Walking in Austria

Holiday in Saalbach Austria
We booked a walking holiday with Leger holidays in Saalbach Austria starting on the 1st of June 2010 for nine days. On the first day we got up at about six in the morning and had a taxi to take us from Hythe to Southampton railway station at about 07.10. We were due to meet our coach at 08.10 and arrived just after 07.30. The weather was overcast and started to rain as we stood at the bus stop. Fortunately the coach was early so we did not get wet; we had plenty of opportunity for that later. This coach, number 134, was a feeder coach which changed to a tour coach at Dover so it was as comfortable as any we had.
Several hours later we arrived at Dover and began the coach changeover to coach number 132 which we had for the rest of our holiday. By this time it was raining steadily and we were not the only coach holiday changing coaches. The reception area became more and more crowded by people trying to escape the rain so that we were packed like sardines in a can. Soon however we were allowed to board our tour coach.
This is where we first met our driver and courier who were a married couple called Shaznlez. They were both able to drive the coach and also quite good at making coffee but as for couriering they were not so good. Shaz had a high pitched laugh that would detect a bat at fifty paces so we tried our best during the tour not to make her laugh. It was at this time that we realised that our coach consisted of two tour parties. We had some clue from the label on the front which read ‘Sel em Zee and the Gems of Austria’ and out of a total of thirty or so only eleven were actually walkers, the rest were touring daily on the coach.
Our channel crossing was uneventful but the highlight was a meal of fish and chips. This was so heavy that we did not need any other food for the rest of the holiday. We got back on the coach at Calais which took us straight to Brussels in Belgium. Our destination was the Crowne Plaza hotel near Brussels airport. This was a surprisingly nice hotel with triple glazing so you could not hear any plane noise. It was built in the shape of a boat only bigger with the rooms round the edge and an atrium in the middle going up for seven floors including the basement. The lifts, which all worked, had glass walls so you could view the atrium as you went up and down. We did not arrive there until 20.30 and we had to get up early the next morning so we had a quick drink and went to bed.
Day two, which was a Sunday, involved thirteen hours on a coach so we had to get up early once again. The journey went from Brussels through the whole of Germany and a short way into Austria. Germany was relatively flat but we were held up by several roadwork’s; one of which had an accident in the opposite lane which delayed us further. It was not until we entered Austria that the scenery became mountainous and we also had to endure some heavy rain showers. We arrived at the Berger Sport hotel in Saalbach around 20.30 and had to quickly go to our rooms before coming down for dinner. The dinner, as with all our meals, was very good and it was here that we met our dining companions for the holiday. They were two ladies from Norfolk called Ann and Gillian who were quite nice and normal in their conversation. We were glad to get to our bed after such a long day in the coach.
Our hotel was a clean but old building that had been in the Berger family for forty years or more. The family were a cross between the Munsters and Fawlty towers. They put on an act of pleasing us but you always suspected that guests were something they put up with under suffrage. Our room was quite small in that you had to walk sideways round the bed and the bathroom was a converted wardrobe so you had to open the door to bend over the sink. There were no tea making things in the room and the lounge was locked until 18.00. There was also nowhere to dry clothes as we found out after our first days walk.
Day three was the Monday and the first walking day. Whilst everyone else went for a tour on the coach we eleven intrepid walkers gathered in the hotel reception at 08.30 as instructed by the hotel receptionist. The guide dutifully arrived at 09.30 as per our original instructions; the receptionist having got the time wrong. Since Shaznlez had gone on the coach we had our own local guide for our walks. Astrid was the name of our guide and if that does not sound very Austrian it is because she was Danish. She had come to Austria for a holiday six years ago and decided to stay. Astrid was about twenty to thirty years of age and slender like a mountain goat. She did not say a great deal but what she did say was always useful and to the point. We were to think highly of her capabilities before the end of the week. When she arrived at the hotel she brought with her tickets in the form of a plastic card, one for each of us, with which we had only to wave at any bus driver or cable car to allow us to travel.
