. If you do collect some, only collect young and fresh as above, cook well, try a little at first, and you should always be 110% with your identification.

Peek bracken

 

The stands are choked with a tangle of bracken, often thick and tall enough to obscure your view and hamper your movement.  Though the time of peek bracken is coming to an end, it's zenith passed. A heavy downpour or strong wind will see them take a bow, they've overstretched themselves. There was a weird sense of autumn amongst the stands this morning, strong enough to prompt recognition. A reminder of where we are in the year and how fast the seasons pass.  

Corduroy roads

 

To aid the winter traveller, and by the good works of fellow ramblers, the forest has been furnished with numerous Corduroy roads. Trackways of log and bough through marshy terrain and boggy woodland. Always a welcome sight, these saviours of many a route through the wet season come in many shapes and sizes, not all though are as uniform and well presented as this fine example.

Forest gate

 

A hairy forest gate. Although as far as I gather not classified as Temperate rainforest, pockets of the New Forest can exhibit some similar features. Thick moss covers trunk and bough, and lichens hangs thickly from branches and woodland furniture. Pockets of fairytale woodland hollow are common. It's an aspect of the forest I've seen develop over the years, maybe associated with the restoration of the forests streams and subsequently a wetter forest.

Field of flowers

 

Our route by way of the Corfe Valley had us encounter a huge field of wild flowers, through which our footpath fortuitously passed. Approaching the final hill of what was an arduous Purbeck walk, the wonder and colour of the field was a welcome distraction.

Broad Bench pebble art

 

Covering a fair portion of Broad Bench someone has put a lot of time and effort in to this work, the piece extends way beyond my framing. Just collecting the appropriate shale pebbles must have taken an age. Nice result though. I doff my cap.

Gad undercliff

 

Gad Cliffs is a striking section of cliff on the Jurassic coast. A 150 year old layer of Portland Limestone capping steep scree slopes of Portland sand and shale between Kimmeridge Bay and Worbarrow Bay.  The undercliff is a particularly rugged piece of terrain, and I'm not certain if it's strictly open to the public, so wouldn't advise  it. It's certainly a wild piece of the coast. 

Avon Water

 

Since its' restoration Avon Water, for the most part, has become one of those streams you can only reliably navigate through the dry season. The restoration having slowed the flow, holding water back in the forest. During the wet season the Avons' environs have become a mess of watery hollows and sucking mud, a real quag. Horrible going. During the dry season though, one side of the stream becomes walk-able again with a path that follows the streams' meanders.  However, the other bank remains consistently boggy, a rich and diverse environment of carr, reed and sphagnum beds.  This dry season has been particularly beautiful walking.

Holmsley enclosure

 

A pocket of pine burst through a carpet of sedges and grasses within Holmsley enclosure, their adjacent deciduous stands couldn’t be more different in nature. As with many of the forests enclosures Holmsley is comprised of blocks of deciduous and coniferous stands, a mix which allows for the creation of wonderful niche environments.

Heathland restoration

 

The face of the forest is changing at quite a pace as restoration programmes undo the works of previous generation in pursuit of a more balanced and environmentally sensitive forestry.  I've been pleased with these programmes so far and am excited to see the current ones develop. That said, change still takes a time getting used to, and if honest a bit of me mourns the loss of the forest I've known. All is transient though, only change is eternal.

Malus

 

It's been a bumper year so far for apples, both domestic and wild forms. Unusually as yet there doesn't appear to have been a significant, if any, June drop, with most trees sharing an abundance of smallish fruits. How many of them will survive until harvest is yet to seen. Hopeful though.

Dry as a bone

 

The face of the forest changes between the seasons. During the wet season the woods through which Warwickslade Cutting meander are impassable without wellies, and even then you can fall foul of a hollow. Currently though Warwickslade Cutting is bone dry. When this was a deeply cut dead straight forest drain Warwickslade Cutting was an appropriate name, not so now it's course is restored to natural meanders. Warwickslade Brook feels more appropriate.

Cobnuts

I've got high hopes for our cobnuts this year.

People, eh!

People, eh! Is it any surprise we can't have nice things. You know in Englands' entirety legal wild camping is restricted to one small area, Dartmoor. Why? Historic inequity and a landed class who maintain control of much of the land, in part, by cultivating the spectre of feckless townies marauding about the countryside causing untold damage to our cultural heritage. A discarded tent and a couple of bags of crap* left amongst the stands serves to make their point. Of course, the truth is there are legions of wild campers who camp all over the country regularly and responsibly without issue, and they far outnumber the dullards. That's not how it works though, and sadly you see sights likes this far too frequently, each lending ammunition to those who seek to keep us excluded from the majority of our own country. If you've kept abreast of the news you'll have seen even the meagre access we enjoy is always under threat somewhere. Recently in Devon a wealthy landowner tried to put an end to wild camping on a swathe of Dartmoor, this time he lost; or a picturesque Dorset estate acquired by an investment company, as a consequence the entire village is to be evicted, with the removal of established permissive access to much of the lands to boot. We should always be mindful not to do the work of our opponents for them.

