St Aldhelms Head from Swyre

And looking east over Encombe towards St Albhelms Head from Swyre Head the views are none too shabby either.

Kimmeridge from Swyre Head

Clouds played across the stunning Purbeck landscape as we climbed Swyre Head, with its magnificent views looking west across Kimmeridge and beyond along the Jurassic Coast. Beautiful.

1st Ramson flowers of 2016

Quarry Wood above Encombe House is carpeted in the lush green foliage of Ramsons, and though there were plenty of buds to be seen (and tasted, very nice too) throughout the wood I only saw one Ramson in flower. Still, it's only a matter of time and the woods will be awash in white fragrant flowers. I can't wait.

Sunset

Old timer

They hide in plain sight, the old timers. So quiet and unimposing, they're easy to miss and frequently are. Trees who've stood in the forest for centuries, watching the world go by and witnessing the changes in the forest has endured.  An Oaks life is said to be divided into 3 trimesters, growing, living and dying. Trees like this I find hard to age, so many different factors are in play, but I'd say this old fella has stood witness for a good 2 or 3 hundred years, originating in a New Forest very different from today, and still standing witness to change.

And breath..

I'm always amazed by the things I find whilst out walking. Whilst sheltering under a Holly, I noticed what appeared to be a shiny disk amongst the leaf litter. Upon reaching down and clearing some of the leaves, I was surprised to find an inhaler of the kind I use for my asthma. The inhaler appears to have been placed purposefully, rather than having been dropped by accident, as it's sticking out of the ground upright (2 3rds of it buried). That wouldn't happen naturally. Why then would you part bury an asthma inhaler upright under a tree?  Being a pagan I'm used to the idea of ritual deposition, is this something like that? A mad idea that this is what's happening here, I know. Still. Does it hold symbolism for the person who put it there? It must. As I say, it appears purposeful, rather than accidental. Maybe the Holly suffers from asthma? I'll never know, and I'll have to chalk it up to 'another' woodland mystery. 

Katie tried

Katie tried, a play on Steely Dans 'Katy lied', though it's no lie that this Katy 'storm Katie' tried, and succeeded, to wreak chaos across the country, and for me more specifically the forest. The carnage she wreaked was evident throughout our beloved forest, with paths blocked and the forest floor strewn with debris, the very visible signs of the damage wrought by Katys' 106 mph winds. There are the deadwood twigs and branches, easily detached and nothing to worry about. But then there are the larger branches, the mighty boughs (of which there are too many) and even whole trees truncated. The mighty 250 plus year old Beech in the photo above was snapped like a matchstick 25 feet from the ground, it's budding crown strewn out in front of it. I suppose it was a blessing that the canopies have not come to full leaf yet, otherwise the damage would have been unthinkable. Some of the fallen boughs show how close we came to disaster, with buds so close to opening. It seems clear to me that this is climate change in action. Yes, we've always had damaging storms, and yes, there have always been anomalous storms of great strength, but this is different. Now these rare storm events are becoming more frequent, almost common place and the winds appear always stronger than in my youth. Sad times. Made even sadder as they're of our own making.

Lichen

You're not lichen this! You moss be kidding :) 

I can loose myself for an age exploring the forms and colours of lichen, trying to fathom how many types there are on a single tree. Considered one to be amongst the oldest living organisms on the planet (with really long life spans too), this groovy symbiont comes in so many different forms.  How could you not love them.

The first Oak leaves

One Oak today, clearly an early adapter, was showing signs of spring and the blooming which is about to erupt throughout the forest. I can't wait.

1891

I was quite excited finding this nice piece of old graffiti on one of the forests mature Beech. There's something about running your fingers over something somebody took time to carve all those years back, and graffiti of that period was always carved with such care and with a certain style. Coincidentally, 1891, was the year Arthur Conan Doyles' Sherlock Holmes first appears in the Strand Magazine, Conan Doyle lived a couple miles from this tree in Minstead.

Oak Beauty moth

Wandering through the stands of Camel Green I noticed this mighty fine moth, it's an female Oak Beauty moth (biston strataria), not one one I've come across before. Isn't it cool. It was only because it had rested on a mossy base of a tree and stuck out in its lush green surroundings that I noticed it, had it been on the bark its camo, so detailed and textured, would have rendered it invisible. Its textures and colours were amazing.  Nature's great.

