Tuesday 5 November 2013

High Spring Tide at Redbridge and Lower Test Nature Reserve

Tuesday 5th November 2013

On our way to the New Forest for a walk on Sunday we noticed a very high tide at Redbridge so with time to spare this morning we went to have a better look.  We parked at the old bridge at Redbridge where there was more water  than I have ever seen there before. There was little sign of bird life  however, but I don't blame anything from staying away as the wind was so cold.

Looking through the arch towards the railway line in the distance and a very high tide (the A35 Redbridge Causeway runs over this bridge).

Water where it shouldn't be, looking towards Totton.

More water where it shouldn't be!

Fast flowing - this is where the River Test should be, with a hopeful bit of brightness on the horizon.


We then moved on to Nursling to the Lower Test Nature Reserve where we walked along a bit of the Test Way.  I say a bit of the Test Way because we got less than a mile along it when it became impossible to carry on without  the use of a boat!  Still it was worth seeing and it tested the epic wellies and they are definitely epic!

Flooded fields at the Lower Test Valley Nature Reserve and more grey sky.

The flood flowing over the footpath, we thought this was bad enough until we got further on!

This, straight ahead is the footpath, we gave it a go but no, not a good idea!

Testing the wellies to the limit, what is needed now is a boat and I didn't happen to have one handy today so we back tracked.

The tide had been going out for about an hour or more so on the way back the floods had receded a bit.

This is my favourite photo from today's fun and games, a bit moody and grey but I like it!

Maybe we should return another day when there is no high tide to compare the scenery, the River Test is usually along the far tree line.

We retraced our wet steps back to the car and then went in a different direction to try and find a geocache that we have already tried to find once before when I got stung by two wasps (or one twice) back in September (post from 6th September).  Unfortunately we still didn't manage to locate it annoyingly, as we do hate to be beaten!  As it was way past lunchtime, I was cold and we were both hungry it was time to give up and go home, another day maybe.


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