Red shoot, Appleslade, New Forest.

An absolutely beautiful walk today, starting from the car park at Appleslade and turning right to walk up to the Red shoot pub. Here take the little lane to your left that passes the campsite and Tom's Farm. The lane bear to the right and enters an area of open heath. Soon you will come to a small track to your left the crosses the stream on a small bridge. It's rather muddy here until you gain some height above the boggy area. Take the track to the left that goes up onto the ridge above (we saw a group of deer here) and continue on the ridge until you reach the trig point Whitefield plantation. The sky was full of the sound of skylarks and there was a pair of lovely buzzards up above. Continue a little further until level with the small pond here at Summerlug hill and then take a track heading south across the heather to reach Rodens bottom at Dockens water. Cross the bridge and the road too then up to the top of the hill, turn left at the top of the hill and then continue on the main path, keep right at the second split. The path decends down to Appleslade beside the forest. Map at the end of pictures. Takes around 2 hours, circular walk.