Saalbach is situated in a valley which runs east to west with an opening to the east but surrounded on the north, south and west by high mountains. Our first walk was to the west of the valley in an area called Lengau and to reach it we travelled on the local bus as far as it would go to the west. When we got off the bus we climbed steadily along the valley over first tarmac, then gravel then rocky paths. The weather when we set out was dull with drizzle which we had expected from our hotel and had dressed accordingly. As we climbed higher however the drizzle became more persistent and began to change to sleet. At last we reached a wooden alpine lodge that served meals and drinks. The meal of goulash soup was good and very welcome. When we came to continue our walk the slushy rain had changed to wet snow. We had reached the highest point of our walk however and we turned round to walk back along the other side of the valley towards Saalbach. The walk was quite strenuous for anyone unused to hills, as we were, but we enjoyed being out in the open air despite the rain and snow.
In the evening we were told of some entertainment that had been laid on for the next three nights for an additional charge of eleven euros which included drinks. We were also invited to a welcoming party by the hotel management which had the incentive of a glass of champagne. Unfortunately it included the singing of two songs which had been printed out for us to sing the words. The songs were ‘We love to go a wandering’ and ‘Eidelweiss’.
Day four, the Tuesday, promised more of the same wet weather with cloud and snow on the mountain tops. Our original itinerary meant we should have gone by cable car up the mountain to the north of the village but this cable car was shut and not due to open until the Thursday; two days hence. The clouds were also way below the mountain top so we would have seen nothing anyway. Astrid decided that we should go on the cable car from Hinterglemm half way up the mountain to Winklerhof on the south side of the valley. We were due to go on this walk on the last day of our holiday. These cable cars run singly along the wire and slow down at the top and bottom where the doors open for you to get on and off. At the top it was drizzling and misty with some lying snow but it was good enough for walking. There were manmade ponds near the cable car exit which filled during the summer and were used for artificial snow making in the winter. Further along we came to an alpine garden display which consisted of a walkway alongside of which were planted named alpine plants. I would have found this very useful but it had quite a lot of wet snow and the cold weather meant that most of the flowers had died off.
The idea of the walk was that we caught the bus to Hinterglemm, went up in the cable car and walked back down to Saalbach. As we descended towards the valley bottom the snow disappeared and although it was very damp the alpine meadows were very impressive. I felt quite satisfied with myself that I could name most of the wildflowers having seen them in Britain but when I consulted a guide that we picked up at the flower garden I realised that most of the flowers were similar but not identical to the ones at home.
At dinner that evening we met our new waiter who we immediately christened ‘Manuel’. The similarity to the Fawlty towers character was striking in that all his energy seemed to be in action and none in his brain. He had apparently spent some time in England working for Gordon Ramsey. In order to improve his English he said ‘Good morning Mr Ramsey’ whenever he met him. To which Mr Ramsey always replied with ‘f**k off’. It was not long before Manuel had sufficient English to allow him to return to Austria.
Tonight was the first night of our entertainment but I forgot that we were having a free drink and ordered beers when we arrived so I was pleasantly surprised to find an extra drink on the table. The entertainment was a group of three men and three women in alpine costumes performing local folk dances and routines such as blowing alpine horns and maypole dances. They were very good at involving the audience and anyone that helped got a glass of Schnapps as a reward.
Day five was a day off for the walkers who joined the rest of the tour for a visit to Saltsburg. Unfortunately the rain which started off as drizzle became heavier as the day wore on. The coach could not go to the city centre but parked some distance away. Thanks to Shaznlez who told us to ‘follow the yellow signs to the city centre’ we only got mildly wet by the time we got there. Because it was so wet we decided to go round the City Museum which cost us seven euros each. It was quite a modern place but we did not have enough time to do it justice and left hoping the rain had eased off for a walk round the centre. This was not the case however so we spent a lot of time sheltering from the rain before returning to the coach. We did get a piece of fruit cake covered in pastry from the market which was to come in useful later. As a special treat Shaznlez took the coach to a small village beside a lake in the afternoon rain. Again we had to leave the coach outside the village and walk in the rain to the centre. When we got there a funeral was in progress and the church bells were ringing so we decided to find a cafe and have a break. The church was famous as the wedding church in ‘Sound of Music’. As it turned out the cafe we went to was the highlight of our day but we were glad when we got back to the hotel to dry out.
