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Ferndown Forest - 2

25/10/2018

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25 October 2018
Ferndown Forest
5.7 miles
Golf Club car park
Forest Inn

Tangled Webs

We started from the golf club car park again but this time headed north on there Ferndown, Stour and Forest Trail.

It was a bit cooler than most of our recent walks had been and the dew was clearly visible on the numerous webs on the gorse bushes.

We planned to follow the track that takes a dog leg across the heath and joins Newman’s Lane beside Newman’s Farm South. We could see no sign of this path but spotted quite a decent track under the pylons so we followed this. Unfortunately this ran out and the ground became very uneven and quite boggy, what you might describe as “tussocky lumps”. We decided to cut across to Newman’s Lane but this was easier said than done. We eventually fought our way through and came out on the lane where the path should have been but again could find no sign of its existence.

After another three hundred yards or so the made up track finished and we went through a gate onto a smaller track. On our left we found a nice looking boardwalk and decided to try that. It ran out just as we reached the pylons but there was a nice dry sandy track to follow all the way across the heath to the road just east of the Cross Keys pub.

View Acrosss The Heath

Ray On The Boardwalk

Impressive

Another Good Track

We carried on past the fishing lake which is closed at the moment and climbed up to the trig point on Bull Barrow before continuing across another area of open heath. Just after crossing the road we managed to find a log which provided just enough seating for two at a convenient spot for a break.

After a further stretch on the open heath we entered White Sheet Plantation and walked along some very easy paths back to the car park. Ray spotted a rather unusually coloured stem on a blackberry bush and then we had to stop for a few minutes in Hamwood Copse as there were some rather nice examples of fly agaric which had to be photographed.

Colourful Blackberry Leaves

Fly Agaric

We enjoyed another all day breakfast and an accompanying pot of tea at the Forest Inn. The only downside was the golfers who either could not read or felt the large sign saying “Please Use The Main Door did not apply to them. This made a seat near the door rather too drafty.

On the way home we dropped in to pick up some carpet being edge bound by Kristina at “Quick Bind Carpet Binding” in Ferndown and can highly recommend her service!

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Witchampton

18/10/2018

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18 October 2018
Witchamton
5.6 miles
Village car park
Coach and Horses Wimborne - recently declined.

Witchampton is a lovely village with an excellent car park next to the community shop. This is where we started our walk this week. It looks as if there is a lot of road work on this walk and there were times when it may have been suggested that it was devised by the AA! It is however much more pleasant than you might imagine.

Imposing Entrance

After a short stroll along the road we reached the quite imposing arch through which we walked towards Crichel House before turning off onto the Hardy Way. It’s a shame but there are not very good views of the lake from this path.

Just after Crichel Mill the path rises slightly and there are some really good views looking back towards Chalbury. After passing through Mill Hill Wood you are faced with a seemingly very long stretch on the road however…. Just look at the photos. The road is lined with a magnificent avenue of beech trees and it is easy to walk on the well tended grass on either side.

Looking Down

Looking Up

Unfortunately there was nowhere very enticing to sit and enjoy our drinks. In fact we didn’t stop until we had almost reached The Buildings.

The plan was to walk across the field from Sheephouse but it had been ploughed recently and after yesterdays rain was a definite candidate for “moon boots” so we rather reluctantly stuck on the road all the way back to the car.

The walk was very enjoyable and easy going. It was a bright sunny day and there were some lovely properties to admire along the way. There was a lot of development going on around Didlington Farmhouse both buildings and ground work. The Mill looked idyllic, if a little remote, on this bright sunny day and The Old School is now looking really smart.

What's Up?

The Mill

The Old School

Lunch at the Coach and Horses was a bit disappointing. The service has become extremely slow and we had to wait almost 45 minutes for two gammon egg and chips. This is not the first time either so oner of our favourite cheap eateries is going to be given a miss for a while.

