On the far South-East edge of Ringwood, the Castleman Trail ends. Or in my case, as I’m walking it the other way – starts. So far I’ve been on official paths across the New Forest, mostly on what was once the track bed of the railway, but none of it the “official” Castleman Trail. What you see above is it! The little lane you can see is called Charles’ Lane, then the trees mark the route clearly where the train once steamed, but it’s now across farmers fields and has no path. When one gets “ones eye in!” it’s surprising how bits of railway appear. In the image below there are three white posts, but if you look closely you may spot that the middle one is different. I think that the two either side once held the gates of a crossing, they are of railway style like the image above, and indeed still have the hangers for the gate.
Looking down Charles Lane, you might just make out another couple small pieces of track crossing the lane. It points our way. Within seconds I’m in the countryside, fields either side and a simple trail to follow.
Before long I cross Crowe Hill, the path enters trees and the official end/start of the New Forest NP is marked. Another couple of minutes on and to my right I see Hightown Lake. It’s a private lake for anglers as far as I can make out. Certainly judging by the fence, they don’t want anyone else to share it! I pushed my way through the undergrowth, poked my lens through the steel fence and made an image!
The path emerges and I cross Crow (without a e!) Lane, and although the path continues, I start to enter suburbia, the south of Ringwood. The path is straight and tarmac now! Just in the far distance in the image below, you can see our first, complete and still working bridge!
A road runs over the top of the bridge, Crow Arch Lane, and just a few yards on the path ends abruptly in an industrial estate!
It fascinates me, that especially from the air with the aid of Google Earth, it’s pretty easy to work out where the route was, even if the path isn’t on it! Indeed here is a newish industrial site and yet the route leaves it’s memory!
Just in case you missed the first 4 thrilling installments (!) of this, I’m carrying all the way, my Pentax Spotmatic, with a Takumar 35mm and 50mm lenses – hence Takumar Trek. I’m using FP4+ bulk loaded from a roll that wanted to be processed before 1998!
In part 6, perhaps some of the nicest scenery yet!
S.H.O.U.T. 