Feel the burn

Gorse burning continues in the New Forest, flames lick at and quickly consume the dry Gorse as the closely monitored wall of fire moves across the land sending up plumes of smoke to dissipate amongst the shifting clouds.  The burning season which starts on the first working day of November is rapidly coming to a close, so the race is on to get it all done by the last working day of March. 

Grovely Wood WW2 (update)

*In advance, this is a shameless post bigging me up*

Last week I posted about some features I'd come across whilst walking in Grovely Wood, west of Salisbury in Wiltshire (14th March, Grovely Wood World War 2 and Grovely Wood).  I mused on what they may have represented, I knew they were military, WW2, thought they may have represented storage rather than occupation and that their may be more to find amongst the undergrowth. Also, after finding a piece of American graffiti in the area, suggested maybe an American site. 

Well, I did some online research and guess what? Grovely Wood was a massive USAF open bomb/munition storage area, one of 3 in the region.  It became active on 2nd September 1943, the site being chosen for its cover and easy access to nearby rail links.  As I say, it was a massive site with a 20,000 ton capacity, hence I suppose the need for metalled trackways, that's a lot of ordinance to move about. The cluster of building platforms at the western end of the wood must represent the operation/accommodation area, and I know see the 3 shelters and associated building platforms spread along the main track as on site offices and the shelters to offer the necessary protection for those working on site if the munitions were attacked. Although the scale of the munitions stored here, makes me think even with the shelters you'd be lucky to survive a large attack. The main woodland on either side of the central track saw the larger munitions, the bombs and such like, stored in the open, with the smaller munitions stored in dispersed buildings. I'll be visiting again for a more detailed investigation, with the hope of finding more features and building a better picture of the site as a whole.

Which only leaves me to say, I am *brilliant! (I did say it was shameless)

*Clearly, this is said tongue in cheek

Dorset Grove Alban Eilir ritual

Life can overtake you sometimes and so I'd not made it to a Dorset Grove ritual for some time, although on arrival it felt like I'd never been away.  Even with winters cold fingers still clinging to the land (and cling they certainly did), the warmth of the circle was tangible as was the love of those forming it. If you've ever been interested in how Pagans or Druids celebrate the turning of the seasons and observe their special days, then you could do a lot worse than to come and experience (and enjoy) one of the Dorset Groves open rituals, which happen 8 times a year around the winter and summer Solstices, the spring and autumn Equinoxes, Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. The wheel of the year, marked by the 4 quarter days and 4 fire festivals. Their rituals are some of the best I've attended (and I've been attending these type of things since 1989), the rituals include druidic practice, shamanism, meditation, healing, drama, that's to name but a few aspects. All delivered inclusively, in a rich mix of reverence, respect, love and humour, which perfectly illustrates the nature of modern paganism. And if you're yet sold, there's also cake!

Thank you Dorset Grove, and a happy Alban Eilir to y'all.

Bare Barrow

Although Spring is almost upon us, the trees are still bare on Knowltons' 6m high Great Barrow. Constructed in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age it's the largest barrow in Dorset. The Knowlton complex must have been something to see in prehistory and a very significant regional ritual/spiritual site. Even today with many of those prehistoric features ploughed out, levelled and invisible, what remains are still striking, the ruined church at the henges' centre, in-particular, can be spotted from a distance and on a misty day appears ghostly. Knowlton's are real gem, and whether it's the archaeology, the history, the landscape or the vibe, Knowlton well worth a visit. Walk the bank of the Neolithic henge, wander the ruined medieval church , take in a sunrise/sunset, picnic, or just site a take it all in. You'll love it.

Oh Deer!

We came across an almost complete Deer skeleton today in the woods. Which was unusual. Usually the skeleton has been disturbed by scavengers and dispersed far and wide, often only a few bones remain. But this skeleton looked complete, disarticulated but still closely grouped.  I think it was a young Roe Deer, the skull says young/small and the antlers look like those of a Roe (all nodular around the lower section and near the base). Nice find.

Clay Hill (but which one?)

Clay Hill, an open mature Beech woodland of the type common throughout the forest. What a glorious environment. Not natural, I'll grant you, but nevertheless a fantastic woodland to walk in, whether in the winter when canopy-less or, as it will be soon, capped with a verdant crown. As I say, it's not natural, first the uniform Beech trees are the consequence of Admiralty forestry and secondly, the clear cut nature of the under-story is a story of regular maintenance.  Walking through the stand the stump remains of Holly (a common under-story inhabitant) are clear to see, probably cut a couple years back or so, whereas beyond the clear cut area the Holly still dominates the under-story.  Clay Hill is on the rise towards the high part of the forest and Stoney Cross, woodland of a similar, though not clear cut, nature extends north, east and south of it for some ways. Really lovely, although as it's name suggests, the land in these parts holds the water and can make for wet walking.

