Circular walk from Buriton.
Started out from the Buriton, a Saxon settlement and headed up into Queen Elizabeth Country Park. This 1400 acre site is owned by the The Forestry Commission and jointly managed with Hampshire County Council.
The area comprises of dense woodland and open downland, part of which lies within the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) as well as being in the South Downs National Park.
The park is still very much a working forest, with woodland being felled for commercial use. Much of the woodland that we see today was planted between 1930 and 1960. Before this time, the area was open grassland with a few yews and hawthorns. The area was a large, managed rabbit warren, with the rabbits being used for sporting purposes.
Following the installation of a car-park and visitor centre, the park was formerly opened in the spring of 1976, with a royal opening by the Queen in the summer of the same year.
Today, the park is a haven for walkers, runners, cyclists, orienteering and horse riders. Many of the paths are gravelled, stile and gate free, which make them perfect for all levels of ability, including those using mobility scooters. The paths are also buggy friendly, making the park a great place for young families. The park also includes a series of graded mountain bike trails which are solely for the use of cyclists. Despite the wide breath of activities that the park caters for, the tracks and trails are well managed and signed, enabling a wide range of people to share the park.
Weather, 3 degrees, felt like zero degrees, wind north easterly.
Conditions underfoot, incredibly muddy in places, dry in others due to gravel paths.