The second evening’s entertainment was a man on keyboards with a woman singer. When we took our seats I didn’t bother buying drinks because I hoped for another free drink. This was not forthcoming however so I had to get an order while the entertainment was in progress. Although not brilliantly performed the songs were familiar and we were able to sing along and dance together after a fashion.
During the night the rain continued and the fire callout sirens woke us up in the early hours apparently to attend to some local flooding. As usual the reality was not as bad as the dreams and the morning arrived with slightly better weather. Day six, the Thursday, was also a local public holiday with parades that we observed from our balcony after breakfast. Unfortunately the local supermarket, which was one of the few shops usually open, had also closed for the holiday so we were unable to get sandwiches for our lunch. Luckily we had our fruit cake in pastry which we took with us on our walk.
The walk was one of the longest and toughest of our holiday. We took the cable car from Saalbach, which had just reopened, up the north side of the valley. The cable car in this case consisted of six cars in tandem that stopped and waited at the stops until people got on before starting again. In this case there were two stops, one in the middle and one at the top, and we got off at the top. The weather was still drizzle with cloud and lying snow on the mountains so we could not see any of the scenery until we were about half way down. The idea of the walk was to go from the cable car stop at Kohlmaskopf eastwards and downhill to Winselm then down to Saalbach. We found the terrain quite difficult through the pine woods and Astrid gave us her walking stick which came in very useful. We stopped at a mountain hut which was deserted apart from us and ate our fruit cake at the table whilst looking out to the mist and the only sign of life which was the tinkle of bells on the alpine cattle. After the first days walk our number was reduced by three down to eight and after the second another two gave up so there was only six of us left, and Astrid, for this walk.
Things looked up after we left the hut. For one thing we were lower down and for another we reached a gravel track which made the going easier. The rain had also stopped before we reached the lodge at Winselm which had just opened for drinks and food. I had a piece of Apfel Stroudel but it was micro waved so did not taste as good as the recommendations. The rest of our walk was on hard tracks and roads which although it pulled on our downhill muscles was quite straightforward.
The evening’s entertainment was an ‘Elvis lookalike’. He looked like you would suppose Elvis looked like if he were still alive today; even fatter and more wrinkled. He could have imitated Roy Orbison just as well. The first part of his act was general songs, the second, after he had changed into his Elvis costume was Elvis songs, and the third was Tom Jones. If you disregarded his appearance his voice was not too bad and we were able to sing along for most of his numbers. I was particularly disappointed that he did not do ‘Wooden Heart’ until after I had gone to bed.
Day seven, the Friday, was the last day of our holiday in Saalbach and it promised to be the best weather of the week. We had already decided not to do the scheduled walk which was similar to the walk of the previous day but on exiting from the cable car we would have turned east instead of west and walked along a ridge before returning to the middle cable car stop. The remaining four walkers did this walk but the cloud level was still below the mountain tops when they arrived so they went back up in the cable car to the top in order to see the views after the cloud had cleared.
We decided to repeat the walk in the valley from Lengau that we had done in the poor weather of the first day of our holiday. This proved to be a wise decision as not only was the weather warm and sunny but the adventure playground and associated eating place were open. We therefore caught the local bus, using our travel card, and got off at Lengau to start the walk up the valley. The sun was shining and the temperature climbed slowly as the day wore on so we were able to take off our Berghaus coats and jumpers to walk in short sleeves. Although the rain had stopped water was still rushing in torrents along the streams and the ground at the side of the paths was running water like a wet sponge.
We stopped for lunch at the same place as previously and had the same Goulash soup. The difference was that we were able to eat outside in the sunshine alongside the flowering daffodils overlooking the full length of the valley below. On our return down the valley we encountered a group of people who hooked themselves on to a cable running across the valley and after pushing off whizzed across suspended on the cable. Another cable stretched from the far side so they could return only about fifty metres from where they started off. As it was a hot day we were glad to see the lodge serving the adventure playground open so that we could have a cold drink. This made us slightly late however so we had to rush back to catch the bus which ran at hourly intervals. In the event the bus was late so we reached the stop with time to spare.
