Ashley Walk - The New Forest

After a lazy morning on the campsite, I decided to go out and do a bit of exploring.  The sunny morning turned into a grey hazy afternoon, but it was still warm - the warmest weekend so far this spring, so I knew to avoid the the popular New Forest villages as they'd likely be heaving with tourists.  I stumbled upon this spot as I was driving by and decided to stop and go for a walk through the open heathland of this part of the forest.  While I was walking I decided to look for some geocaches and I wasn't disappointed - I found 4 on my walk  - and in the process I learned the interesting military history of this area!  

Ashley Walk (see first Extra photo) is a tranquil area near Godshill in the north-west part of the National Park. It covers the site of the Ashley Bombing Range, which tested various bombs including a bouncing bomb and the mighty 'earthquake bomb' known as The Grand Slam.  It was the largest bomb exploded in Britain and left a crater 130 feet across and 30 feet deep.  Some of the associated structures were dismantled when this area was closed in 1946 but some traces of activity can still be found, and one structure was buried in a mound which has recently been excavated by archeologists.  Many of the over 400 craters from the bomb testing are still traceable today, a few which I discovered on my walk (see 2nd Extra photo).

The landscape wasn't exactly stunning - I felt like I was walking on the moon much of the time!  But it was warm, the gorse was in flower as well as plenty of woodland violets, and the New Forest ponies prolific, so I very much enjoyed walking for a couple of hours and learning some history in the process!  Rain started just as I got back to the van, so my timing was good!  And the best part of having the campervan, is being able to make a snack and a drink right there and then!  

The sun was back out when I returned to the campsite, and I enjoyed a cup of tea and a good book whilst sitting in the sun by the lake.  I joined my camping friends for another BBQ this evening and contributed the dessert (a large fruit salad) and the first Pimms of the season!  We were hit by an almighty thunderstorm this evening which was quite exciting!  The rain broke just in time for me to wander back to my own pitch for an early night, and then the storm continued through much of the night.  I must say I was glad to be in my van and not a tent!