So, which Clay Hill though? There are at least 4 Clay Hills in the forest, all of a different nature and aspect. This one is the one near Minstead, to the east of the New Forest.

Gimme shelter

A fellow woodland mentalist chum of mine gave me the heads up on this fine shelter amongst the stands of Camel Green as a possible overnighter site. The shelter is certainly well constructed and solid, more so than many I come across and with a touch of refurbishment would be serviceable. My only concern is that it's quite close to ranger vehicular access, and what with wild camping in the forest being prohibited, it could pose problems. Still, nice shelter.

Grovely Wood

As I previously mentioned Grovely Wood is one of the, if not the, largest woodlands in southern Wiltshire. Like so many expansive woodlands, it's a mosaic of coniferous plantation, deciduous plantation, ancient woodland and neglected and managed coppice woodland. The more modern coniferous parts are what they are. But the ancient areas are fantastic. I only had a small opportunity to explore these areas though, as I'd entered from the west, whereas most of the deciduous and ancient sections are to the center and east, and by the time I got to there I was on the clock to start my return. Although in my brief exploration of the older woodland and mature avenue trees, I did come across an interesting piece of American graffiti. Is this connected with the military features? It appears to be the right age. 

I think of this as a reccon mission, exploration of Grovely will take a while.

Grovely Wood World War 2

I had the opportunity to explore some woodland which had been on my radar for a while, but was outside my usual range. Grovely Wood, Wiltshire, one of the, if not the, largest woodlands in southern Wiltshire.

So, it was all new to me and what struck me first was the substantial and broad metalled road which runs through the centre of Grovely Wood, east west (I started at the west end).  This is known as the 'Second Broad Drive' the 'First Broad Drive' starting at the eastern end of the wood, and that one being lined with mature Beech, whereas the second isn't. I say first thing which struck me, the first thing I actually noticed were some building platforms and sunken water tanks in the adjacent woodland; military occupation I thought, common enough about the South. But the metalled surface, not so common. As I walked I saw that there were regular spurs heading off into the woodland on either side of this broad metalled track, these spurs too were metalled; stranger and stranger. Then I came across a Stanton type shelter with an adjacent building platform, ah, definitely military I thought. Even though the Stanton was overgrown its mounded profile gave away it's existence.  I came across three in all, all next to the main metalled track and all with a single building platform, but they appeared to be isolated. I searched the nearby woodland but could find no more platforms nor shelters, that said, the undergrowth is dense and the platforms hard to spot, but the shelters, they should have stuck out. But nothing. I found 3 shelter/platform sides, all identical, spaced along the track over a mile and a half.  What's this all about, I thought. All the shelters are in remarkable condition, with sound roofs, all original features, even the wooden door frames remain, and they're dry, which is something after recent rains. One had been blocked up with a gap left at the top of the doorway, obviously turned into a bat roost, but the others were easily accessible and contain very little debris. Only 3 shelters, only 3 (visible) building platforms? I came to the conclusion that this wasn't an occupation site, not enough building platforms nor shelters, there could be more I couldn't find, of course, but the shelters, as I said, the profile easily gives away their position, even amongst the undergrowth. Then What? I reckon it could've been a storage area, vehicles, fuel, munitions, something of that nature, that's what the metalled surfaces are about and why so few shelters or buildings. And the group of building platforms in the adjoining woodland represent the occupation portion of the site, and, being away from the main site may suggest that it was something explosive being stored here. Pointing towards fuel or munitions, maybe? Further investigation is needed, I have to know. I returned along a path which ran along the northern edge of the woodland, following a section of Grims Ditch, this path too, although thinner, was metalled.  On the edge of the wood I found 2 stacks of rusting metal roof trusses, evidence of more buildings? Or later agricultural debris? I'll be visiting here again, new woods, with World War Two archaeology, it's a must. 

Reflections

Today we walked through the remains of last Autumn, reflecting on the developing Spring. Spring stirred all our senses today: you could smell it in the air, fresh and new; taste it's sweetness; see it in the emerging green shoots and buds; hear it in the sounds of busy nature, eager to get going; all as the strengthening rays of the maturing Sun caressed you. Lovely.