A Harley Davidson rally was in progress over the last two or three days of our holiday and we frequently came across numbers of machines and their riders scattered along the roads and tracks as we went along.
When we got back to the hotel another coach load of people had arrived. This meant that the waiters were very busy for the evening meal. We got our main course alright but the sweets were a long time coming. When they did arrive Ann and Gillian got ice-cream instead of fruit salad. When Manuel was questioned he explained that ice cream was in fact fruit in the same way that black is in fact white. They eventually got what they had ordered but Manuel may be on the move sooner than he expected.
The next day saw our return journey of thirteen hours to Brussels. This was only compensated for by the fact that we returned to the Crowne Plaza hotel.
Our last day started with warm sunshine and a late breakfast call so we had the opportunity of walking in the park at the back of the hotel. This was particularly pleasant with the ducks and the croaking frogs around the large pools. The coach trip to Calais was relatively short but soon after we left the hotel the rain started and became quite heavy. We changed back to our feeder coach at a tax free supermarket just outside Calais. We did not buy anything ourselves to save carrying it back home so we just walked through the shop and waited for our coach. This coach was delayed slightly by flooding just outside Paris but it had a quick turnaround and we were one of the first to arrive at Calais. The ferry crossing and feeder coach return home took until about 20.30 so it was a long and weary day.
Thus ended our walking holiday in Austria.

Ladycross New Forest

Waterside Natural History Society walk round Ladycross
Of all the shades of green the lime green of a fresh beech leaf must be one of the finest. The beech tree bursts into life every spring with masses of stored up energy to produce perfect leaves in their thousands. Bud scales are showered down like brown snowflakes onto the ground and into the lunch of the unwary traveller. Sometimes we take for granted the ordinary sights of nature looking at the bluebells on the ground instead of the green of the beech trees above but on our walk round Ladycross the green was all too evident and a pleasure to see. Beech trees are a good place to see the St. Marks fly which is so called because it is meant to appear on St. Marks day the 25th of April. They are black flies with long legs dangling below the body, flying slowly around seemingly oblivious to all predators, hoping for protection in their vast numbers.
We started our walk from the Hawkhill car park on the B3055 road between Beaulieu and Brockenhurst. The idea was to walk in an anticlockwise circle of about six miles taking in the Hawkhill and Frame Heath inclosures before walking alongside Ladycross Lodge to the campsite on Lodge Heath and the old airfield on Beaulieu heath.
The trees were well spaced Scots pines at first but soon changed to Beech and Oak as we progressed through Hawkhill inclosure. We met a surprisingly large number of people on our walk in the woodland, mostly groups of young people with rucksacks, and cyclists on an organised event. It is good to see young people out in the countryside instead of stuck indoors in front of a computer but it was difficult to tell if they were actually enjoying themselves.
Buzzards were occasionally seen either flying through the trees or way up in the sky above but the Red Kite with its characteristic forked tail is beginning to be seen in the area. They are certainly an impressive sight but you can’t help feeling apprehensive for the smaller birds that provide a ready meal. A herd of fallow deer ran across our path at one point but it was generally too busy a day to see them at rest.
The original object of our walk was to look for open meadow within the woodland in order to check for wild flowers but a combination of the late spring and lack of grassland meant we were somewhat unsuccessful in our efforts. There were quite a number of flowers by the side of the forest paths however and the most common was the Dog Violet. Dog violet is so named because it has no smell and was deemed suitable only for ‘dogs’. The Violet does not occur in swathes like the Bluebell but instead sprinkles itself innocuously over the grass verges leaving room for the white of the wild strawberry and yellow of the tormentil. Lousewort adds a touch of pink whilst the green of the wood spurge adds depth to the colours.
Walking through the woodland was a pleasant experience from the rambling point of view but it was not until we came out onto the open scrub of the old airfield that we noticed anything interesting in the nature field. The mature gorse bushes, in flower at the moment, are a favourite habitat for the Dartford Warbler and we were able to watch a male bird for some time as it went about its business of gathering food. It was assumed that the harsh winter might have killed off some of these birds but they seem to be still thriving in the New Forest.
