In which I leave Ocknell Plain behind and walk through four woods - Holly Hatch, Anses, South Bentley and North Bentley - all different from each other in age and character, but each with its own beauty.
Ocknell Inclosure: traces of war, early autumn fruit and a lichen hunt
In which I go for an early morning walk through a lovely pasture woodland in the New Forest, get scared (a bit) by some cows, and go on a lichen hunt
Hasley Inclosure in the New Forest: a young wood on an old hill
In which I pause under trees in the rain at the heart of Hasley Inclosure in the northern New Forest
Country fox and town fox
In which I learn some things about rural and urban foxes
Wood ants
In which I admire some busy wood ants in the New Forest
Ibsley Common and Dockenswater: hill, valley and mire
In which I set out in mist and finish in sunshine on a walk to explore Ibsley Common and Dockenswater. Along the way I meet a Silver-studded Blue butterfly and lots of lovely wild flowers.
In the New Forest: landscape, history, and the network of things
In which I begin to learn about how to understand a landscape, by lifting my eyes and knowing where my feet are planted.
Amberwood, Sloden and Alderhill: memories and magic among the trees
In which I find a haunted wood and memories of a woodsman's cottage, and spend some peaceful moments sitting on a bench deep in the forest.