Hambledon Hill

Although the sun had shone during the initial part of out journey, as we drove farther west into Dorset so mist shrouded the landscape, filling the hollows and dulling the hills.  And, so it was when we arrived at Hambledon Hill, that ancient hill rising proudly from Blackmore Vale. Though that mattered not one wit. As we climbed up the Hill, so the years peeled away and it was as if we were walking back through time. You have to let your imagination go if you really want to experience the land, to visualize the past and have it brought to life in your minds eye. Your imagination is a wonderful gift, but like your muscles it has to be exercised if it is to work at its best, though sadly many don't bother and so only experience a tiny percentage of what a walk has to offer.

Hambledon Hill is steeped in history, in the activities of mankind. Open your minds eyes and you can glimpse possible pasts. They say that the grand old Duke of Yorks' men toiled up and down these steep hillsides as part of their preparations for storming Quebec (or so the story goes). Imagine that, it wouldn't take long before you were spent, so steep are the slopes.  Travel back further, delve deeper and it's that Civil War and the Dorset 'Clubmen', aligned with neither side, battle to protect their lands from pillage in the Battle of Hambledon Hill. A battle which sees them defeated by the New Model Army, though spared and returned home by Cromwell. Further back still, the mists of time thicken, though use your imagine and the Iron Age Folk living within the giant ramparts come to life. They raise the ramparts and settle in. Though it would appear after a few hundred years of occupation, they gather their belongings and leave for the adjacent earthen fortress of Hod Hill, their new home until the Romans arrive 300 years later. The mists of time which swirl around your mind thicken more, you're really travelling back now to the earliest of settled times, though with focus they clear to reveal the Neolithic occupants of the hill.  These Neolithic first farmers perform their rituals and communal feasts within their causewayed enclosures, they gather up the cleaned bones of their dead and deposit them in the two hilltop Long Barrows, staking their claim to the surrounding land through their ancestors remains. No doubt the hill saw activity before the Neolithic, although no trace of those nomadic hunter gathers remain. We return down the muddy chalk tracks, back to our own time and modernity. What a terrific walk. 

And that's how the landscape unfolds for me as I walk.  That said, there's a fair possibility I'm mentalist, and not in the demonstrating extraordinary mental powers sense, more the British 'informal' dictionary definition 'an eccentric or mad person'. 

Yew Wood

There's been a Yew Wood on Hambledon Hill since the Neolithic. Soil analysis showed that between 3400 BC and 2000 BC the entire Southern side of the hill was covered by a dark yew woodland. The woodland we see today is much younger, though still the coppiced Yews within it are believed to date from the Medieval period, which is still some age.  It's dark and moody, well it was today anyway, and filled with marvellous specimens. Really interesting. The woodland is private, mind, and far be it for me to encourage trespass, but it is quite a wood to walk, very tempting, so be watchful if you do.

Seasonal streams

Seasonal streams still run through the forest stands, through the gullies and low places. Soon they'll dry up and disappear, soon no sign of them will be left as if they'd never flowed. Until next wet season, when they'll come to life again.

Injection by Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire.

Injection written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Declan Shalvey and coloured by Jordie Bellaire is a bloody marvellous read. Of course, Warren Ellis is a writer of the highest calibre and I have yet to read work of his I've not liked, and Injection is Warren at his best. The story of 5 geniuses in their fields: a strategist/agent,  a scientist/genuine genius, a logician/ethicist, a AI expert and a cunning-man (wizard), all are brought together by a government/corporate group (Ministry of Time and Measurement and Force Projection International) to form the Cultural Cross Contamination Unit. Worried that the 21th century was entering a period of stagnation, our five geniuses are tasked with finding a solution, to make the 21st century more interesting and thus stimulate development. Guess what? It doesn't go to plan and things get weird. I wont go further, so not to spoil it. Warrens plausible and engaging characters, their development and dialogue carriers the story at a perfect pace. Complemented by Declan Shalveys' lovely expressive drawing and Jordie Bellaires beautiful colours, Injection is a real page turner, I'm a slow reader and I finished it in no time, and wanted more. A tale of nature, science, magic, archaeology, folklore and more! I can't wait for the next collected volume out in July.

