So wet

Walking around the fields over Walkford Moor Copse ways was a proper nightmare this morning. I hadn't imagined it to be so wet and by the time I'd come to that conclusion I was already committed. Gods was it wet. Water was actually bubbling up through the ground, it was so sodden. Everywhere was muddy...everywhere. There was no path or route that wasn't viscus and slippery, none. Of course I was wearing totally unsuitable footwear leading to frequent slipping and wet feet. It was a mostly grumpy mumbling walk this morning. 

Bratley Enclosure

Mossy Beech on Bratley Enclosure bank.

Bratley Arch

Bratley Water is one of the upper tributaries of the Lymington River, here at Bratley Arch it's still young having only formed a mile or so north in Slufters Bottom. The Slufters Bottom catchment area is a finger of broad valley sticking into Ocknell Plain, and when it rains heavily the run off causes the the valley bottom flood and the waters surge. Through Bratley Bottom these surges create multiple narrow competing channels through the trees and carr, each cutting through the underlying clays and exposing the tangled roots of trees as they go. As the waters recede first two then one channel will survive, the others will wait their time to be or their time has been and they'll begin to fill. The valley bottom is scared all over by centuries of these transient waterways. 

View from Acre's Down

 The view over Wick Wood and The Knowles from Acre's Down.

Pilmore Gate Heath

Carrying on with yesterdays World War Two themed post this morning we came across a bomb crater on the edge of Broom Hill enclosure and Pilmore Gate Heath. World War Two era bomb craters are quite common place throughout the forest, most dropped from enemy planes, although the Second World War Ashley Ranges are pocked from allied bomb tests, including the famous Bouncing Bomb, Grand Slam and Tallboy bombs. Some craters I know the stories of, or what the target was, others stories though are a mystery to me. It may be that some were just dumped after failed bomb raids before the bombers made for home at speed.

Roe Corner remains

The concrete and steel remains just beyond the gate at the corner of Roe enclosure have long been a mystery to me, not being shown on any maps I've seen, nor they or their purpose mentioned in any text I've read. I can only imagine what they represent. When they are mentioned the collection of what look like different mountings or some such which stand within an area of low lumps and bumps which may represent buried features and scatters of broken brickwork, it's always suggested that they represent World War Two remains associated with the nearby wartime Stoney Cross Airfield. I could see that, and maybe they are World War Two era, although not associated with the Airfield. I think maybe they represent the remains of a saw mill; over 400,000 tons of timber were removed from the New Forest between '39 and '45. Some of the concrete remains and mountings here resemble features I've seen at other sites in the forest, two of them are datable sawmill sites; Millyford Bridge a World War One sawmill and Anderswood a World War Two/Post War sawmill. That said, it could be that the remains represent more than one site, the concrete plinth in the bottom photo is a good 50m main group of features and may not be connected. 

Ober Water

The forest was cold today, though we'd not been blessed with the snow our near neighbours enjoyed. I think we just got sleet, now hardened by frost. Even by mid morning any ground that hadn't been kissed by the Sun remained frozen, often coated in a slippery ice glaze, and lightly crusted standing water stood everywhere. The light this morning was lovely, bringing out the richness of forest's winter palette and texture. As we approached an engorged Ober Water which now flooded much of the shallow valley I had to smile, as the bridge stood a few of meters or so into the swelled stream, access to cut off bridges a typical conundrum in the winter forest. The water wasn't that deep, though still deep enough to risk wet feet if walked. So I did that running tippy toe thing, it's never totally effective nevertheless effective enough. Later on our walk we recrossed the Ober, this time it wasn't so simple a process involving a 25m or so boots off wade through icy cold shin deep gravel bottomed waters. Yes, it was really very cold and underfoot was decidedly pointy. Although once dried and back in my boots my feet felt fantastic, remarkably refreshed by their icy bath and sole massage. A stunning outing, much needed. 

Berry Beeches

Berry Beeches

 

Undersley Wood

Undersley Wood

Ice art

Jack's frosty fingers had been doodling overnight, leaving this fantastic icy graffiti over the roof of the car, the millions of tiny individual icicles were just so detailed. The beauty of the World and her elements never fails to amaze.

Mud Club

Geoff was sure there'd be other muddy pools in the forest, 

but just in case.

Milkham

The open coniferous stands of Milkham enclosure.

Buckherd Bottom

 

Buckherd Bottom

Wartime graffiti

Another for the wartime period graffiti collection. 1944 above O.R.C, carved into a beech trunk at the corner of Slufter's where the confluence of a major, a minor and a number of forest roads would have been during the forties, and not too far from RAF Stoney Cross, also known to the American's of 367th Fighter Group and 387th Bombardment Group as USAAF Station AAF-452.