The next thing we noticed were a group of Green Winged Orchids at the side of the old runways. These orchids have unspotted leaves that come to a hooded tip some of which cling to the stem. The flowers have a broad lower lip and the upper lip is folded over in the form of a hood. This lip has lines running towards the tip and if you look closely under the hood the gaps between the lines are green which gives the orchid its name. The green wings are not obvious however and they may be taken for early purple orchids at a casual glance.
The walk itself was much the same as any to be found in the New Forest but if you take an interest in your surroundings it can turn out to be a rewarding day out at any time of the year.

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Michelmersh
A combination of warm spring sunshine, beautiful countryside and an Icelandic volcano provided an excellent walk round Michelmersh in the middle of April. The volcano eruption meant that all plane flights were cancelled leaving the skies clear and the area noise free. We were able to listen to the birdsong instead. The Blackcaps, which have recently arrived from their migration, have a strong, melodic call with a variety of notes that is a delight to hear whilst walking through open woodland. We counted about a dozen during our walk, although we only saw two or three since they have a habit of hiding in the bushes. Chiffchaffs are another recent spring migrant with a distinctive call which happens to coincide with their name. Although their call is rather coarse and repetitive it is a welcome reminder of spring. Swallows and House martins appear to have reached their nesting areas but relatively few are seen on the wing at the moment. They are particularly fond of the barns and farm buildings which were scattered along our walk.
The walk, which starts and ends at the church in Michelmersh, followed a triangular route along tracks to Lower Eldon farm to meet Eldon road at Humbers wood then south along Eldon road before turning west back along the Monarchs way to the church. Roads in this area are not in the motorway class at the best of times and we were able to walk along Eldon road without meeting any traffic. Other tracks and lanes are quite substantial with tarmac in several areas. The distance is about five and a half miles.
Much of the earlier parts of the walk were through or alongside open woodland and one of the objects of the walk was to see swathes of bluebells. Unfortunately spring is about a month late this year and although some of the bluebells were in flower it will be the end of April before the blue swathes are evident. Other spring flowers were appearing however such as the Wood anemone, Celandine, Primrose, Barren strawberry and Violets. Both the early dog violet, with its pointed sepals and dark spur, and the sweet violet were present. Spurs of Solomans seal, just beginning to turn over at the top but not yet in flower, were present in numbers on the woodland floor together with Moschatel.
Between the woods the rolling chalk downland provided a familiar alternative. A good number of hares were seen during the course of our walk. It is always difficult to predict exactly where hares are going to be seen so coming across them unexpectedly and in such numbers was a delight. We also came across a group of Guinea fowl later in the walk but in an area of farmland such as this the wild and the managed animals are hard to distinguish.
During our walk back along Eldon road we called in to see the church of St. John the Baptist which is described as having the smallest parish in England. Its charm lies in its simplicity which consists of a single room with wooden chairs, a small organ and a small lectern for a pulpit. This contrasted nicely with a bright yellow primrose plant on the doorstep which appeared to be trying to get closer to heaven.
Eldon road appears to be an ancient pathway to King’s Somborne as it is sunk into the surrounding countryside and plants such as Butchers broom indicate mature woodland. Primroses and violets grew on the raised banks at a convenient waist height and cowslips were just coming into bloom. A variety of plants in the dead nettle family were coming into flower. The red dead nettle flowers all the year but the white dead nettle was starting to flower and the yellow archangel was just showing its characteristic yellow colour. The blue flowered ground ivy has also been in flower for a few weeks now.
Butterflies such as Brimstone, Peacock, Small tortoiseshell and Orange tip were seen as well as a Speckled Wood and a blue butterfly in a woodland glade which was probably a Holly blue. Holly blue are one of the first of the blues to be seen and can be recognised by their habit of flying at hedge height.
The flowers of Blackthorn and Plum cover the hedgerows in clouds at the moment but it is not a good sight if you are a hayfever sufferer. These are pollinated by bees and flying insects so don’t disperse a lot of pollen. Trees that pollinate by wind dispersal have no need of bright flowers so are not noticeable but a shake of the branches of any conifer tree can release clouds of pollen.