*Credit where credit is due, they had bagged their crap, which is more than most. Still.

Fletchers ford

One by one the forests' ditches, drains, and tributaries have slowly dried, in turn several of the larger of the forests' waterways have gone underground, leaving only increasingly murky pools in their meanders. Fletchers Brook (above), Dockens Water and Highland Water are all showing extended sections of gravelly bottom. With Avon Water and Mill Lawn Brook the only forest streams I've seen still flowing consistently. Still, tis the season though.

Enter Xenon by Custard Flux

 

Detroits' renaissance man Gregory Curvey returns with his sixth serving of custard flux, the fantastic Enter Xenon. Custard Flux developed from a project of Luck of Eden Hall front man Gregory Curvey to restore a 100 year old harpsichord. From that restoration Helium was born, a solo album written and performed entirely by Curvey. Since then Custard Flux has developed and evolved, five albums later the sound has transmuted some and an ensemble has burgeoned: Nick Pruett on drums and percussion, Timothy Prettyman on bass guitar, Vito Greco on guitar, Andy Thompson on the mellotron, and Curvey on vocals, guitar, synthesizers mellotron, and tape Loops. Evidence if needed that mighty oaks from little acorns grow. Now, it's impossible to pigeon hole the Flux sound, beyond that it has Curvey running through it like Brighton through rock. There's so much going on.  Enter Xenon is a suite of unique and deftly arranged numbers which seamlessly blend progressive, psychedelic, pop, and rock flavours with a smidgen of je ne sais quoi. Enter Xenon is an exercise in musical alchemy. Pure magic. Playful sounding fast paced jangle psyche tracks juxtapose with prog-tastic flights of fantasy, there's noticeable space rock aesthetic running through the entire album too. Take The Oblivion Capsule, a wonderfully drifty space rock number with a spoonful of early 90's ambient psyche making it a blissful listen. As you'd expect from Curvey there's no filler, every track furthers your journey of aural exploration until you enter the The Floating Chamber. The pièce de résistance, The Floating Chamber is a progressive space rock opus which glides gracefully through a psychedelic expanse, pulling you in its' wake until you're slingshot into infinity. Smashing track. If I had one complaint it would that I'd have liked the titular Enter Xenon, a psychedelic synth number with an after rave chill out ambience, to be longer. As you'd imagine all the tracks are beautifully crafted, wondrously lyrical, performed to perfection with superb production, a testament to the calibre of the musicians, every instrument shines brightly, and together they've created magic. Custard Flux represents the gold standard of progressive psyche, and I doff my cap to another exceptional album. Check it out here, and whilst you're there be sure check out the back Custard Flux catalogue too.

Gnarly Oak

A Denny Wood oak. Gnarly.

Mately Passage

 

Well established Alder (Alnus glutinosa) coppice flank the headwaters of the Beaulieu River as it  runs through Mately Passage. These stands haven't been coppiced for many years, they're what they class as notable alder now. Once it was wood much prized for the quality of the charcoal it produced, an important forest industry. I don't know about nowadays. This morning it was quiet, verdant and lush through Mately Passage, and the stands felt cool and airy. It was lovely walking.

Lulworth Ranges Chieftain bridgelayer

 

The Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School was established towards the end of the First World War in 1918, it's ranges are utilized by all three branches of our armed services. Used as targets you'll spot old battered tanks scattered about the landscape, look carefully and spot mechanisms for moving targets. Most of the tanks are way off the marked safe routes, well within the range, though this Chieftain AVLB Bridgelayer was close enough to the path to take a look. 

Range walk

 

Today's walk was not a long one, though a challenging one. A particularly hilly route through Lulworths' military range; Whiteways car park to Flowers Barrow to Arish Mell to Bindon Hill to Mupe Bay. We paused at Mupe for a welcome rest, some refreshments and a chilly dip in the crystal clear sea. Noice. Then; Mupe Bay to Bindon to Arish Mell to Flowers Barrow to Worbarrow Bay to Tyneham to Whiteways car park. That's only 8.7 miles but with a 2,256 ft elevation gain. Bloody lovely though, top of the leader board of this years walks.

