SOUTHERN REGIONAL RAMBLE
HEATHER TRUNDLE, SHATTERFORD BOTTOM, NEW FOREST – 23RD AUGUST 2014
This was a new route through an area of heathland, ancient woodland and inclosures – principally to see the heather in bloom but also to savour the lovely atmosphere and forest landscape along the way. The New Forest offers much diversity of views and the rambles are, almost without exception, a delightful and rewarding experience for all.
We started off from the car park at Shatterford with an attendance of 15 scooters and 5 walkers, including (for the first time and after much arm twisting) my daughter, Wendy, and her husband, Steve. We proceeded along a rough-ish path to Shatterford Bottom, a boggy area but there is a boarded bridge and walkway over the bog, and usually we pause and watch the dragonflies and damselflies flitting over the pond which is there, however, the sun had gone in and so had the pondlife and as we had just negotiated an area of fairly tricky sand everyone was pleased to go on into the wood and have a pause and little coffee break, so the dragonflies were given a miss this time!!
We then proceeded through this lovely old wood and had to limbo under a tree that had fallen over the path. On the reccy we had to saw a branch off this tree in order for the ramble to proceed and we were watched with interest by about 8 lads who very sweetly offered to lift our scooters over the tree, but we explained that removal of the branch was essential for our ramble. Reccies can be a lot of fun, as well as a challenge and you meet some super people along the way.
From there we proceeded through the wood, fairly tricky in places but we managed, and into the inclosure that leads through Denny Wood. In this inclosure there is a lot of insect life – dragon and damselflies and butterflies of many species and also we usually see some deer and we were lucky enough to see two or three this time, as well as about 5 ponies and their foals grazing. We found some nice logs for the walkers to rest on for our lunch stop. Then on up past Denny Lodge, a Keepers house, and through another track into some woods that leads back onto the heathland on the return route to Shatterford car park.
The heather was just “going over” but we still got the fragrance from it as we passed. Once there some of us did a further “loop” over quite uneven and rutted ground across the road from the car park, this leads across a large, open plain where sometimes up to 100 cattle and ponies graze, and in the past we have seen grass-snakes and lizards run across the path. It then goes into another ancient and peaceful wood, Matley Wood; this area is impassable in the winter so we have to make the most of the summer and early autumn.
Shatterford is next to Beaulieu Road Station and this is where the New Forest pony auctions are held and 7 of us later had a light meal in the Drift Inn – Drift is the name they call the rounding up of the ponies for sale as well as branding, veterinary attention and tail trimming and the drifts are a spectacular sight with the Verderers on horseback herding the wild ponies into the pens. The weather on the day was sparkling and sunny, but quite fresh – but perfect for this ramble. It is on my list of “favourites”! It was great to have so many there – many thanks to all and hope to see you next time – which is…………….The Cream Tea Ramble on the 5th of September.
Regards to all, Val.
