Bluebell wood

Bluebells reign through Knighton Wood and Reddish Gore. Is there any sight more uplifting than the countryside in spring; our temperate land blesses us with  springs of unassailable verdance and gentle beauty. 

Broad hedge or narrow wood

I can't make my mind up as to whether these represent broad hedges or narrow woods? You'll come across a lot of footpaths like this, shown as open paths on OS maps, although upon visiting you'll find a path running through a couple/few meter wide band of shrub and tree. I'm not complaining or ought, they're handy for crossing this exposed landscape under a relentless summer sun, particularly with your hound in mind when the more shaded walking the better. We took this example this morning; a branch off the Ackling Dyke which crosses the Ox Drove before descending through Church Bottom into Broad Chalke and the Ebble Valley about 2 miles or so. A lovely route.

Back to the Chase

Our Walk through Cranborne Chase today, looked like this. From the top: we began our ramble early this morning taking the Ackling Dyke (Roman Road) through Knighton Wood, emerging on the ridgeway we followed the Romam Road through ripening fields of Barley, enjoying fabulous views along Croucheston Drove and into Croucheston Hollow, continuing on the Roman Road we descended into the Faulston Drove, with it's stunning view out over Throope Down, we chilled for a while by the cold clear River Ebble, before following the Ebble Valley with the high ridge towering above us to Broad Chalk, where we rose up to the ridgeway again via Church Bottom. Nine miles this morning of absolute perfection and back to the car before 10.00 and the heat of the day. Again, fabulous walking, and again, few folk about. A real tonic body and soul.

Dear Liza

There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza, to be honest Liza, it's more hole than bucket. Hanging on a simple hinge bolted through a gnarled old post, nothing else remaining of the gateway, nor any visible fence line for that matter, this old bucket here has certainly seen better days, and when those day's were one can only guess. I've mentioned before how the landscape of the Chase is a layer cake of human activity going back over five thousand years. Of those older phases only earthen evidence remains visible, barrows, banks and boundaries, whereas sometimes these more tangible relics remain of recent activity.

Death by ?

I frequently come across bones and skulls when out walking, probably as I have some trouble keeping to paths, and choose those less walked, but two skulls together is a first for me. Two deer skulls amongst a jumble of disarticulated bones, Roe Deer I think, quite small skulls, juveniles, I'm not sure whether they aren't different genders too. An odd find. Usually I'd put a single skull or skeleton down to natural causes of some kind, disease or trauma, but two together suggest something else, foul play of some kind, maybe. I wonder what went on here?

Is it?

Whilst checking out the Second World War archaeological remains at Warmell, on a mature Beech tree, we came across this interesting piece of graffiti, it reads 'Floyd Elin of OC'. I remember coming across wartime graffiti on my previous visit, could this be an example? Floyd's not really a British name, American maybe? The American USSAF were stationed here during the war.  And, 'of OC' could that be Orange County, California? Well, I put 'Floyd Elin of Orange County' into the search engine and got up an obituary of a World War Two veteran of that name, who died in 2013. Was it him? I've contacted the Orange County registration department to see if they can give me any more information on Floyd Elin, and now eagerly await their reply. I've found out that 474th Fighter group (comprising of the 428th, 429th and 430th fighter squadrons) of the American 9th Air Force arrived here in 1944 from Oxnard Flight Strip in California. Coincidence? Or was Floyd Elin a member of the 474th Fighter group? I'll post more when I know. 

Man, it would so cool if I could connect a piece of graffiti to its creator, and find out more about him. It's something I strove for, but as yet not achieved. If I could link the graffiti to the person, I'd love to send the family photos of it, of the World War Two remains of the area and some of the surrounding countryside in order to show the family where Floyd served during the war.

Wild Beech

I've noticed how the wild Beech grow differently to their forestry cousins; the forestry Beech, managed and nurtured, often grow straight and tall, all bare trunks and canopy; whereas the wild ones grow how they please, thick, with boughs everywhere all covered in a dense thicket of leaves. There's something primeval about some of the wild trees you come across, be they Beech, Oak, Lime, Ash, whatever, you imagine the wild wood would have been populated with trees like these; what a wonder the wild wood must have been and how I'd like to be able explore it. I wish they'd hurry up and sort out time travel.