Observation

It's easy in our modern world with all its worries and distractions to walk through life without really fully registering your surroundings, beyond superficially that is. Even more so with todays electronic distractions. We think we're alert, listening and looking, although we're not really seeing, and many things just don't register. I'm no different, I'm not saying that, no, I'm a dullard. Though I've noticed how exposure to nature/natural environments, walking in them, immersing myself in them, my perception of my surroundings have changed, become enhanced and I notice more. I see our zombie state as the result of modernity, of technology dulling our survival instincts and of our removal/disenfranchisement from our natural environment. Watch an animal and they're usually aware of everything around them, alert to subtle changes, they're connected to their environment. It appears like a sixth sense, though really it's survival instinct. We too would have been like that, had that sixth sense, that survival instinct, though modernity gave us the impression we didn't need it any more. Of course, we do need it and we can still regain some of that natural skill with practice. Where's my rambling going? Well, as I said, I've noticed my perceptions have changed over time, my peripheral vision has improved as has my awareness of my surroundings, and even when preoccupied by what's ahead of me or whatever was on my mind, I know my peripheral vision is now subconsciously scanning my surroundings far more that it used to, or at least I'm now aware of it. An example is walking through the woods, my mind wandering on a myriad of subjects, working through things, my chain of thought was interrupted by my subconscious radar. I turned and in the near distance (30/40m or so), amongst the stands, behind fallen boughs and assorted debris my peripheral vision had registered an anomaly, a weathered square post. Obviously man made, it had eluded occupied conscious mind, taken up as it was, but had not escaped my subconscious. Wow, I thought, how/why did  I see that?  Once alerted, the post became obvious, as all straight lines are amongst the jumble, though how many people, I thought, would have passed by completely unawares and left none the wiser.

And the moral/purpose of my ramblings? No, it's not to tell you how brilliant I am, anybody who knows me knows that's not the case. It's that our peripheral vision and senses are like muscles, they need exercising to work effectively and to their best. Get out into nature, walk, immerse yourself, connect with yourself through connecting to nature, get in touch with your animal self and feel more human for it. 

Corfe Valley

Walking through the Corfe Valley today was glorious; the Sun shone, clear water from clean springs flowed through numerous small rivulets feeding the Corfe River, birds sang, animals did animal things and all around nature could be seen in the starting blocks and was clearly raring to go. We walked from Brenscombe Woods, up over the curved ridge line which defines the Isle of Purbeck, here we paused, taking in their spectacular views and breathing in the clean air. Then off again down and through the Corfe Valley, before rising up onto the hills which frame the rocky Jurassic coastline. Here we paused again, this time for a well earned cider from that most splendid establishment, The Square and Compass at Worth Matravers. With its fine beverages and excellent views out to sea, it would have been rude not to.  You've not been there, you say? Well, you're missing out http://www.squareandcompasspub.co.uk/, they also hold a mighty fine cider festival every June.  Then it was off along the coastal hills for a while before descending back into the Corfe Valley, through Langton West Woods, a jumble of coppice and mature Oaks and out across the valley, through the fields, which in the summer are perfect for picnicking or snoozing.   Finally, back up and over Brenscome Hill. It may have been a walk of ups and downs, though throughout you were walking on a high. 

Wood Mouse?

I saw this little fella scurry through the leaf litter and into a hole in some exposed roots on the bank. I could make him out too well, though I think it's a Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), Yellow Neck Mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) both common small rodents who share a common habitat range. Although I understand both mice are nocturnal by nature, so who knows. It was just nice to see. The mouse didn't disappear into the hole immediately, it turned and surveyed us for some time, enough for time for me to deftly swing my camera around a get a couple of, admittedly, quick shots, before disappearing. 

Sally & Simon

You find these pieces of graffiti of sometimes, ones where the carver has returned for a year or so, adding a the new date each time. I've not come across one that has recorded as many years as this one. The carving reads 'Sally + or 4 Simon, AUG, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88.  So, from 1980 to 1988, in August, Sally and Simon Holidayed in this part of the forest (I can be fairly certain of that as there's a forest camp site close by). I wonder why they stopped and where they holidayed in 1989.

Hail

Yesterdays hail still survives in the shaded hollows of the forest. Or. It's evidence of the mythical New Forest Snow Rabbit, who secretly hops to and fro about the woods depositing her crystally droppings to help the forest grow.  You decide how colourfully you want to see the world. 

Storm

A dark storm heads out over the Sea of Nurnen.

Tug of war

The seasons are currently engaged in their seasonal tug of war, it's nothing new, it's just how it goes. We're nearing equinox, when neither the Holly King nor the Oak King have supremacy. Spring is raring to go, but winter not ready to relinquish its reign.  So today I left the house in sunshine and blue skies, I put washing on the line to dry and chanced a lighter coat, only to find myself an hour later walking in the forest being lashed by hail and sleet. I should have known better really.