Walk around the New Forest National Park.
The aim of the walk today was to refresh pacing, timing and contour interpretation.
In 1079 William The Conqueror named the area his ‘new hunting forest', Nova Foresta. Today, the New Forest is one of 13 national parks, having been designated in 2005. It has an estimated 13,555,400 visitor days every year, from walkers and cyclists through to horse-riders and fell runners. The New Forest National Park Authority manage planning and control decisions, and work alongside the local authorities, land owners and crown estates in managing the New Forest.
Just under half of the park is managed by Forestry England who manage the woodland for commercial purposes. This makes for an interesting landscape, with some areas clear felled, others with immature tree nurseries, through to more mature woodlands and areas of brush fires. Clear felled areas are not marked on OS maps as this activity comes and goes over the years. This can be disorientating when interpreting a map as woodland area may not actually exist on the ground.
Some of the other interesting factors about walking around forestry commission land is the type of hazards that one comes across as they are often different to those encountered when on public footpaths. These include wild fire areas, logging and the presence of log piles. It is not always possible to plan ahead for this activity as some of it is weather driven, for example the brush fires. So adjustments must be made on the cuff to ensure the safety of the group.
Conditions underfoot, dry on the gravel pathways, very boggy on the forest tracks.
Weather, dry, high single figures, light breeze.
