Introduction
I was fortunate enough to visit the New Forest in the first week of October this year. It was a calculated gamble in terms of the weather. Fortunately, I was blessed with bright sunshine most days and even a hint of frost early in the mornings. I wanted to be part of the autumnal transition from summer into winter. Oddly, I found myself reflecting on my autumnal transition into my winter.
Into the Forest
I had visited and enjoyed the New Forest a few times previously. However, the dilemma was that I tended to stay in Southampton and travel into the forest. This worked well but I wanted to experience the early morning autumnal sun rising. This time I found a Holiday Village (see Eat, Sleep, Play section) which enabled me to experience the forest on my doorstep.
Most mornings after meditation and breakfast, I walked into the New Forest with the sun rising. The slight frost made everything appear silver. The rising sun warmed the frosted common creating a wonderfully exhilarating atmosphere. I hope the photographs give you a flavour of the experience. It didn’t feel cold enough to wear gloves, but it was a reminder that that time was quickly approaching.
In this early morning sunlight, I saw many deer, but they were reluctant to pose for a photograph. The other animals that were less camera-shy were the pigs. It was pannage time when the pigs were released onto the common land to eat the acorns. This is important, because the acorns are toxic for the other animals on the common, so a natural win/win.
I was staying in Landford, located between Salisbury and Southampton, tending to explore the forest between Landford and Nomansland. I have just Googled the derivation of Nomansland and it isn’t a reference to a feminist haven, but rather an acknowledgement that it is ‘anyone’s land’ (see the WSHC link for further discussion). There is still a need to respect landowner privacy, but there is more freedom to roam than we have in Sussex. The New Forest is punctuated with common land, small tracks, minor roads and small villages. My walking seemed to revolve around the village of Bramshaw. I typically walked for six hours each day, returning to my campsite for a late lunch. The footpaths were very quiet, particularly on the weekdays and it was very peaceful.
Going Backwards
At a very early age forests enchanted me. Dad would take me for walks in the forest at the bottom of the lane behind our home. As I grew up and got into Pogles’ Wood (see post), I regularly asked my parents if the forest we were visiting was where the Pogles lived. They always offered suitably ambiguous answers to keep the magic alive. These days I find myself consciously and unashamedly going backwards.
When Fly Agaric mushrooms appeared overnight beneath the silver birch tree in our garden they fascinated me. In later life, I have enjoyed photographing forest fungi, but the Fly Agaric is not so evident in the chalky Sussex countryside. I decided to challenge myself to photographically capture the Fly Agaric image whilst roaming the New Forest. I struggled with my self-imposed challenge until I met a man walking his dog. I asked if he had seen any. He suggested he had seen some on Half Moon Common and where exactly I might find them.
The location title Half Moon Common added to my quest, behind the co-op wouldn’t have worked so well. The Fly Agaric’s charm is rather fleeting and the drama of their arrival soon fades. The implication was the next morning my sunrise walk was to Half Moon Common. It was a joy to find the Fly Agaric, though its charm was fading (see image). I noticed nearby groups of silver birch trees and decided to explore them later in the week.
I walked many miles, alternating with lighter rest and recuperation days. On one such day, I decided to visit Porchester Castle. Again, as a child I loved castles, I suspect then I could imagine how they might have been. Today my imagination is no longer finely tuned, but I have found myself gravitating back to castles on my travels. They do still tell stories if you let them. Porchester Castle was a new experience. It overlooks the Solent sitting wonderfully proud in the landscape.
Going Forward
I enjoyed my autumn adventure in the New Forest, but I have never been as aware of my autumn as I was during this last week, deep inside woodland decay heaven. The leaf mould beneath my feet, many trees toppled over and now rotting. It was the cycle of life stuff, new growth, new beginnings, but that was not my future.
Forests are a multi-sensory experience. I was feeling/experiencing the forest and its transition, but not fully sensing it. My sight and hearing have inevitably diminished over the decades. I walked over fifty miles during the week and I am grateful that was still possible. However, increasingly aches and creaks are part of the walking experience.
I went in search of the Fly Agaric just emerging and was delighted to be rewarded (see image). What a wonderful specimen. I was down on my hands and knees worshipping it with my camera. A mother and daughter kindly came over to check I hadn’t fallen over. A fall would have been understandable. I regularly grazed my knees as a child, in later life we had a different type of fall to avoid.
As a child, I didn’t know that the Fly Agaric has an intimate/symbiotic relationship with decaying silver birch trees. The beautiful tree in our garden died, and the Fly Agaric posing for me in the New Forest was at the base of a decaying silver birch tree.
Eat, Sleep, Play
In later life, I prefer to prepare food for myself. I was a fussy eater as a child and again I seem to be a fussy eater these days, though now for different reasons. I had a wonderful epiphany this year, why not use campsites rather than budget hotels? I love nature, but tents are not for me. However, I stay on campsites in what I think of as a park home, though in this instance they were referred to as lodges (see image).
They have a large lounge with a television, a kitchen with all the white goods I have at home, bedrooms and a shower room. It is a home-from-home. I can eat what I like, when I like and listen to my music without worrying about the people in the next room. Equally, I sleep better without all the noise present even in a quiet hotel. At my campsite, I was away from the road traffic of the city centre hotel and I slept well every night for seven nights.
Greenhill Farm worked out well, with a friendly greeting on arrival. They provided very modern, well maintained and clean accommodation. I could have happily lived there for seven months rather than seven days. It was a “premium” holiday village, but happy to pay the premium for such a wonderful location. There was a bus stop near the entrance enabling me to travel either to Southampton or Salisbury. After visiting Totton to buy my food, I was set up for the week.
In conclusion
A wonderfully mellow holiday enabled me to experience nature up close and personal. A stimulating setting to reflect upon life. Hopefully, a few more adventures are still to come…
Links
Greenhill Farm Holiday Village
https://lovatparks.com/locations/new-forest/green-hill-farm-holiday-village/
The New Forest Tourist Board
https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
New Forest Old Memories
Woodlanddecay 