Stag Brake

 

Mists filled the wet heath hollow in which Stag brake sits this morning.

Autumn tints

Autumn continues to sweep the forest.

Stag Brake

 

Stag Brake

Rock Hills

 

Although we're regular visitors amongst the stands of Red Rise and Burleys Old and New beyond, it's a while since we've approached via Rock Hills from Spy Holmes. The 'hills' offer pleasing vistas over the Furze Brake, Stag Brake and the canopy of the stands beyond, it's a lovely route. I find there's a natural seasonality to roaming, dictated either by necessity or opportunity.

Still there!

Wow, the discarded running shoes I commented on at the beginning of the month are still there! Very odd indeed; surely they'd have been returned for.

How queer!

 

What appear a serviceable, if not good nick, pair of Evadict mt2 trail running shoes (About £80) discarded in the forest; not near a car park, or on a track or anywhere else you could envisage changing then forgetting/losing your shoes, but on the edge wet heathland/bogland at the base of Markway Hill near Stag Brake. How queer. I can't imagine the story here; why they would've been abandoned is beyond me. Another forest mystery.

Brass monkeys

I thought it was cold yesterday morning, though I hadn't considered that that was at 0930 after the Sun had risen and taken the edge off, dawn this morning was so much colder. Dusted in frost the forest was quiet and still, little stirred; there were very few animals about, I imagined them hunkered down somewhere out of the worst of the chill; very few people about too, also probably avoiding the chill. Nice out though, worth the effort. A bracing walk was had; 13 miles of bracing walk in fact.

Stag Break

Sunbreak over Stag Brake.

Stag brake

 

We were out in the forest early again this morning, 12.6 miles under our belt and home by late morning. Again the forest rocked a deeply autumnal vibe, it was a moody morning all flat subdued tones occasionally punctuated by bursts of bright dazzling light; as here in the photo when we passed Stag Brake. Lovely.

Stag Brake

Change is everywhere in the forest at the moment. Of course, the forest's always changing as the wheel turns, although it's really the beginnings of Autumn and Spring when those changes are most manifest. You know, it can be quite the dramatic landscape in it's own laid back way.

Shelter

You could feel and see the weather changing as we crossed the open wet heathland of Red Rise Furze Brake towards Stag Brake, so we picked up the pace. The temperature dropped, the wind rose, the sky darkened, and as we reached Stag Brake, then the rain began to fall. Slow and light at first, though with more force as the drops got bigger and the winds picked up further. The speed of the change from clear and dry to wet and windy was swift. The brake is for the most part deciduous, so affording little shelter at this time of year, though we hunkered down at the base of a mature Scots Pine and prepared to sit the weather out. With the thick trunk at our back, facing the prevailing wind and rain, and a good sized Holly a few meters in front of us, we remained remarkably dry. We watched from relative comfort as the landscape outside was lashed. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the winds dropped the rain stopped, the sky once again cleared and we continued on our way. Had we been caught out in the open it would have been a different story, and we'd have definitely been soaked. Had this been Sesame Street, the word of the day would have been...changeable.

Stag Brake

The small wooded clump of Stag Brake in its wet heathland setting.

Master of all he surveys

Geoff checks out activity across in Stag Brake this morning.

Stag Brake

Even before the trees go all rainbow hued, the forest was a riot of subtle autumnal colour on this mornings walk. The light was just right, highlighting the rich palette of colours being deployed across the wet heath below Markway Hill perfectly.