Summertime Foraging Fun

Summer is finally establishing itself in Southampton. We went for a meandering walk with friends along the river beautiful Itchen. I was pleased to spot a nice looking apple tree by a car park in Shawford before we set off; I duly added this to the Falling Fruit map. The atmosphere was heady and the smell of Elderflowers hung heavily in the air.

The route took us up-river past Compton Lock, which is always a fabulous place for a fun swim. We used to cycle to this spot during teenage summer holidays. 

We passed under the M3 motorway and watched swooping swallows catching bugs under the bridge. Despite the wonderful countryside surrounding us, the kids seemed to enjoy being under the massive bridge and hung around here for some time. 

Then it was a short but extremely steep climb up the ancient hill fort of St Catherine’s with the sunshine hammering down from above. The view over Winchester and the water-meadows is truly spectacular. 

We saw several Walnut trees, some of which seem to have had the ends of the branches somehow damaged. People had been having fires on top of the hill amongst the beeches, which must be nice, but some idiots had been setting a fire in the bowl of one of the largest trees – It is difficult to believe the stupidity of this action.

I also noticed a couple of Juniper bushes clinging to the steep ramparts. I have seen Junipers at Figsbury, Danbury and Winchester Hill forts. We found Walnut trees at Badbury Rings as well as here. Walnut (and Apple) trees were introduced to Britain by the Romans and Juniper is thought to be the only native fir tree in the UK. These are curious connections, well worth wondering about.

After a picnic and a run around the mysterious Mismaze atop the hill, we set off back down the Itchen. After a sweltering ramble in the Summer sun, Compton Lock always seems an impossibly perfect place to cool your jets. Wild Swimming is all the rage now and the water is deep enough in places to invite leaping into the cold river for a frolic with the fishes.

The shock of the chilly water will certainly refresh you after a long hot walk but the children were soon shivering like leaves in the wind. We dried them off and set off for home, pausing only to grab a bag-full of Elderflower heads to create thirst quenching Cordial and Champagne on our return. 

We also spotted that cherries are ripening. At last, after all the stress of finishing the book, the free fruit foraging fun finally begins...

Birthday at Badbury

It felt like the first day of Spring, and we made the most of it. The incessant rain and relentless wind had abated and, as if by arrangement (it was February and my birthday), the sun came out. You could feel the warmth of it on your face or back... What a blessed relief.

I had often wanted to visit Badbury Rings, an ancient hill-fort with archaeological antiquities dating back over 6000 years. It is fairly close to the small town of Wimborne Minster and has very well defined, steep embankments. The central area is now wooded with Oak, Pine and even the odd Walnut tree. Badbury is magnificently well preserved and it’s easy to see why it is a very popular spot with local dog walkers and children.

When we arrived we ran straight up the central axis of the fort, clambering up and tumbling down the banks. Once we reached the central area, where the trees are, we also found a couple of ponds. The children wandered off, to find a suitable tree to carve their names into. 

I took a scenic route and wound out in the opposite direction to the encircling rings. I figured that if I walked the circumference, I would find them eventually.

The children and I also explored the set of three barrows nearby. On the way over to them we found lots of empty walnut shells, presumably collected by rabbits. Curiously, we also found Walnuts on St Catherine’s Hill near Winchester, a couple of years ago.

After we had eaten our picnic lunch we set off to see another interesting site that I had spotted on the map. Knowlton Henge did not disappoint. It is a considerably smaller and a much more kept site than Badbury, but no less impressive. A low bank surrounds the area and in the centre is a tiny ruined Norman chapel. Very atmospheric.

At one end there is a yew tree that hippies have decorated with ribbons. And nearby is a large mound with trees on it, it looks too big to be a barrow, but not on the same massive scale as Silbury. Apparently, the visible Henge is only a small part of a much larger structured landscape and barrows that existed before the local farm was established.

I spotted a chap with home-made dowsing rods, something I had not seen or even heard of since I watched Blue Peter as a child. I asked him if he would explain what he was doing, to the children and he kindly let them have a go… Soon my son was scampering about tracking ley lines and getting caught in power vortexes.

Pretty soon though, I grew tired of Michael’s post-modern grab bag of internet based conspiracy theories and slipped off to take some photos; here though, I found people apparently worshipping trees! 

Finally we popped into Wimborne Minster, for a quick look around before going home. It is a lovely little town stuffed full of independent shops and smiling people; maybe the ley lines and energetic chakras keep them happy. Either way, the henge site and town look well worth a return visit at some point. Obviously, I will need to make some dowsing rods first...

The Coincidence on St Catherine’s

 

A Small Walnut Tree Atop The Hill

We had heard reports of walnut trees on St Catherine’s Hill near Winchester and our nut gathering had been met with some serious competition from the local kids on the town trees. So, on an unseasonably hot October day, we set off to explore the ancient hill fort and see if we could find a new supply.

A Good Day For a Stroll In - Plague Pits Valley!

The first obstacle to our expedition was that the small car park by the river Itchen was full – I have heard rumours about plans by Sustrans (the cycle network) to reopen the Victorian viaduct for bikes. This would be a massively ambitious project but could create a fantastic cycle track down the old railway route.

The Steep Embankments Can Be Quite Challenging

In the event we managed to squeeze in via the tradesman’s entrance and walk up past the Donga’s traveller camp, which is next to the reservoirs at the back of the hill. Their tarpaulin/tent dwellings and old vans with wood-burning stoves are a window into a very different way of living; it does not look at all comfortable to me but they do have a very big garden, even if it is called Plague Pits Valley. I am pretty sure that they don’t have to pay council tax or have a mortgage to worry about though.

Crowning Glory of Beech

On a hot day the walk up St. Catherine’s can be hard work but all the effort is always well rewarded when you reach the summit.

Children Marching the Mysterious Mismaze

Once you get to the top of the hill, stunning views over Winchester open up. The brow of the hill is crowned with a circular clump of glorious beech trees. There is also an ancient turf labyrinthine pattern carved into the hilltop called the Mismaze.

I Spy Apple Pie!

While the children zoomed about the Mismaze – I scuttled off to examine a couple of suspiciously walnut-like trees I had seen. They were indeed walnuts but they had been picked dry, presumably by the travellers – no nuts, never mind!

One of the Large Walnut Trees on St Catherine's Hill

However, it didn't take long before my Fruit Radar picked up tasty looking red apples on a small briar covered tree; if only I had brought my fruit picker with me. I got stung and prickled a fair bit but managed to get a few apples into my bag and they were lovely to eat with the blackberries.

Ready to Run Downhill...

Then, in a weird moment of synchronicity (strange things often occur atop prehistoric hillforts), we chanced upon someone I had worked with by email but not met in person. Chris is a freelance designer who was employed on my latest martial art book project Wing Chun: the Works.

Cooling Our Jets In The Itchen River

On the way down the hill we crunched on the foraged apples and found several more large walnut trees, all of them with no trace of nuts but definitely worth remembering for visiting (earlier) next year. Finally we cooled our hot feet in the soothing waters of the river Itchen before grabbing a few hazelnuts on the way back to the Dongas.

Ooh! That's Better.