In which I remember walking beneath the tall trees of Islands Thorns

The trees of Islands Thorns are tall and thin, but they grow so closely that the wood looks somehow full of mist and the sun slants through the trunks in narrow streaks.

Joan Begbie, Walking in the New Forest, published 1934

Although I usually prefer the ancient woodlands of the New Forest, I make an exception for Islands Thorns. Its oaks were closely planted, and so they have grown very tall as they reach for the sun. One feels very, very small walking through Islands Thorns.

Islands Thorns is off the beaten track. You can reach it be parking at either Fritham or Eyeworth Pond, or alternatively walking southwards to it from Telegraph Hill. Be warned – the tracks become very muddy in late autumn and winter.