Weekly Walk 11 - Loop of Burley in the New Forest

As the horses kicked up sand in their gallop to the crest of the hill, I was no longer in The New Forest in the South of England; perhaps a desert in the old west with John Wayne about to give chase. The heathland of this national park was particularly barren at this time of year and had an alien feel to it, but as we emerged in the quaint village of Burley, we were soon reminded of its charm.

This week I joined the Hampshire 20s and 30s at Picket Post just off the A31 in a little car-park overlooking an open expanse of heathland. It was so windy that I had to chase the carrier bag for my boots down the hill; a great start to meeting a new group. There must've been at least fifteen of us, so I quickly got to introducing myself around the group. That's the great thing about these walks with the Ramblers; you can walk and talk quite comfortably to a range of people who love the outdoors as much as you.

Flat paths with the odd slope made for a gentle walk with time to admire the famous New Forest ponies, who didn't seem to mind me stopping to take pictures. You might feel you're in total wilderness with nothing around for miles, but you can't go far without hitting a road or meeting people riding horses, cyclists, or hikers. That said, it's open enough to make me think twice about trying to navigate myself, and was glad to have a walk leader.

Lunch was had at a high-point overlooking ponies. It was so hot by this point that I'd taken off my jacket and rolled up my sleeves to catch some sun! I hadn't bought much food, but luckily we were a stones throw from our next stop at a pub in the village of Burley.

Burley is a quaint village with character. There's a witch shop and many quirky tearooms with brooms or cauldrons on their signs. According to the village website, the white witch Sybil Leek lived in the village in the 1950s until locals, scared of her black attire, led her move to America. There's even history at the pub, The Queen's Head, which was once popular with smugglers and highway men.

On the final stretch of green hills and woodland, we stopped to take pictures of the cute lambs. By the top of the hill we were back in the dusty landscape and trekked a short way back to our cars.

In some ways, it was an uneventful walk, especially as after the pub the pace ground to an amble, but it was nice to be in a totally different landscape to everywhere else I've walked in England (it actually made me miss being in New Mexico) and meet some friendly new faces.