4th April Walk

Report written by Jack

On a bright cold day 23 hardy souls took off for the 25th monthly walk in the New Forest. We set of at a brisk pace and were soon chatting together as we spread out into a long column.
We walked adjacent to Bishop's Dyke built in 1385, when Bishop Wickham decided he would claim a piece of the forest for himself, by getting one of his parishioners to crawl in as large a circle as he could manage on his hands and knees. The poor fellow managed about 7 miles thereby giving his master a huge chunk of land.( the good old days).
We walked on into Fidlow Woods where we came across World War 2 bomb craters( of course we had to take the obligatory photo shots to establish the depth and size of the hole). These bombs were aimed at Beaulieu Airfield, poor shots those Germans ,in the latter part of the war.
The ground was in good walking order so we walked through some magnificent Trees with the wind whispering overhead in the top branches to our silent footsteps below.
As we neared the end of the wood we caught a sight of eleven Roe Dear drifting across our path and blend into the undergrowth no more than 100yards away. What graceful animals they are!
So it was back to the car park( once again within minutes of Dave's estimate) where two years ago just 8 people did the very first Totton U3A Walk.Proving that a simple thing, like a walk in the Forest can give so many people,so much pleasure. Providing of course you have a good guide like we have in Dave Butcher.
Thanks Dave.

March Walk - Linwood

Excellent walk in fine sunny weather with mainly blue skies and not too cold. It was very muddy but we were not worried as we had all got the right footwear. Twenty-five of us set out and twenty-two had a lunch at the Red Shoot on the completion of the walk.

Note from Dave

Regarding the March walk, the Forest is very, very wet at the moment and paths and tracks normally reasonably dry in winter are quite waterlogged.
I have changed the route as much as possible, but with rain forecast, I think wellies or stout/waterproof boots are strongly recommended.

Dave

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February Walk from Anderwood car park

Taking a keen interest in reading the dedication perhaps.


A really nice day again for all of us who braved the cold. Quite sunny at times and dry conditions made it enjoyable.

2007 January Walk at Stony Cross

Twenty-two walkers and two dogs one spaniel and the other a griffon met up at the Stony Cross car park. The weather was kind to us and only started to drizzle as we came in view of the car park. Part of the walk was on the solid concrete track left over from the airfield and now used for the summer campsite. Further on we encountered a few muddy patches that added the fun of negotiating them while keeping dry feet.

December Walk

December at Denny Wood

What a glorious day for our December walk – the weather was perfect for the twenty-five of us and one dog who met up at Denny Wood car park. Surprisingly Dave walked back towards the Lyndhurst/Beaulieu road before turning into the forest which after all the rain we’ve had was at times very wet and extremely muddy. Most of us were in wellingtons so it was quite amusing to slip and slide along the tracks. During the walk the front runners were rewarded with a glimpse of deer and further on we came across a family of pigs who showed no fear of us and a little curiosity.

A shared Joke

November's walk at Wilverly

November's walk at Wilverly was well attended. 18 of us made the circular route over the plain of well cropped grass into the plantation of trees, although many had only recently been harvested going by the many stumps left in the ground. The ground was still icy in parts which made the tracks less muddy for us to walk on. The weather was perfect for a November day blue skies and a warm sun.