Ogdens walk
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
An afternoon walk of storm clouds and sun. We have my good friend Sandra’s new 9 month old rescue puppy Marley staying with us for 12 days while she and her husband are on holiday.
Marley, like Harry, is a real water baby. Here he is at Linford in the morning.
As all puppies do, Marley goes all out and then sleeps well as soon as he gets home.
A late afternoon walk from Ogdens car park, over to the far end of Hasley Inclosure, down to the Latchmore Brook and following the path back to the car park. Behind me the sun is strong but the clouds to the east are heavy and very dark.
As we approach Hasley Inclosure, the sun lights the bracken and the sandy paths against the dark clouds.
Harry races up and down the path in the sun.
Closer to the inclosure now, a birch tree has grown at an extrodinary angle.
On the path that skirts the north of the inclosure, the bracken underlies the luscious foliage of the sweet chestnuts trees.
To our left, between the little hills of Great Witch and Little Witch and over the Latchmore Brook, the Alderhill Inclosure stretches towards Hampton Ridge.
Behind, a tree is silhouetted against the sun.
As we continue along the edge of Hasley Inclosure, the sand of the path turns ever more red in colour, owing to the high iron content – this part of the path is known as the Red Sands. In this light it makes for an amazing colour contrast.
In front of us the wooded slopes on the edge of Slodens Inclosure and Ragged Boys Hill. In these woods is a site called The Churchyard – the ancient site of a Royal Hunting Lodge.
Nearing the end of the Red Sands now. This part of the path is a favourite place for riders to open the throttles because the deep sand never gets waterlogged or frozen and is always soft. But nearing these low chestnut trees you have to take care if you’re on a big horse!.
The bole of one of the huge chestnut trees on the edge of the inclosure.
Heading away from the inclosure now as we walk down towards Latchmore Bottom. The cloud base seems to mirror the shape of the land over Hallickshole Hill.
Looking into the ride between the Alderhill Inclosure to the left and Slodens Inclosure to the right. This ride cuts in between the two inclosures and leads up to Fritham Plain. A fine walk with a lovely pub, The Royal Oak, at the end of it!.
Walking along the path that runs parallel with Latchmore Brook, looking back with Hallickshole Hill and the woods of Slodens Inclosure just visible below the clouds.
Ah, happy me, I’m even treated to a sundog in the cirrus clouds surrounding the setting sun this evening!
Harry on the edge of Latchmore Brook. This is one of the only brooks that doesn’t dry up in the Forest, even with the extraordinarily dry weather we’ve had.
Harry and Marley pause to consider some noises up ahead amid the tussocks on the edge of the brook.
Trees silhouetted against an interesting sky in one direction.
In the other direction, the storm clouds continue to grow as we near the end of our walk. Time to go home, we’ve been lucky to stay dry and have been rewarded with some wonderful light tonight.
May 8th, 2014 at 8:23 am
I’d really like to include your photo of Ragged Boys Hill (11th from the top on your webpage) in the fourth edition of our geography textbook GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS. If I sent you a ‘permissions request’, would you be prepared to grant this request please? We would of course acknowledge the source (as per your stipulation) and include a link to newforestwalker if you wished. Many thanks for reading this.
Paul Longley
Professor, University College London
May 8th, 2014 at 9:44 am
Hi Paul
I’d be honoured. By all means, do send through anything that you need for me to grant permission. If you’d like to contact me directly on rowena@newforestwalker.co.uk, that would be great.
Many thanks
Rowena