Saturday 12th October: Strollers Walk to Burley
Seven Strollers left Moorhill House on Saturday and were joined by one more person at the YHA and two more at the White Buck. After a minor route finding problem on the outskirts of Burley we made good progress until we came to a boggy area where we spent some time choosing the place to cross which wouldn’t be too wet. Eventually we came to a path which ran alongside the A35 and Wilverley Inclosure. The rain which had been forecast finally arrived in the form of a heavy shower which fortunately did not last too long. By this time I was worried that we would miss our booking at the Old Station Cafe at Holmsley and in my distraction failed to read the map properly and got into a muddle. Fortunately they kept our table for us and we enjoyed our lunch, the Welsh Rarebit proving to be popular. Holmsley station was on the line from Brockenhurst to Ringwood and the line was closed in 1964. After lunch we followed the disused trackbed till we turned off to return to Burley by ascending Turf Hill. This was a gradual climb with one steep bit. On reaching the outskirts of Burley we said goodbye to the people from the YHA and the White Buck and returned to Moorhill House to get ready for dinner at the Carpenter’s Arms in Bransgore.
Sandy
Photos by Julia
Saturday 12th October: Hikers walk from Fordingbridge to Ringwood (Section 5 of the Avon Valley Path)
Twelve Poly Ramblers travelled to The Market town of Fordingbridge to begin the fifth section of the Avon Valley Path which ends at Ringwood. The Avon Valley Path is a 34 mile distance route starting at Salisbury and finishing at Christchurch Priory and the sea. The path is named after the river whose course it follows.
The path which appeared to be well marked, passed down the centre of the town and through St Mary’s churchyard, we explored the church with its fine stained-glass windows and then walked through the churchyard which had some fine examples of medieval craftsmanship. We headed south along the west bank of the river with the path becoming boggier. We waded our way through a fast-running ford, we had difficulty spotting the signage positioned on a post surrounded by water. The route now took us through water meadows which were certainly living up to their purpose! As we sloshed our way around the meadows the rain started. Luckily, we got to dryer ground, the rain stopped and the sun came out.
We reached the village of Ibsley crossing its handsome bridge before making our way to the pub lunch stop. The pub staff were really welcoming and happy for us to eat our picnic lunches there. In the afternoon we continued our walk around numerous lakes. The path then turned south, and we walked along an escarpment through heathland with magnificent views of the valley, we stopped several times to try and identify the many varied fungi on route. We reached Ringwood between lakes and passing a sailing club.
Hilary
Photos by Nita
Sunday 13th October: Strollers Walk
The Sunday walk started where the previous strollers walk finished. We descended Turf Hill and reached the disused railway track again. Some members of the group wanted to go along the easy railway path but I persuaded them to follow the route along Holmsley Ridge where we enjoyed views in every direction. We were heading for Whitten Pond but unfortunately when we got there we found that the ground was very damp. We had to eat lunch standing up, except for two people who found uncomfortable sitting positions. After lunch I tried to find the path that would take us round Whitten Pond and back to Burley. There was no sign of the path and even if I had found it it would soon have disappeared under water. We we might have found a path by making a wide diversion but the ground was sodden so we decided to retrace our steps and go back along Holmsley Ridge and up Turf Hill. Back in Burley we saw lot of horses but were not lucky enough to see any donkeys or pigs.
Sandy
Photos by Julia
Sunday 13th October: Hikers Walk
Thirteen polys set off, along well marked cycle paths, through the ancient woods up to the Bolderwood deer sanctuary where we were treated to a performance by a very vocal stag with several does. After admiring the view as the woods opened out onto heathland, we proceeded to the Canadian War Memorial. A simple wooden cross commemorates the Canadian forces stationed in the New Forest before the D-Day invasion of 6 June 1944. Before the invasion, Canadians would gather here for church services. We were delighted to see that a refreshment van was stationed close to our picnic stop. It was a bit too chilly for ice cream but coffee and tea were most welcome. A few of our group decided to do one of the beautiful nature trails during our break. We then walked down the Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive where a variety of ornamental conifers were planted in 1860, including Douglas fir, deodar cedar, Lawson’s cyprus, western red cedar, giant redwood and black pine. On re-entering the forest, we decided to take a short cut along a smaller path. This rewarded us with an idyllic woodland atmosphere, but also a lot of bogs and mud!! Luckily we had plenty of time to return to our accommodation and get ready for our group meal later in the evening.
Susan
Photos by Nita
Monday 14th October: Morning walk – A five-mile circular walk around Burley village
The Poly Ramblers met at the Queens Head Pub in Burley for the last walk of our trip to the New Forest. Burley is a classic New Forest Village. During the 1950s the village was home to Sybil Leek a ‘white witch’ who would walk around Burley village in her long black cloak with her pet Jackdaw Mr Hotfoot Jackson sitting on her shoulder. There are now several shops that have a magic and folklore theme.
We started our walk with a gentle uphill climb along Castle Hill Lane to be rewarded by stunning views at the top across the Avon Valley, pausing to explore an ancient hill fort on route.
We descended back towards the village wending our way through the New Forest ponies and cattle wandering around the lanes and on the moorland.
We finished our walk with a visit to the village church St John the Baptist which was built in 1838, before ending up with a visit to the local café before beginning our trip back to London.
Hilary
Photos by Nita
Monday 14th October: Afternoon walk
Seven Polys stayed on for an extension after lunch. We walked up the hill from the village and turned off south via Turf Hill onto the open heathland from where it is said the Isle of Wight can be seen on a good day. The weather had cleared up and we could see a fair distance, but maybe not that far. After crossing the Avon stream, we walked along a small section of the wide gravel path along the disused ‘Castleman’s Corkscrew’ railway line. The line, opened in the 1840s, linking Brockenhurst and Ringwood and was so-called because of its winding route through the New Forest. We attempted to lengthen our walk as we had plenty of time, but that proved difficult due to the boggy ground. On our return to the youth hostel, we were thrilled to finally see the pigs, three beautiful Tamworths happily foraging. When our minibus arrived near Brockenhurst station, an adjacent road was blocked by roaming donkeys! We had finally completed our observation of all the animals allowed to roam freely in the national park.
Susan
Photos by Nita and Susan
The cover photo of the stag is by Pam