The walk although not overly long by rambling standards takes some time if you stop and look at everything so it was with relief that we saw the cock on top of the church tower as we came to the end of our walk.

Wilverley New Forest

Wootton Bridge via Wilverley (6.9miles)
This is a varied walk at any time of year but is particularly pleasant in summer. The walk can be started from any of three or four car parks and can be said to be a walk from one car park to another. I do not however recommend starting from the car park at Holmesley as it is a small secluded park near to the busy A35, an ideal place for thieves, and is often closed in winter to deter itinerant travellers. Wootton Bridge is a nice place to start for several different walks and is particularly good because you finish the walk unexpectedly after emerging from the wood.
So starting from Wootton Bridge we turned left on to the main road and crossing over the road we walked up to the junction at Wilverley. Just before the junction we veered to the right and crossed over the road to walk up towards Wilverley Lodge. The track follows the road and crosses over the access road to the lodge before continuing on towards the car park for Wilverley inclosure. We walked along the car park access road to enter the inclosure through the main gate. The main path, which is also a cycle route, continues ahead and when we came to an old inclosure sign with a wooden seat on the right we turned right along a minor path.
After fifty metres or so we turned left along an even smaller track which we followed until we came to a junction of tracks in a dip within an open space at which we took the path at about one o’clock. We followed this track for a short distance until we saw a track going to the right and leading us out of the woods. It is not important where you exit the wood so long as it is to the right hand side. Wilverley inclosure is a mixed deciduous and mixed coniferous wood which has been thinned over the years to encourage tree growth. Many of the coniferous trees are Douglas fir and growing quite large.
Once out of the woods we turned left and continued in a straight line following the edge of the wood as far as the main A35 road which we crossed over. The track then followed an old abandoned road over the open heathland. When we came to a bend and dip in the road we turned left between the second and third road markers through the hedge to the valley beyond. This is revealed as a hidden valley which is quite unusual in the New Forest and feels as if you have entered another world. When we did the walk in early April Lapwing were seen on the ground and one was in the air chasing off a crow. On emerging through the hedge we took a faint track round the right side of the marshy area which goes round the hill to the right. We then crossed over to the right of a low marshy area known as Holmans bottom before rising again to emerge at a minor road called Station Road. We saw a pair of bullfinch in the bushes of this low lying area.
At the road we turned left and walked along the side of the road for a short distance before crossing over the road to a car park. We maintained the direction of the car park access road over the brow of a hill to the left and followed the track downhill and over the heath. We could see a row of power cables in the distance and the track goes along the line of poles before veering off to the left towards a modern looking building on the road to Burley. On reaching this building, which is at the junction of the road and the dismantled railway, we turned left along the dismantled railway line back towards Holmesley.
At the end of the line we called in to the tearooms at Holmesley for our lunch. We then turned left out of the tearooms to walk along the road to the main A35 which we carefully crossed to start down a side road back to Wilverley. Instead of following this road we turned right opposite the forest car park through the hedge and over an old wooden stile. We followed the faint track over a bridge on the Avon Water and continued straight ahead across the water meadow to a five bar gate entering the Brownhill inclosure. The path then goes uphill to join the main track where we turned left to follow the broad path back to Wootton Bridge.

Cadland Manor
Lepe Country Park is a popular venue for visitors wishing to go for a stroll on a fine day or for beachcombing or just to eat lunch in the car whilst enjoying the scenery. The countryside does not end at the boundary of the park though but continues on to the surrounding private land; much of which is inaccessible to visitors. All is not lost however when Natural England combined with Environmental Stewardship come to the rescue.
Natural England is a public body that brings together English Nature, The Countryside Agency and Rural development service. Its aims are to conserve wildlife, maintain landscape quality, protect historic environment, protect natural resources and most important for us to promote public access. Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme run by the department for the environment and provides three schemes to assist land management. These are entry level stewardship, organic entry level stewardship and higher level stewardship. Cadland Manor subscribes to the higher level stewardship which means that it receives subsidies per hectare and for specific land management schemes. In return it agrees to abide by the aims of Natural England which for us means allowing some public access.
