4 July 2008 - The New Forest

A trip to the New Forest to try and photograph the rare Wild Gladiolus.

The start of my walk. New Forest ponies.

A lone tree.

My path crossed a very damp area. I seem to recall that when I first visited here there was no raised gravel path so you needed boots.

Cotton grass. A sign of damp ground.

A closer look. The yellow plant in the background is Bog Asphodel.

Bell Heather

Found it. The only specimen to be seen after a long search. I think my visit was too late to see it at its best. The New Forest is the only site in the UK where it grows.

A tail end shot of a Stonechat with a large insect in its mouth.

The typical heathland environment.

More ponies.

A closer look at the Bog Asphodel.

A very short stop at Ringwood on the way home. This shot is in the new shopping precinct.

The old bank house and the church.

An interesting lamp.

The church of St Peter and St Paul.

A nice old Eldridge Pope pub. The White Hart. Sadly Eldridge Pope no longer brew beer. Follow this link for more information on Eldridge Pope.