Visiting various places in my local area to map my walks with images and do some research on where I want to include in my videos and to get inspiration for areas for using video.
The New Forest - near Janesmoor Pond
Reflections of the Forest:
Snow left over and ice. Sun had melted the snow. The light was beautiful shining through the trees. There was a Den built by people from broken branches. Made me think of History and of times when they built shelter out of the forest. How humans need nature to survive. Winter is still in the air. Lonely little orange tree. Loneliness during isolation. Nature is still beautiful.
Hengistbury Head
I had done some research around Hengistbury head before I headed out that day and found out that it has plenty of History dating right back to the Upper Paleolithic period - pre 6500BC also known as the The Old Stone Age.
It incorporates many different types of habitats, wildlife and rare plant species. It's a site of significant archeological importance and for many years it has been a site of scientific interest and a major tourist attraction. Hengistbury Head is also a major educational resource and is heavily used as the foundation and subject for a range of studies related to local history and the environment. According to the Hengistbury Head website 'Without Hengistbury Head it is probable that most of the town of Christchurch and all of Christchurch Harbour would cease to exist. Poole bay and Christchurch bay would merge and become one.'
'The Ironstone doggers, or boulders that protected the base of Hengistbury Head for so long are a strange concretion built up over many thousands of years in a stagnant bog environment. They are very rich in iron, which was one of the primary reasons why they were gathered up and taken away in the 1850's.Hengistbury Head had been subject erosion ever since the southerly chalk ridge, which stretched from the Needles in the Isle of Wight to the Old Harry rocks near Studland was breached by the sea. The sea invaded the river valley between the ridge and the Head and rapidly eroded the soft rocks to the south of the Head. This erosion was slowed, if not stopped, by the accumulation of hard iron stone boulders that were left from the erosion of the softer rocks in which they were embedded.' This seemed a relevant in relation to the Anthropocene.
'In the grand scheme of things Hengistbury Head is doomed to be washed into the sea, but the timescale of her final demise is very much in our hands.'
The Geology of the Cliff side
According to the Hengistbury Head website
'The base of Hengistbury Head is formed from Boscombe Sands (a compressed and soft rocklike sand that is easily friable (crumbles)). Above the Boscombe sands is about 3 metres of greenish sandy clay known as the Lower Hengistbury Head Beds. This is topped with up to 15 metres of brown sandy clay. Embedded within this layer are large ( approximately 1-2 metres diameter) boulders of Ironstone. This is known as the Upper Hengistbury Beds. On top of this is about 3 metres of white compressed sand containing islands of clay. This layer is known as the Highcliffe beds. A layer of river bed gravel sits on top of this and is about 1 metre thick. Finally the top of the promontory is covered by a thin topsoil which in the main consists of windblown sand. All of the strata are inclined at about 3 degrees to the horizontal (declining to the south east).'
Other things to bare in mind when looking at the Anthropocene -
Taken from the Hengistbury Head Website for research purposes
Hengistbury Head Defence Schemes - Gabion Revetment
'Along with a set of new groynes either side of the original 1938 long groyne a Gabion Revetment has been built to protect the weakest point in the eastern end of Hengistbury Head, on the South beach just before Hengistbury Head rises up to Warren Hill. While this thing is hardly a picture of Beauty it does provide an effective defence and will hopefully prevent Hengistbury Head becoming Hengistbury Island. One major problem with the gabion revetments is their life span. Inevitably, as they exist in a very harsh environment, their useful life is limited.'
Hengistbury Head Defence Schemes - Artificial Reef
'One new and revolutionary idea that was mooted for the coastal defence of Hengistbury Head would have involved building an artificial reef just off the coast to effectively replace the ironstone doggers that were trawled up in the 1850's. However the reef ended up being built further west and was by all accounts has been an unmitigated failure. It would seem unlikely that the council would have the appetite for trying the idea again anytime soon.'
Hengistbury Head Natures Defence - Ironstone Doggers
'While all this human activity and hard work continues, Hengistbury Head is also lending a hand in its own defence. As the cliff has receded, the Ironstone Doggers have been slowly slipping down onto the beach and rebuilding the defences stolen by the Hengistbury Mining Company and others. It can be seen, on the beach at Hengistbury Head, that where Ironstone Doggers are most prevalent, the cliff has regressed less.'
Ley Lines
What also interests me about Hengistbury head also is that a ley line runs through it and up to St Catherine's Hill. I found a blog by Unknown on UKLeylineTours that says 'The hill is situated on a Ley Line which runs from Hengistbury Head Christchurch through St Catherine's Hill, Salisbury, Pewsey, Cleeves Hill and Stonehenge before reaching Avebury. The Line then continues its way up the spine of the UK before leaving British soil at John O'Groats, the most northern part of main land Britain. This Leyline is significant in that it passes through two of the most important sites on the planet, Stonehenge and Avebury'
I have been to St Catherine's Hill before and loved it there. There is a lot of natural beauty but also to me, the energy there is very different to other places I have been; It is very similar to Glastonbury. This is where I will go next to do some visual research.
St Catherine's Hill
I have been drawn to St Catherine's Hill for quite some time. Being there gives me this energy like nowhere else. It heightens my senses; The smell of the different trees, the wind on my face, the darkness of the tree canopies but then the lightness of the sun shining through when you find a clearing. But there's also a different energy there, I always feel like I am floating around. Especially when I am alone there. So many inspirational things came from this walk. The lake/pond in the middle was frozen over which I found fascinating. I love seeing cracked ice for some reason and frozen over water, it reminds me of when I was young and my Mum would take me ice skating on the lake that froze near us. I would watch her skate and it was always beautiful. The clay there is a variety of colours; bright orange, light orange, dark brown, light brown and with the contrast of the green shrubbery it is beautiful. In winter certain trees without their branches look almost purple.
One thing that has changed since I was last here around 10 years ago is tree felling in the middle. It upset me because it used to be so beautiful there.
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