So it was that on a fine morning in the middle of March we were welcomed by our guide, and a Mediterranean Gull, to the estate of Cadland Manor and the coastline to the east of Lepe that visitors don’t normally see. Unfortunately the previous week had seen a great deal of rain and some of the paths were underwater to such an extent that it restricted our route through the estate. Spring is also late this year and the brown winter coat still covers much of the countryside. There are some signs of spring to show that it will win in the end such as the hazel catkins which have been producing pollen for a while now and you can spend some time looking for the small red flowers on the end of the buds.
Bluebell leaves cover much of the inland pathways so that it is difficult to avoid treading on them and the glossy green leaves of lesser celandine promise golden yellow flowers in the coming days. A few primroses are already in flower and the blue flowers of ground ivy are a welcome sight in the brown earth. The drier areas near the coast encourage Gorse to grow and they are spotted with yellow flowers at the moment.
We were lucky to see a slow worm trying to warm up on the pathway and an adder was spotted later in the day as it slunk away beneath the gorse. A group of forest ponies provided to keep down the vegetation were seen and a white mare had just given birth the previous night to a black foal with a white flash on its head. A single female Roe deer was disturbed as we moved noisily through the woods. Some of the trees growing in the poor soils and shingle struggle to grow properly and one oak tree appeared to be missing its trunk as its branches grew horizontally along the ground. Apparently this is a good spot to view purple hairstreak butterflies that normally live high up in the oak canopy.
Shingle forms much of the coastline in this area and provides good exercise for walkers. It also provides a good habitat for rare and unusual plants. Little robin which is named after ragged robin but is related to Herb Robert was producing leaves along much of the shore but was not yet in flower. Although on the surface shingle forms a clear coastline both the salty sea water and the fresh ground water can penetrate below ground so the separation is determined by the height of the water table. A low water table lets more seawater penetrate in to the streams and lagoons behind the shore making the water brackish and difficult for some plants to grow. The shingle has on the other hand formed a barrier across an area known as Jugglers Moor preventing sea water from flooding the low lying area and disrupting water flows on the landward side that previously drove the Stanswood Mill.
We had to return back along the shingle beach because of the flooded paths so a circular route was impossible. Nevertheless we had a worthwhile and interesting walk and are grateful for all the assistance provided by the estate of Cadland Manor.

Sparsholt Walk (7 miles)
We began our walk from the Crab Wood car park on the old roman road between Winchester and Salisbury. This car park was chosen because it was the first one we came to as we approached from Winchester and also because we did not know our route before we set off. In the event we walked further along the roman road before turning towards Sparsholt along the footpath between Crab Wood and West Wood. We did not have to travel on the road however as there is a track parallel to the road through the wood which would have been very muddy if it was not for the fact that the ground was frozen when we set out.
The track is called Burrow road on the OS map and follows a well wooded path even when it emerges from the wood and continues to a farm at the junction of the Sparsholt road. We could have cut the journey short by following the road to Sparsholt but we crossed over instead to Ham Green lane. The wide track has been designated a nature reserve called Sparsholt Common and gives extensive views over downland towards Sparsholt. At a junction of the paths we turned left back towards Sparsholt along a path that eventually becomes Dean Lane.
At the time of our visit in early March there were patches of snowdrops along the banks both in Dean Lane and in Sparsholt. Snowdrops, called ‘the fair maid of February’ in the past seem to flower consistently in February with scant regard for global warming. They also tend to favour the area near old dwellings rather than out in the countryside almost as if they liked human contact.
Although Dean Lane and subsequent roads through Sparsholt are tarmac they see very little traffic and are a pleasure to walk along. We continued our walk turning left at the end of Dean Lane and past the Plough Inn on the right. This pub looks at first sight to be little more than a small house but judging by the number of cars in the spacious car park it has a lot more room at the back.
The junction of roads after the Plough Inn is confusing at first but a street sign saying ‘Home Lane’ points us in the right direction and we walked straight ahead into this lane. Sparsholt village is located on a hill so the road leaving the village descends to a valley floor marked on the map as ‘no mans land’. The walk along the valley floor gives good views of the downland on either side and during March it is a good bet that hares will be seen gathering together for their march hare displays. We did see three hares at a distance but they never moved during our traverse of the valley. More unusually we also saw at least three buzzards walking on the ground and only occasionally flying short distances before settling on the ground once again.
