Mill Lawn Brook

Mill Lawn Brook is one of those lucky forest streams, a selected few, that seem to be able to weather a dry summer. That doesn’t mean it doesn't struggle in places, or at times, but the flow is consistent, and the water remains clear and clean; well, the sections we've seen anyway, and so far. A striking difference to Highland Water yesterday.

Mill Lawn

Mill Lawn Brook is the only forest stream that I know that has continued to flow throughout this arid summer. Teaming with small fish and fry it's a popular haunt for Herons and Egrets; there were three on the hunt here this morning, a testament to the brooks health and abundance. 

Useless

The perennial forest question 'when is a bridge not a bridge'. The above scenario is played out  throughout the forest, although none more so than on Mill Lawn Brook through Ober Water; where four bridges in succession are regularly unusable. Here a perfectly serviceable bridge made useless by being cut off by flood water; surely this situation could easily by avoided with a little forethought in design. I had to attempt some physics defying mad crane like run to bridge the water gap; enough to say, I only achieved limited success in walking on water. 

Mill Lawn Brook

 Ridley Bottom, where Mill Lawn Brook begins.

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.

Harvest Slade

Today we walked in the company of the element water. This morning was the wettest walk we'd undertaken in the forest for a long time. The underlying geology of the New Forest means water isn't quickly absorbed, and the slowly drained ground easily becomes sodden. Ridley Plain is one of a chain of high plains which cut through the centre of the New Forest, even up here the surface was awash, water either flowing or standing. Where water was flowing, it was being drawn as if by magical force into Harvest Slade from every direction, through the bottom of the Slade an embryonic tributary Mill Lawn Brook forms and flows. 

Perfection

Although winter's still a long way off, for the first time you could feel Jack's icy fingers grasping for you. A chill wind raced across the browned heather expanse of Spy Holms, by no means hard, although it was enough to remind you that the wheel turns towards winter...and turns at a pace. Still, descending towards Rooks Bridge autumn returned in all her radiant glory. Mill Lawn Brook sparkled in the morning sun, whose warmth could now be felt away from the exposed plain. I lack the words, or maybe the skills, to describe days like this properly, there's just a certain something, an air of perfection that suggests that everything is as it should be. The forest was simply glorious. Sat under my old Beech in Burley Old I took in the sights, sounds and smells of the stands, who although bathed in tranquillity and the last days of gorgeous dappled light continued to be a hive of activity. The forest inhabitants must have also felt Jack's breath at their shoulder. 

Eel

Walking along Mill Lawn Brook this morning I spotted an Eel, a European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) which is apparently on the critically endangered list, how wonderful to see one here in the forest. A testament to the vitality of the forest streams, and maybe the benefits of the forest's stream restoration program (aptly 40% funded by the EU). I've previously mentioned how the stream restorations have born wonderful fruits, and so quickly, revitalizing rich environments, creating an increased the number of habitats, including niche ones, and hugely increasing biodiversity overall. The streams and their environs are much healthier and more vibrant, as well as the eel, fry darted through the stream, ponies grazed it's banks, deer in the wider environs, whilst a Heron and a Egret looked for dinner from their riverside vantage points amongst thriving wetland plant communities.  As I say, the restoration project is part funded by the EU under the Life 3 scheme, and I have to wonder whether after our departure from the EU such projects will fall by the wayside. I can't imagine our government see environmental projects such as these as a priority. It would be a great shame if the restoration of the forest streams and bog woodland faltered, and the achievements so far neglected. To paraphrase the People's Front of Judea, What have the EU ever done for us? In truth nobody knew how integrated we are in Europe and how much our communities, people, environment, wildlife, our whole nation in fact, has benefited from our unique relationship with the EU. 

Like a dog to water

For Geoff's first encounter with a stream we went to Mill Lawn. Without hesitation, and with a lot of excitement, Geoff was straight in, and before long out of his depth and swimming. Handy really, it'll save me having to wash him down after those wet and muddy winter walks.

Rock Hills

Oi oi, what's going on here? Walking along Mill Lawn Brook, a huge plume of smoke can be seen rising from Rock Hills. It's not burning season, and it's a Sunday! Shenanigans I reckon.

Blackthorn

All along Mill Lawn Brook the Blackthorn are coming into flower.

Daffs

It's nice to see the life and colour returning to the forest. A solitary clump of Daffodils (one of the Narcissus genus, though I don't know which one) stood out as they shone in the morning sun.  I couldn't tell if they were a wild or cultivated variety, the petals were lighter than the flower (though not much) and they were quite small which would suggest a wild form. Though from their position at the confluence of two small streams where they become Mill Lawn Brook and them being the only specimens in the vicinity, I imagine they were placed there with purpose. The forest was good walking this morning.

Mill lawn Brook

Mill Lawn Brook.