Woodminton Down

Woodminton Down, with the Chalke Valley beyond.

 

View from the Old Salisbury Drove

 

View from the Old Salisbury Drove down into the Chalke Valley.

Chalke walk

I feel there's something distinctively English about the landscape of Cranborne Chase and no part more so than the Chalke Valley. It's sweeping chalk flanks are a tapestry of pasture and crop divided by strips of broad hedgerows or wind brakes of trees, dotted throughout with clumps of mixed wood and coppice. Along it's long bottom nestle picturesque villages whose origins lie in the Middle Ages and the crystal clear chalke stream from which the valley takes its name. It's a timeless place, a lovely area to walk and loose yourself in thought. Wandering through the bare fields and naked wooded ways today we saw deer, they crossed our path on several occasions, stopping to ogle us before disappearing deeper into the woodland, and hare racing for cover at our approach. In the distance orange flags swept slowly in lines across the hillside accompanied by a familiar country sound and scattered pheasants flying low to avoid the bangs and bursts of shot which echoed around the bluffs and rained down through the shrub. To avoid being accidentally shot I waited for the shoot to be over before continuing on my course and heard one of the keepers remark on how many got away, more than got shot, made me smile. Then I saw the shooters, which also raised a smile. All the gear, but little idea. I continued on my way, pondering the whole shooting thing.

Clump

The clumps of woodland, their vibrantly coloured canopies decked in autumnal hues, dotted around the folded hills of Cranborne Chase and the Chalke Valley looks so beautiful, especially soaked in the failing sunlight of a bright autumn afternoon. All warm colours and long shadows. Clouds moving high above and a stiff breeze gently swaying the stands to and fro, put me in mind of clumps of colourful soft corals moved by invisible currents in shallow waters. My mind wandered in the image for awhile, which was nice. The Chase is breathtaking in any season, each having its own special aspect and there's no doubt that autumn is the season of warm hues.

Moody

The Sun was low and for the most part masked by cloud making the skies a bit moody at times during our walk today over the hills, though when the light periodically burst through it looked great as it raked the land.

Stained glass

Some of the stained glass in the 13th century All Saints Church in Broad Chalke.

RMS Lusitania

Every now and again you come across a piece of graffiti that stands out from the usual love notes or so and so was here's, something a bit special. So it was today along one of the tree lined sunken tracks which lead from the high downs into the Chalke Valley.  The Beech trees that flank this track are old and many have been heavily marked by people over the years. The local gamekeeper, a nice chap to 2 fine hounds, who stopped for a chat told us there was history in these trees if only they could talk, and he wasn't wrong. One tree though stuck out. A thick trunked mature Beech on which, 100 years ago this year, was carved a boat under which read 'Lusitania sunk by Germans May 7 1915'. A real piece of history. The RMS Lusitania was indeed sunk off Ireland by a German U-boat U-20 on May 7th 1915 with the loss of 1,191 lives. The RMS Lusitanias sinking caused an outcry across the world as it was seen as a passenger vessel and therefore not a legitimate target, although the Germans stated it was a legitimate target as she was carrying munitions. The British government maintained for decades that there had been no live munitions aboard The RMS Lusitania, only empty shell casing, although in 1982 the government was forced to warn salvage divers that there were in fact large quantities of very dangerous live ammunition on the wreck. Ah, he duplicity of war and the writing of its history by the victors. It's a big piece and would've taken some considerable time to carve, and I wonder why it was carved here? Was it just to record what was a major national event or did someone local loose a friend or relative in the sinking? Whatever, it's a great piece of historical graffiti and I was glad to record it. I'm certain there's a rich seam of heritage graffiti to be mined along this trackway and one to which I'll return to for a longer and closer investigation.

Beechs on the Faulston track