After my little dig last week about Rushmore 93 Rob named this walk New Forest 205.  We have certainly walked a lot in the Forest recently but ……
This walk was a bit different because it started on a route that avoided the cycle tracks.  Slightly risky given the amount of rain we have had recently.  Although it was a dull day the walk turned out reasonably well and we all enjoyed it in spite of the fact that one or two deviations made it a bit longer than planned.  An early bit of excitement was the sight of a substantial herd of deer with several stags.  They appeared a little nervous but stood still long enough for a picture.  
The first snag arose when we reached Bratley Water.  The stream was flowing quite fast and we had to such in both directions before finding a place where we could cross and this involved balancing on a log!  (See picture below.)  It's a good job we are all fearless.  
The path then climbs steadily towards the A31 before running parallel with the road for a while and then heading out across Backley Plain.
It was a small deviation to visit Soarley Beeches for our morning break and it was well worth the effort as it is a lovely place to sit and admire the scenery.
After the break we continued to the south and into Berry Wood.  The paths through here are not that easy to follow and the gps came in handy again.  We were quite pleased to eventually reach the cycle track as this promised some easier ground underfoot even if it did seem as it was uphill all the way back to the Deer Sanctuary.  There was barely any mention of the famed "Canadian".
We drove back into Burley for lunch at the Queens Head where the gammon eggs and chips was as good as it usually is.

It was not the brightest looking day when we arrived at the car park but it wasn't raining and one or two hardy souls were actually playing golf.  The course was certainly not crowded!
We set off along the road that leads past Cuttice Lodge and on to the Ox Drove.  There are some magnificent trees on the Rushmore estate and some may be seen beside this stretch of road.  More exciting however was our first sight of a Red Kite in this area.  A camera with a long telephoto lens was unfortunately not at hand!
The Ox Drove was passable but was unfortunately not at its best as a result of the recent rain.  The conditions underfoot improved considerably when we reached the road and turned off towards Dank Wood Corner.  We were also treated to the sight of a double rainbow in the field beside us.  The walk alongside Stonedown Wood is always interesting with a large number of beech trees on the steep slopes to the west.  We were also thankful for the trees which protected us a bit from the light rain that had started as we left the Ox Drove.
Shermel Gate now looks a lot tidier than it did when we first started walking in this area but parking there looks a lot more dubious.
On the climb from Shermel Gate and into Chase Woods we came across a low growing spiky plant with red berries growing out from the leaves.  This turned out to be Butcher's broom alternatively known as Shepherd's myrtle - most appropriate!  If you wish to appear erudite you might even call it Ruscus aculeatus. The path then drops down to the south eastern end of Longcroft Road before starting on what seems like a never ending climb up to Chase Avenue.  The beech trees that grow along Chase Avenue are reminiscent of Kinkston Lacey and help to make the effort seem worthwhile.  Unfortunately the heavy breathing is not over as the route drops down quite steeply before the next and steepest uphill section.  The Club House is however not far away now and the thought of a pot of tea and a good lunch kept us going.  After 9.3 miles it was well deserved.
This was another good walk even if I did unkindly suggest it might be called Rushmore 95!

This was a really pleasant walk on a day that was variously sunny and cloudy.
It may not have been a red letter day but it was a very unusual red track day.  It had been rumoured that Ray did not possess a map of the New Forest and this has now been disproved!  It is however only the second of his walks that I have recorded in the Forest.  Nevertheless his leadership was almost faultless.

The walk was a mixture of cycle tracks and other less well defined tracks and fire breaks.  A small reddish dot can be seen on the map below.  It was very wet in this area and Rob's walking pole completely disappeared as he lent forward to test the ground.  Luckily he did not follow it and he managed to spot the top of the pole just below the surface and to recover it safely.  It's a shame that there is no picture of the actual event.

The holly is now covered in very dense bunches of berries and there remain quite a lot of fungi to see.  The wind has ensured that most of the trees are now pretty bare.  The forest still looks really good when the low winter sun shines later in the afternoon.

We met three ladies near the car park at Acres Down and they were walking with only a rough map from the internet.  I think that thought our use of an iPad with OS maps and a gps was cheating.  Never mind we find it a comfort.  Shorty after this we stopped in a small wooded area on Acre Down for out morning break.  There were quite a lot of trees blown down in this area and numerous bracket fungi of various ages.  After Millyford Bridge we crossed the road and followed the raised embankment to get round to the Reptile Centre.  The area to the left of the embankment, where Highland Water runs,  was unsurprisingly very wet.  After this point it remained bright and sunny until we got back to the car just before 14:30.
We then drove to the Queens Head at Burley for gammon eggs and chips.