Summer Solstice

It’s 0430 in the morning. Geoff and I make our way up around the Encombe Bowl to Swyre Head in order to see in the sunrise. There's a cool breeze, though it's warm enough for me to be wearing a T-shirt. The air reverberates to the sound of the dawn chorus, heard though unseen residents move amongst the undergrowth. Above us a bird of prey glides silently careful searching for breakfast. It's beautiful out. Dawns don’t get better than this. The horizon to the east is slowly turning orange red, we've reached the head just in time as a few minutes later dawn breaks. Crowned by the Goddess, today the Sun is at his zenith, King of summer. Tomorrow though the Holly Kings' reign begins, and we slowly process towards the waning year; make time to enjoy, as the wheel never stops turning. Solstice blessings. /|\

Mast

 

It's looking a good year for Mast, the forests' Beech (Fagus sylvatica) are putting on a good show; of course, time will tell. Though fiddly and time consuming to process, 'beechnuts' are potentially a valuable wild food resource. Found in prehistoric contexts beechnuts have a long history of use; traditionally they're dry pan toasted, crushed and roasted for a coffee substitute, pressed for oil, and more. Come autumn the pigs at pannage love them too. 

Brinken Wood

 

Brinken Wood

Stag Beetle

 

I noticed Bo (our young cat) was walking uncertainly around something in the garden, I had to investigate. To my surprise, and joy, looking down I saw a male Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) with its antlers raised in defence and defiance; no wonder Bo was so hesitant. Britains' largest beetle, now a protected species listed as 'nationally scarce', though when I was a child I remember them as a common sight. There was one amongst our log pile some years back, and I've seen several grubs over the years too. It's a privilege to have these magnificent creatures frequent our garden. 

All aboard

They'll have a long wait, passengers haven't boarded at Holmsley since May '64.

Pyramidal orchid

A Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), an orchid fond of chalk grassland, so right at home on the rampart of Chiselbury Camp.

Anthonys' Bee Bottom

Looking down over Anthonys' Bee Bottom and Holmesley Bog from Turf Hill the forest was a bit overcast and moody this morning, though the sun trying to breakthrough showed the potential for better to come.

Haws

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) appears to be having a good year so far, trees covered in blossom at Beltane are now heavy with burgeoning haws as the Solstice approaches.

Bolderwood Hill

Bolderwood Hill

Oysters

It doesn't matter what the season, nor where you go in the forest, after the rain you'll commonly find Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), mostly on the trunks of fallen beeches. 

Heath Spotted Orchid

The acid soils of the New Forest heathland and bog are perfect for Heath Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata), which are currently popping up all over the place. There's a rolling succession of flora in the forest, everything has it's time to shine, and it's their time now. 

Replanting

I'd imagined that the harvesting of conifer stands in Brock Hill and Vinney Ridge enclosures was motivated by restoration of woodland pasture, but some stands are already being replanted with oaks in the case of the tubes I looked down. Of course that doesn't meant this isn't part the woodland pasture program, restoring deciduous woodland is part of it. More broadly, the amount of forestry work going on a round the forest is on a scale I can't remember, nowhere appears to have escaped the woodmans' axe.

Woodminton Down

Woodminton Down, with the Chalke Valley beyond.

 

14 pebbles reborn

Back in July of 2023 I came across a small circle of rounded pebbles that someone had created on the hollowed out stump of ancient tree; often disturbed I'd frequently tidy or reconstitute the circle, adding pebbles when some had gone missing. At the beginning of the year I discovered all the pebbles gone, and vowed to restore the circle. In the meantime someone else who must've also been attracted to the woodland feature created a rough circle of sub angular stones as a replacement.  This morning I formed a new circle of rounded pebbles of different types I'd gathered from Mupe Bay.  I hope the others approve. 

Wartime relic

I glanced down as we navigated the undercliff of Mupe Bay and spotted a 1945 type guilded metal clad steel .303 cal. projectile.  You can tell it's 1945, or after, by the position of the crimp; pre-1945 the crimp would have been lower down the projectile. The bullet was unmarked, I suppose it could've hit something soft, though I think it was more likely a dropped round later set off in a bush fire on the coastal grassland above. I saw lots of examples of that on Godlingston Heath, another wartime training ground, projectile and case often laying less than a meter apart.

Mupe

Just look at that. 185 million years of strata, Earths' ancient geological history on show, representing the entire Mesozoic era. It's no wonder that the Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage site; a landscape of international geological importance, particularly the section between Mupe Bay and Dungy Head, where the strata is buckled and folded highlighting the raw power our planet is capable of. Mupe was our destination this morning, such a lovely spot, and what a lovely day for it. I've always loved this place, it's wild and rugged, with moods that change with the weather; welcoming today, though in stormy conditions another place altogether.