Roe Deer in Roe Inclosure One of my favourite walks explores Red Shoot Wood and Roe Inclosure, near the hamlet of Linwood (and the Red Shoot pub). It's the route we take when we start walks from Appleslade car park. The only problem is that, after any amount of rain, the paths dissolve into deep channels of clinging mud. So, I left the route off our programme of walks earlier in the Summer, and finally risked scheduling a Walking Picnic there last week. When I mentioned where I was going to a Commoner who keeps ponies on the Forest, she looked slightly horrified and said, "I rescued a pony from the mud down there". But we have seen virtually no rain for a couple of months, so it has finally dried out. The height of Summer is now past, and the tall thistle heads have turned to seed. The birds are silent, and the bracken is beginning to turn from livid green to autumnal brown. But when the sun comes out, so do the butterflies and dragonflies, and we surprised a couple of deer browsing as we walked up to the Iron Age earth mound called Castle Piece, buried in the heart of the wood. We did the entire circuit without getting muddy, although there was a newly fallen tree to negotiate, and we had the bonus of completing the picnic before the heavens opened for the inevitable thunderstorm. I must remember to do the walk more often, even if I do need my wellies for most of the year.
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