Bratley Plain barrow (one of)

Above is one of a cluster of seven Bronze Age Barrows which themselves form part of the larger and well dispersed Bratley Plain Barrow cemetery. This barrow is one of the better preserved of the group, at about 7m wide, and reduced by time and robbing/'excavation' from it's original height to about 1m or.  In the centre of the mound is an irregular hollow, evidence of the earlier robbing/'excavation'. The mound would've been surrounded by a ditch which is now for the most part filled with debris excavated from the mound, with only a small partially filled section remaining visible. There are in excess of 400 barrows remaining across the new forest suggesting a sizeable Bronze Age population.

Eagle Oak

At near the same size as the nearby Knightwood Oak, we can assume that the Eagle Oak at a girth of 5.4 meters is about 600 years old, and so one of the oldest trees in the forest. Pre dating the Knightwood enclosure (1867) and the coniferous plantation in which it's now set by well over 400 years, we can only imagine the Eagle Oaks original setting.  It's name denotes the trees infamy as the tree in which the last New Forest Sea Eagle was shot by a local game keeper in 1810. Happily the Sea Eagle soars  again over the forest stands, with several sightings last year sparking hopes of a population developing local.

Wronguns in the Forest

This sort of thing pisses me off. Some wrongun has cut through the wire fencing flanking the A35, on both sides of the carriage way too! I imagine it was done to allow a hound to get through. These sorts of things have been on the increase since the National Parks Authority began to heavily market the forest, and that's only been expatiated by the Corona. At the same time the NPA has not replaced gated crossings, as well as not ensuring adequate access for hounds at crossing points, it may be frustrating, although that's no excuse for creating dangerous accesses on to the road...that just shows folks ignorance of the forest and their sense of entitlement. Beyond that it lends weight to the calls of those who'd see more legislation introduced to curtail and control activities in the forest. Pisses me off

Undersley Wood

 Undersley Wood.

Beech Bed

After a couple centuries on the forest's stage (Beech Bed being enclosed in 1830), this veteran old lady's tenure has been truncated by the elements as she boughs out gracefully with a deep respectful bow. I say her tenure's come to and, although that's a might previous of me, we'll have to see if anything comes of the remaining upright trunk. 

Mark Ash

At the furthest point of our walk today we found ourselves amongst the tall ancient and veteran stands of Mark Ash, what a stunning area of forest it is. Mark Ash is picturesque open woodland, popular with ponies, deer and in Autumn people taking autumnal tinted photos. I'd imagine it's what people would think of as New Forest forest. Sadly the woodland is becoming ever more open as the years pass, over grazing by hungry ponies has led to too many trees being ringed and subsequently dying, coupled with that the increased onslaught of the elements are really taking their toll. I'll admit it slightly colours our walks here with a sense of loss and sadness. Still a wonderful place and walking mind.

1947

 

L, something indistinguishable, Aged 16 1947, next to which is the initial outline of an aborted 'A', by the same caver I suspected, who probably decided it was better to have their age and date below their initials rather than next to them. The forest here would have been very different in 1947, it would've been much quieter then, Cadnam Road wasn't the busy 4 laned monster it is today. Nowadays there's no access off the Cadnam Road between Pickets Post and Stoney Cross, back in 1947 there were a number of opportunities access minor and forest roads. At this corner of Slufter's was a confluence of a major, a minor and a number of forest roads, probably a popular place to take a break. Maybe L was passing on a journey, picnicking or maybe he was part of one families who were housed on the nearby decommissioned Stoney Cross Airfield (the other end of Slufters) post World War Two. I think it's an interesting piece as it highlights the difficulty in ageing carved graffiti, if it wasn't dated, I'd have assumed it more recent, the nature of it and the scaring look so similar to pieces I've recorded from the the late 70's early 80's. Just goes to tell you can't.  L would be 90 this year. I wonder what their journey's been like? And whether they remember, or have revisited their handy-work?

Wintery Walk

It was another frosty morning for our walk in the forest. This morning we began from Wood's Corner on the outskirts of Burley. Getting out early doors meant we beat the hordes, the empty parking spot felt old skool, since the Covid the forest footfall has exploded. Luckily most don't walk far from their cars or remain on the the main tracks, making it easy still to escape and find peace. There was no one about as we skirted the edge of Berry Woods taking in the view over White Moor Bottom; crossing Ridley Green the Mill Lawn Brook tributary running through there was frozen, not seen that in forever; Ridley wood's a lovely old wood set within an ancient earthwork, it's home to some fantastic old beeches, sadly many have been slighted by age and the elements in recent years; we passed Little Wood a clump crowning Ridley Plain before descending into Harvest Slade Bottom, a spookily quiet spot this morning, then up onto Backley Plain; past Soarley Beeches along the edge of Backley Enclosure and across Blackensford Bottom, from where the clump of Soarley Beeches looked like an hillfort in the distance...it's not; then it was the return stretch through the irregular mosaic woodlands of Beech Bed and South Oakley enclosures. 7 miles of New Forest winter loveliness. You can't beat it.