| Date: Location: Walk Leader: Participants: Distance: Parking: Lunch: | 2nd October 2013 Ferndown Peter Peter, Ray, Rob. 7.1 miles The Antelope very large car park The Antelope ★★ |
Walked a short distance north east up the A348 before turning off onto the Ferndown Stour and Forest Trail.
You might expect this to be well signposted but it is not and the path seems to wander away from the one marked on the map but only by a small distance. At SU 0657 0155 the official path turns over a stile by the electricity pylons and then curves round in a clockwise direction. This path is virtually invisible and vanishes into scrubby woods. It would be better to ignore this and find an alternative cutting off this corner.
Back on the main path there is a useful underpass under the A31 leading to the Police Station and Ferndown Forest Golf Club.
We ignored the Castleman Traiway made up path and chose to walk along the smaller path through Hamwoods Copse unfortunately 2/3rds of the way along this route, just after crossing a made up path, the path became quite overgrown first with shrubs and then with ferns.
At the end of this section we rejoined the Castleman Traiway lathough after Uddens Drive it is difficult to see where it goes. It is however fairly easy to find a way down to the bridge that crosses the A31 close to Stapehill Farm. Just after the bridge the path turns sharply left then right to avoid the private road down to the farm.
Cross the road by The Old Thatch towards Knoll Gardens and then take the track around the gardens and back onto the heathland.
The paths across the heath look straightforward on the map but unfortunately the map does not represent the reality! Keep a close watch on gps or compass to make sure you keep going in the right direction.
Lunch at The Angel Inn was a bit pricey but the food and the service were both very good. Steak and Ale pie (proper pies) £10.65, Tea £2 each.
There were lots of fungi to photograph on this walk.
You might expect this to be well signposted but it is not and the path seems to wander away from the one marked on the map but only by a small distance. At SU 0657 0155 the official path turns over a stile by the electricity pylons and then curves round in a clockwise direction. This path is virtually invisible and vanishes into scrubby woods. It would be better to ignore this and find an alternative cutting off this corner.
Back on the main path there is a useful underpass under the A31 leading to the Police Station and Ferndown Forest Golf Club.
We ignored the Castleman Traiway made up path and chose to walk along the smaller path through Hamwoods Copse unfortunately 2/3rds of the way along this route, just after crossing a made up path, the path became quite overgrown first with shrubs and then with ferns.
At the end of this section we rejoined the Castleman Traiway lathough after Uddens Drive it is difficult to see where it goes. It is however fairly easy to find a way down to the bridge that crosses the A31 close to Stapehill Farm. Just after the bridge the path turns sharply left then right to avoid the private road down to the farm.
Cross the road by The Old Thatch towards Knoll Gardens and then take the track around the gardens and back onto the heathland.
The paths across the heath look straightforward on the map but unfortunately the map does not represent the reality! Keep a close watch on gps or compass to make sure you keep going in the right direction.
Lunch at The Angel Inn was a bit pricey but the food and the service were both very good. Steak and Ale pie (proper pies) £10.65, Tea £2 each.
There were lots of fungi to photograph on this walk.
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