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Ferndown Forest

11/10/2018

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11 October 2018
Ferndown Forest
5.6 miles
Ferndown Golf Club
The Forest Inn, at there golf club

It’s hard to believe that any ardent walker would prioritise a haircut over a walk but it happened today. This meant that we started a bit later than usual and so sought out somewhere near to home. As it turned out this actually worked to our advantage.

We have walked in this area before but not for some considerable time and not from this starting point. The people at the Forest Inn at Ferndown Golf Club were very amenable to our parking there, going for our walk and then joining them for lunch which they serve until 17:30.

Walking back along the approach road to the club there is a good clear sign to the Castleman Trailway. The right turn after 1 mile, which passes between banks of solar panels, is not quite so obvious and we missed it on our first attempt. After a pleasant stroll through the woods we emerged onto the road, which later turns into a broad unmade track, and followed this up to White Sheet Plantation. On the way we passed two splendid but quite different properties, first the relatively modern Red Bridge and then the more traditional Gardens.

We took off onto one of the smaller tracks running through the plantation and stopped for drinks bananas and biscuits on a side track with some inviting logs to sit on. It is interesting to see how much open land there is in this area, so close to the main conurbations, and so few people out enjoying it. At the White Sheet Hill car park we had to track back a short way to get onto the correct path and then had a very pleasant and breezy walk across the heathland.

Suitable Seating

Ready For Action

Not A Soul In Sight

Autumn Colour

Looking from Holt Heath back towards the plantation we could see the autumn colours really starting to show along the edge of the woods.

The wind was starting to build up by now and the leaves were having a hard time staying on the trees.

Blowing In The Wind

Rather than going right through the plantation we decided to turn right along an earlier track. This was not a good decision as the track became very muddy and uneven. Marked with a x so we remember it next time. At the end of this track we turned right onto the Ferndown Stour and Forest Trail and had an easy journey back to the car park where a small entrance brought us out just a few yards from the car.

We both enjoyed the all day breakfast at the Forest Inn. It iwas good value for money, nicely presented and the staff were all very pleasant. A good area for some other fairly local walks in the winter especially as apart from the one muddy track the paths are well made up and mostly sandy.

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Rushmore

4/10/2018

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4 October 2018
Rushmore Park
6 miles
Golf Club car park
Golf Club

After we had sorted out whose walk it was this week we set off to drive to Rushmore Park where we parked in the Golf Club car park. One of Rob's favourite places giving rise to a few reminiscences.
We followed the road past the buildings guarding the gateway with a misty vista to the west and then turned right to join up with Longcroft Road. This provided a very pleasant walk through the woodland on well made up tracks. The quite wide Chase Avenue took us to the “circle” and soon after this we headed onto a smaller track that was not so easy to follow. When we reached the junction with Shire Rack there was no sign of any continuation so we wiggled around the tracks we could find and then back to Oxford Street. Unlike its name sake this is quite a narrow track!

Scrubbity Barrows provided a convenient spot to stop while we had some refreshments and enjoyed the peace of the woodland.

The maps shows how we deviated from the path which is shown on the map but we still ended up at our destination on the edge of Brooks Coppice. Here the sweet chestnut trees were telling us that autumn was on its way.

View Across Rotherley Bottom

Sweet Chestnuts

We then followed the Hardy War as it winds its way around the old walled orchard. Approaching Barrow Hill it looks, from the map, as if the path goes straight through the property in for of you that we understand is the golf course manager’s. It doesn’t! It skirts the edge of the property. The numerous notices regarding guard dogs should put anyone off trying to follow the map.

Approaching the Cub House we followed the edge of the course to arrive back at the car park in good time for lunch which is served until 4pm.
Ray greatly enjoyed his ham egg and chips with two slices of ham large enough to feed a family and I had the giant size breakfast which was equally good.

We were quite surprised at the amount of logging going on, particularly around Chase Woods, where we saw one monster truck. There were also quite a lot of fungi to be seen but nothing spectacular.

Lots of Logs

A Few Fungi

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Ferndown Forest - 2

Witchampton

Ferndown Forest

Rushmore

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