The gloomy Forest

This morning after taking the lovely daughter to a market in the New Forest, the Saint and I had breakfast at our usual haunt, the Old Farmhouse in Burley and then managed a walk in the woods without getting rained on.

With winter closing in, the woods are wet and gloomy but still have amazing beauty to share. As I had left home inadequately prepared, without my walking boots, we gravitated to the gravel paths.

The trees have all but lost their leaves which carpet the ground to form a warm protective covering for all kinds of creatures during the winter to come.

Moss adorns tree trunks adding life to the winter colours.

There are still all kinds of fungus to be found along the way.

For a brief second the sun broke through the clouds. It lit up this lovely little robin who was looking for its lunch on the path in front of us.

Oooooo... er..... which way should we go? The clouds are starting to build up again.

We chose the pine forests where the scent of the trees hung heavily in the air. (I wish I could add a 'scratch and smell' here).

There is spoor of the local wild life on the paths. The New Forest ponies were wise enough to be seeking refuge under the trees.

The Forest is a working woodland and we walked passed timber stacks. Can you spot the smiley face?

On our return, two pony traps passed us bringing a happy jingle to the end of our walk.