There was a brisk cold wind blowing from the west this morning and we chose to walk in open heathland, this may not have been one of our best ideas. Our aim today was to find two geocaches on a short walk of just under four miles.
Along this valley it was very exposed and very cold, there was even thin ice on the edges of the stream in places. My brother and I used to mess around here on the thick ice on this stream as children (many years ago!!) and I always seem to remember it being cold whenever we were here.
On the edge of Pitts Wood we came across this sign. Apparently Pitts Wood was enclosed in 1775, thrown out in 1815 and re-enclosed in 1903. Thrown out???? It must have been thrown out again since then as there is no fence or gate here any more!
This is looking back towards the sign in Pitts Wood, we successfully found cache number one not far from here.
Cache number two was on the top of this mound - submarine pens.
Submarine Pens in the middle of the New Forest?
During the Second World War this area was the Ashley Walk Bombing Range. The RAF brought back evidence that the Germans were building vast structures of reinforced concrete to house their submarines. This knowledge led to a massive reinforced concrete raft, 6ft thick, 79ft by 70ft being built of high quality concrete, for the purpose of testing. It is supported on five equidistant walls 6ft high on a foundation 20 inches thick. In 1942 this cost £250,000!
During the clear up of the area, after the war, this structure proved to be indestructible and so had to be buried. Today it is marked as a Tumulus on an OS map.
As you walk to the top of the ‘Pens’ you will be able to see some of the reinforced concrete. When at the top look around and you will see many small depressions, these are the remains of bomb craters. To the NW (about 100 metres) there is a larger crater. This is where the only ‘Grand Slam’ bomb (22000lb) was dropped on test and exploded. It created a crater 100ft in diameter and 70ft in depth. Today it is marked by a large growth of reeds in a slight depression.
This massive old oak tree was just asking for a hug! Last night there was quite a hard frost and suddenly the leaves have dropped, it had to happen eventually, and it is December!
Just a few of the many ponies and cattle grazing on the heathland back near the car.
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