I took a long weekend to visit my parents. After a great day with them, Mrs P and I went headed to the New Forest.
The Forest has a special place in my heart. As a kid we used to cycle down there (and later take our motorbikes) and spend a weekend there every summer until I joined the Army. Even then, I used to love the wilderness feel of the ancient forest and its special inhabitants.
The Forest was said to have been set aside by William the Conqueror for hunting purposes, although it’s known that people inhabiting bronze age settlements cleared parts of the north side of the forest for agriculture. The soil isn’t particularly good so much of it was left and it went to heathland.
Because of the lowland features there is a huge variety of different and even rare plants and animals in the Forest. Unfortunately, being a wonderfully warm day, it seemed many people had the same idea, and I really didn’t have the time to go as deep into the Forest as I would have liked.
Instead, I paid my respects to the Queen of the Forest; the 600 plus year old Knightswood Oak, the oldest tree in the forest, and I headed straight for a number of guaranteed deer sightings. Unfortunately not the Red or Sika deer I was looking for, but at least a few close-ups of Fallow.
Today it was back to the humble woods of Essex. But they are no less spectacular, perhaps not in looks, but in inhabitants.
The last three days of warm weather has seen some quick growth:
Germander speedwell
Common dog violet
Lesser celandine
Blackthorn
Primroses and Dandelion
Ladies smock or Cuckoo flower (tasty leaves)
Bluebells not quite open.
Next weekend I visit Mark’s wood in Reading.
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