When we approached an old barn on our right we turned left at a waymarked sign to cross between two unfenced fields and back towards west wood. West wood gradually encroaches on both sides of the path like a funnel before the path finally enters the wood. On entering the wood we continue ahead ignoring the left hand path and along a broad path back up to the roman road. The trees have been extensively thinned throughout the wood giving clear views to either side of the path.
When you think the walk is almost over upon emerging from the woods you are confronted by a fairly steep walk back up to the roman road. We had intended to turn right and visit the Farley Mount monument but the hill decided for us to return back along the road to our car park.

Blashford Lakes
We regularly visit Blashford Lakes and each time there is something new to see. It is particularly useful on a cold wet winter’s day, such as the day of our visit, because you can spend most of the time in the shelter of the bird hides and choose the time between showers to move to another hide.
The first hide that we visited was the woodland hide which is used as a location for feeding the small woodland birds or passerines. Although it is best to feed birds throughout the year now is a particularly important time because of the hard winter and lack of natural food supplies. The birds certainly seem to appreciate it as there were hundreds of small birds and one or two small animals visiting the feeding station at the time we were there.
There were at least two small bank voles dashing out when the birds were away and a rather fat grey squirrel that knew it was on to a good thing hanging round the feeders.
It might seem illogical going all that way when you can watch the birds feeding in your own garden but it is in a woodland setting. The variety of birds and the sheer numbers make it well worthwhile. For instance Siskins, Redpolls and Bramblings are not often seen in an urban garden. Redpolls are a small finch brownish in colour with black streaks. The head as its name suggests is red and it has a black bib; the males have a reddish chest during the breeding season. The Siskin is also a small finch but is greenish yellow with black streaks; the male has a black head. The subspecies of Redpoll have been divided into separate species recently so that the ones we saw are now called Lesser Redpoll. The larger and paler Mealy Redpoll or Common Redpoll may be found on the east coast of Britain in winter but the Arctic Redpoll as its name suggests remains further north. There was a single Long Tailed Tit which is rather unusual as they normally flock together. It was also noticed that there were no Goldfinch at the woodland feeders whereas in urban gardens they are quite common.
You could spend the whole of your visit watching the comings and goings at the woodland hide but eventually we moved, between showers, to another hide overlooking one of the lagoons with dead reeds in shallow water to the front of the hide. As it was near lunchtime we decided to eat our sandwiches in this hide.
Imagine you are a large Pike in a lagoon at Blashford Lakes; master of all you survey; ruler of all the little fishes. As it is a Sunday you are resting in the dead reeds when you feel a slight disturbance in the water so decide to move out of the reeds. Suddenly you feel a sharp pain just behind your left gills and instinctively spring into action trying to move as far away as possible but you are unable to move. You feel yourself slowly dragged just below the surface in such a way that no water flows through your gills and you cannot breathe. After a few minutes when you become weak you feel yourself flung upwards and your last feeling is one of disappearing down a black cavern.
We have finished our sandwiches and started on the apple. The Pike did not know what hit it but we did since we had been watching from our seat in the hide. We saw a Cormorant land on the water, splash through the reeds, and spear a Pike with its bill as it emerged into clear water. The Pike was at least as long as the body of the Cormorant which although normally swimming low in the water had its whole body submerged with the weight of the Pike, only its neck being above water. After a few minutes the Cormorant flung the Pike upwards, stretched its neck, and swallowed the Pike whole. The Cormorant must have struggled to walk on land never mind fly in the air.
After lunch we crossed over the road to Ibsley Water and looked over the water from two of the hides. Ibsley water is a large expanse of water and requires powerful optics to see to the far side. Pairs of Goldeneye however swim over the water diving for food and surfacing a long way from where they started, sometimes quite close to the hide. There seem to be more of these birds this year. Goosanders which were seen on a gravel promontory, appropriately enough from the Goosander hide, are also increasing in number.
We look forward to further visits, hopefully in better weather.