5-6 Rockford to Ibsley Common

The pub facilities will be open before the walk.

The walk leaves the Alice Lisle and follows a small country lane between hedges and fields for about half a mile, before a turning onto a firm track between trees and up a valley, passing birch woods and gorse. It then takes a track across the open heath of Rockford Common, before descending Rogdens Bottom, crossing Dockens Water over a little bridge in a wood, and walking up a hill for about 175 yards to lovely distant views on the open heathland of Ibsley Common.

After passing a trig point, from which Martin Down and Cranborne Chase can be seen on the horizon, and visiting the Huff Duff on the Hill, the walk turns west to join the lightly wooded Avon Valley Path with brief views of Blashford Lakes. It then follows a lane back to the Alice Lisle, passing the 400 year-old Moyles Court Oak, and Moyles Court School which used to be the home of Alice Lisle, the last person to be publicly beheaded in England, in 1685. On a less gruesome note, there is a ford in which one can rinse ones boots .just before reaching the pub.

There are no stiles, and no fields with farm animals. There are New Forest ponies grazing the grassy swards, and we have seen deer under clumps of trees on the open heath, every time we have been on this walk