Over The River and Through the Woods, But First...

Friday - May 14

We set out at 9 am for the New Forest, just a bit southeast of Salisbury, about 20 miles to Lyndhurst. Cookie has been there before, but decides to try a “new” route, “the one less traveled.” Did I mention the hills that we encountered last year? We found similar ones along this way! There was quite a bit of up and down, seemed like more up than down, but I didn't find it as exhausting as last year. I am enjoying the trip more this year. Guess I am a little more prepared, or at least know what to expect.

We arrive at the edge of the New Forest. This is not a dark or foreboding wood, but an inviting arbor of green sights and aromas. The river Avon meanders through a portion of it. There are many little villages and towns interspersed along the way. I have never seen so many free-roaming horses! There are no fences. Horses, cows and sheep cross the roads whenever they want or need to. As the roads here are VERY narrow, at times the animals may cause cars (or bikes) to stop and wait. There is hardly room to pass in each direction let alone pass around grazing horses!

There are many, many young colts. I guess they are born in early spring. Ah, what a life: graze, run, play, roll in the dirt, or just lie down next to mom & dad for an afternoon nap. I fully understand!

We had seen some hikers earlier in the day as we set out. Now we have encountered them again and we can't believe how we twisted and turned, up and down all this time, and now they have caught up with us! We joke and laugh with them and then go on our way... but unbeknownst to me, my phone has fallen off my belt. I will not discover until much later that I have lost it.

More up and up, along some fast highways. On the uphills, we have to get off the bikes and walk up as we push our bikes along. Incidentally, that is what they call bicycles here, “push bikes” as opposed to “motorbikes”. Now I know why!

Eventually we get to Lyndhurst. We will camp on the other side of town. We stop for some lunch... and this is where I discover I have lost my phone. I am sick. I think I lost it on one of the hills in the last 2-3 miles just before Lyndhurst. I MUST go back to find it. After an hour and a half of riding and walking back 2 miles on the wrong side of the road, and then coming all the way back again... but obviously, no luck. I resign myself to the fact that it is gone. I am ready to move forward.

We head for the campground, which is a working farm that Cookie stayed at 3 years ago. We arrive to find “no room at the inn.” Well, actually we find that the spring has produced too much rain and the farm is not ready to open to campers for the season yet! And it is now 6:00 pm (although it does not get dark until after 9:00 pm).

We push ahead (yes I do mean push) uphill and find another campground. This one has signs all around that you must have a “self-contained” toilet in order to camp – NO TENTS. (Note: I actually do have a self-contained system of sorts, but that's a story for another time.). We talk to some folks at the campground and consider merely pitching our tents as the camp “host/guard” will not return until morning. On second thought, we head down a trail through the forest, hoping to find a spot out of the way and out of sight to pitch our tents. We see a man walking his dog and ask if the trail goes through to the next paved road.

“Oh yes, cross over the river, go through the wood, cross the railroad tracks and then straight on to the road” (and Grandmother's house we thought!). After we have followed half of his directions, we find a place off the trail and although it is not allowed, we pitch our tents. We make some soup and have leftover half-sandwiches from lunch. It is only 8:30, but as the bugs are bugging us, we retire, hoping that the camping police will not visit us in the night and haul us off to camping prison, or prison camp!