Highland Water

Dappled light plays on the rough path alongside Highland Water. No matter the season this stretch is easily the nicest stream side walking in the forest, though at it's finest through spring and autumn. The covid surge which saw noticeably more folk visiting the forest is finally disappearing in the rear view mirror. It's becoming the norm again for us to meet few or no other walkers on our walks. Of course if you walk a honey pot spot you'll still see lots of people, but get off the beaten track, just a bit, and you'll more often than not have the stands to yourself. 

Up and away

A Heron (Ardea cinerea) rises gracefully through the canopy above Highland Water. Herons are becoming a more and more common sight along the forests streams and wet places, a testament to the streams growing health and fecundity. We're blessed, there are plenty of signs of good health in the forest.

Highland Water

 

Highland Water

 

Forest pool

Throughout the ages the extraction of gravel, sand and clay from about the forest has left  innumerable quarry sites. Many of these old quarries seasonally fill with water, and some hold year nearly all round. They create welcome wildlife oases throughout the forest.

Highland Water

They've been low, and their gravelly asses have occasionally been on show, but this year the forests streams have continued to flow throughout, which is becoming an increasingly rare event. So huzzah to that. I know we're on autumns cusp but you know summer's already left the room, it's felt like autumn to one degree or another throughout August, though now it's presence now is inescapable.

Stream side path

The entire walkable length of Highland Water from Ocknell Arch down stream to Bolderford Bridge where it joins Flecthers Water becoming the Lymington River is blessed with some wonderfully picturesque paths. The streams nourish the forest, and all forest life is seen frequenting their environs at some point; if you want to connect with the heart of the forest then you could do worse than to walk their meandering banks. 

The season of bare bottoms has begun

The forest's streams are beginning to show at lot of their gravelly asses of late; the season of bare bottoms has begun.

Someone is always watching

 

Forestry England are undertaking a wildlife survey, I've spotted a few trail cams through Highland Water Enclosure. The ones I've come across are sited adjacent to waterways, positioned with views of prominent crossing places; fallen trees and alike.  I'd love to see the images they capture. I think we'd be surprised at the creatures we share the forest with; I'd love to see a range of species re-established and their communities flourish. 

Highland Water

 

Our walk this morning was from Millyford Bridge out along Highland Water as it winds it's way through Holmshill and Highland Water enclosures, and back. Highland Water throughout it's course is probably the finest riverside walking in the forest, and definitely my all time favourite; and today in the fading warmth of the autumn sun the walking and scenery was simply stunning. Soul food.

Holmhill Cottage

If you look carefully around the forest you may spot incongruous features which could be clues to past activity or events. It's astounding what history hides from us in plain sight, only seen if we really look. It could be earthworks of some kind, hidden footings, boundaries, pieces of masonry or in this case non native plants. At Holmhill you'll see a plantation of non native Eucalyptus trees, and in the spring, clusters of daffodils, these mark the site of Holmhill Cottage. Holmhill had seen occupation from at least the 1600's and was described in 1670 as a place ''very much delightful for the feeding and harbouring of his Majesties deer'' (New Forest Notes by Anthony Pasmore), and a cottage stood here right up until the late 70's when the last occupant died and the buildings were demolished. The only physical remnant of the cottage is a significant piece of brickwork, possibly a chimney, about 100m down hill wedged in a drainage ditch.  When the cottage, stables and out buildings were gone the Forestry Commission ploughed the whole site and planted these Eucalyptus trees. So you're looking at what Eucalyptus trees growing in Britain look like after 40 years. Holmhill Cottage must have been a magnificent place to live back in the day, rudimentary maybe with no services and limited amenities, though set as it was in such splendid isolation, I'm sure you could overlook those. 

Graffiti gone!

There's an interesting stand of Eucalyptus trees in the forest where once stood Holmhill Cottage, a long gone isolated forestry commission property. The Eucalyptus were planted in 1977, after the last inhabitant of the cottage died and all remnants of the dwelling (a cottage, stables, outbuildings and paddocks) were removed and the plot ploughed over. The trees are tall, and some hang with long strips of papery bark, the trees ex-foliated skin. At some time in the past 'Bob' had carved his name in big letters into one of the trees, a mark on the semi permanence on most trees, although a mere temporary mark on the Eucalyptus. I was fascinated to see how 'Bob's' deep carving (as it looked like it was deeply cut originally by the scaring) was being grown out, simply peeled off, leaving behind it a fresh clear new growth of bark. Cool, stuff, a sort of organic etcha-sketch .