On my recent trip home my father and I took two large walks, one in the New forest in Hampshire and another along the Purbecks coast path in Dorset, gateway to the Jurassic Coast. This piece will briefly describe those walks and then give information about both locations where we walked.
Firstly, the New Forest. Our walk itself started just east of Bashford Lakes Nature Reserve near Ringwood. We then walked to near to Linwood and around both Appleslade and Milkham enclosures. Moving on we went to Castle Piece, then a short stop for some packed lunch alongside Linford brook, into Linford and then back round to our starting point.
During our walk we were always treated with natural beauty seeing wild horses, various breeds of bird and some fantastic views across the New Forest area.
Covering a 560km squared area the New Forest became one of England’s national parks in 2005. Created as a hunting reserve by William the Conqueror and mentioned in the Doomsday book the New forest is not as new as the name might suggest! The forest is well known as a hunting place for royalty, including Henry VIII. The forest itself is full of animals from snakes to horses which interestingly have right of way to any cars travelling through the area.
There is evidence of human activity in the area dating back to the 7th Century BC and ancient burial grounds known as Barrows can be found in many different locations. The land itself is very flat, in fact the highest point in the New Forest is less than 150m high. The land is open to the public to walk, roam and often travelers will find people wild camping in the area.
Our second walk of the week took us to the Purbecks. Starting off in Kinston we walked along the path to the coast taking in Chapmans Pool during a rather blustery detour. Following the path due west, we reached Clavell Tower and stopped just prior for a break. Next, we moved on to Kimmeridge Bay and into Kimmeridge itself then up the hill to Swyre Head where we once again took in the views and stopped for lunch. Once we were finished, we looped round back to our starting point following the path back.
During this walk we were able to see various birds, wildlife such as hares and rabbits. Interestingly, during the COVID-19 outbreak, all along this stretch of coast is where the British cruise ships are all stopping and we were amazed to see 10 of these giants in Portland Bay, along with a fantastic view of Portland Bill itself.
Something of note that I enjoyed seeing was the Clavell Tower which is pictured below. Built by John Clavell in 1830 it is a grade II listed building and has recently been moved back around 20m from the cliff top so as to stop its demise falling into the sea as the cliffs around erode away. It has been an inspiration to many people in the past including Thomas Hardy and P.D.James.
The Purbecks is an area of Dorset that has taken its name from the peninsula known as the ‘Isle of Purbeck’ though it is interesting to note that this area is in fact not an island at all. Covering an area of roughly 60 square miles the peninsula is bordered by Poole Harbor, and the English Channel. It is the entrance to the Jurassic coast as stated before and part of the South West Coastal Path which covers 620 miles of some of the best scenery the country has to offer.
The Jurassic coast is a 96 mile stretch within the South West Coastal Path and was the first natural area declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area includes the famous Durdle Door and Lulworth cove. Whilst walking around this area it is not uncommon to find fossilized remains and due to so many fossils being taken over time certain areas have a fossil hunting ban!
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