Sun kissed canopy

 

Early morning sun just catching the top of the canopy. Nice.

Clay Hill morning

 Autumn continues to deepen in the forest.

Ober Water

 

Early morning on Ober Water

Autumn

 

Early morning Holmesley Bog had a proper autumn feel.

Knightwood enclosure

Knightwood enclosure, early doors.

Good morning

So far this year the mornings out in the forest have been near consistently lovely. It's worth remembering that it's not always like that. We're enjoying a good run, we've been lucky.

Frosty out.

Lost in the blinding whiteness of the tundra. Well, not exactly, through the forest was dusted throughout with ice, and its' puddles well glazed. Jack Frosts' last huzzah as spring fast approaches maybe. I read that the temperatures over Europe have been a degree or so higher than average, that surprised me. I'd felt that it had been colder than in recent years, more frosty mornings and all; turns out England has been enjoying cooler temperatures that average, and that of Europe. Apparently it's all to do with La Nina. I'm not complaining I enjoy a cold winter. Feels proper.

South Oakley

South Oakely enclosure

Morning has broken

 

The weather wizards had forecast that the morning would see the best of the day, and they weren't wrong. Still early doors, a bright sun hung low over the horizon, diffused through a thin mist which clung in the hollows and stands casting a lovely soft light across the forest.Worth getting up early for, for shore.

Gorse flowers in the morning sun

 

Somewhere in the forest there's always gorse in flower.

View from Soarley Beeches

 

View from Soarley Beeches toward Mouse's Cupboard.

Autumn morn

 A radiant autumnal morning. What difference a day makes.

Nippy out

This morning found Jack Frost had left his frosty fingerprints all over Anthonys' Bee Bottom, ooh err! How 1970's. That aside, it was bloody cold out on our roam today; it was the first morning when I've really felt winters approach.

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. 

Old Lodge Copse

We were up and out early this morning for our first Cranborne Chase roam of the year. And what a glorious landscape to roam; the epitome of English countryside. The Sun hadn't risen far and a thick mist still shrouded the Ebble Valley, along the old Roman road which runs along the down wispy remnants clung on amongst the coppiced Hazel of Old Lodge Copse. Not a soul about.

Intermittent weather

 

Today the Sun rose clandestinely behind a blanket of damp grey cloud which dragged itself across the landscape, and we began our walk out on the open heathland where the grisliness of the morning was most apparent and most inescapable. Eventually though we entered the cover of woodland, which ironically was wetter than being out in the open as the canopy created larger droplets which continued to rain down on us even after the rain outside had desisted. It wasn't until we were 5 miles out making our way through North Oakely enclosure, with the day being no lighter or brighter than when we started out, as if the forest had over slept, that all of a sudden the clouds broke and stands were flooded with dazzling  radiant light. And on the head of a pin the morning had turned, and warm bright sunlight reigned. Until the afternoon that is, when loud cracks of thunder, flashes of lightning and torrential rain/hail brought flooding and a power outage.

Autumnal chill

Autumn has properly arrived in the forest, for the first time in a long time you could feel the early morning chill; it was also the first time I've needed to layer up for our walk since spring. Lovely out though; we ended up doing a 14.1 mile route, and were back before midday.

Berry Wood

 

We were 4 miles out by the time we reached Berry Wood this morning, the early rays of the sun were just beginning to stream through the stands, and the forest was stunning. Sunday walks are our early doors walks, we're literally out walking at the crack of dawn, which means we have the forest to ourselves, particularly through the summer months; there's not many folk out and about that early, we've just the forest's wildlife for company. Suits us just fine.

Broomy

This morning's walk began under a heavy grey sky, though as we progressed the clouds slowly broke releasing a radiant sun whose light probed the woodland and raked the open heath; the sun cast beams as seen through the lingering woodland mists which hung amongst the stands of Broomy enclosure made for quite the magical walk; and had any mythago wandered in to view, it would not have appeared out of place.

Red Rise

You could tell we've had some rain, the floor of Red Rise bordering the stream is scoured clean, all the leaves and small twigs gone. Where the ground's so dry in no time the water would've raced off the land, quickly overwhelming the stream and swept through the stands. When this happens the waters scour a filigree of small channels through the woodland, over time these small channels can deepen and broaden into more significant seasonal watercourses.